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Indian-American couple pledges $3.5M to UMaine engineering
The IIT Kanpur graduates were given scholarships to pursue their master's at UMaine.
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Bhavana P - Wed, 14, May 2025
- 12:16 EDT
- 119
Rajendra Singh and Neera Singh. / University of Maine
The University of Maine Foundation announced a $3.5 million pledge from Indian-American alumni couple Rajendra Singh and Neera Singh.
The gift includes $2.2 million to establish the Rajendra Singh and Neera Singh Family Scholarship, which will assist students enrolled in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. The scholarships will prioritize Maine high school graduates with academic merit and financial need. Recipients will be known as Singh Scholars.
Also read: Raj and Indra Nooyi give $1M to Yale School of Medicine
The remaining $1.3 million will endow the Rajendra Singh and Neera Singh Family Chair in Applied Innovation. The position will focus on advancing cross-disciplinary curriculum and preparing students to translate innovation into commercialization.
The couple, who completed their undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have established the Singh Chair in honor of professor emeritus John “Vet” Vetelino, who recruited the graduate students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to UMaine’s nascent research programs. They creditthe university for launching their careers and helping them immigrate to the U.S. through scholarships.
“The University of Maine granted us scholarships to pursue graduate school, which helped us to come to the United States,” said Neera. “UMaine people introduced us to this great country of ours. Maine has a very special place in our hearts.”
Reflecting on his journey to the United States, Raj said, “ Maine was the first stop for me in our great country. With my education, I went on the journey of life to start many businesses together with my wife, Neera.This would not have been possible without the foundation that the University of Maine provided us. We will forever be grateful to Maine,” Raj added.
Giovanna Guidoboni, dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing, praised the couple’s philanthropic efforts, particularly fostering education, and said, “The Singhs treat UMaine students and faculty like family and have remained close with their UMaine mentors and classmates. They value broad access to education for rural students like themselves and applied research and development as a path to uplift society.”
“Raj and Neera Singh are visionary leaders, creative innovators and generous benefactors. Their pioneering work in the telecommunications industry helped revolutionize wireless cellular technology worldwide. The Singhs’ gift reflects their deep commitment to expanding access to high-quality, transformative education and research at their alma mater,” Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine said.
The Singhs co-founded Tecom Ventures and Lunayach Communications Consultants after successful academic careers. Neera was inducted into the Wireless History Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 2022. Both received honorary doctorates from UMaine in 2024.
The announcement was made at the UMaine Foundation’s annual Charles F. Allen Society luncheon, which honors estate donors.
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