India Center At Univ Of Central Florida Installs Inaugural Community Endowed Chair

Photo: Provost Michael D. Johnson places a medallion on Yogesh Joshi, formally investing him as the Indian Community Endowed Chair and Director of The India Center.

By Sultana Ali

ORLANDO, FL – On November 4, The India Center at the University of Central Florida celebrated a milestone moment, establishing its inaugural Indian Community Endowed Chair and Director, Yogesh Joshi, Ph.D., in a celebratory investiture ceremony.

The India Center was established in 2012 with a vision to be the nation’s preeminent location for the study of contemporary India’s role in the world, providing educational programs, research, and outreach to the Indian community in Florida and beyond. The India Center is part of the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs in the College of Sciences, headed by Director and Professor Bruce Wilson.

At the ceremony, College of Sciences Dean Maggy Tomova welcomed the room of supporters—including donors and community members, former Interim Director of The India Center, Kerstin Hamann, and a number of UCF faculty and staff.

“Community and culture are of the key focus areas for UCF’s strategic plan and today truly represents community and culture in action. It is so important that students feel a connection to the campus and to each other as they complete their studies,” says Tomova.

The India Center’s Director of Public Affairs, Leila Chacko, emceed the event. Several donors along with the Founding Chairs or members of their family, the Deshpande, Mehta, and Toleti families—who were instrumental in establishing the endowed position were recognized during the ceremony. Representatives from Knights Khayal, a desi music group at UCF, performed a special Carnatic piece entitled, “Vatapi ganapatim.”

Provost Michael D. Johnson provided remarks on the significance of the moment.

“UCF is enriched by a significant number of Indian American faculty, staff, and students, with Indian students representing the largest group of international graduate students at UCF,” says Johnson. “An endowed professorship is a tremendous investment in The India Center’s future, and we greatly appreciate our Founding Chairs and all the donors who made this possible.”

Before joining UCF, Joshi led the National Security and Foreign Policy program at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore and previously taught at the Yale-NUS College. He was a Visiting Fellow at Carnegie India and Carnegie Endowment in addition to other prestigious appointments and received a doctorate in International Politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

He shared his unique journey and expressed his enthusiasm for the future of The India Center to attendees at the ceremony.

“Reflecting on my upbringing from a small Himalayan town, I am constantly reminded of the transformative power of education and social mobilization,” says Joshi. “As we embark on this journey together, my vision for the India Center is ambitious yet clear. We seek to explore and understand contemporary India’s role in the world from science and technology to medicine, to business and economics to its role in global affairs.

“Together, we can empower and make real change in lives of many Americans and Indians.”