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UCO creates India scholar program honoring Dr. S. Narasinga Rao
Endowed program will bring Indian scholars and artists to UCO, expanding academic and cultural collaboration initiatives.
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Staff Reporter - Sun, 28, Jun 2026
- 00:54 EDT
- 29
Dr. S. Narasinga Rao in India / Madras Christian College
The University of Central Oklahoma has established the Dr. S. Narasinga Rao Endowed India Scholar Program, honoring Indian American educator and researcher Dr. S. Narasinga Rao while creating new opportunities for academic collaboration between India and the United States.
Announced by the UCO Foundation, the endowed program will support visits by distinguished scholars, professors and artists from India to the University of Central Oklahoma. Participants will contribute to the campus through lectures, performances, internships and collaborative research, strengthening educational and cultural ties between the two countries.
The program recognizes Rao's decades-long contributions to the university and higher education. He served as emeritus dean of the UCO Jackson College of Graduate Studies and Research and emeritus professor of physics and engineering, where he played a key role in expanding research and academic programs.
Rao was previously recognized by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education with a special proclamation for initiating the Council on Research for Regional Universities and Campus Representatives and organizing Oklahoma Research Day. The proclamation recognized his leadership in promoting undergraduate research across Oklahoma and his role in establishing statewide research collaborations.
"Our State is poised to enter into a new era of research opportunities. Thanks to researchers like Dr. Rao who share a deep passion and commitment to excellence," Chancellor Paul G. Risser said.
The proclamation also recognized Rao's leadership in establishing undergraduate scholarly activities through USCARE and his efforts in planning and hosting Oklahoma Research Day, which encouraged collaboration among Oklahoma institutions as well as national and international academic and research organizations. It further recognized "the immense leadership efforts of Narasinga Rao in his personal and professional roles to build the educational foundations necessary for all Oklahoma to succeed."
Born in India, Rao completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in physics at Madras Christian College, University of Madras. He later earned a second master's degree from McMaster University in Canada before receiving a doctorate in biophysics through the Center for Crystallographic Research at Roswell Park in affiliation with the State University of New York at Buffalo. During his studies, he worked with noted crystallographers and Nobel laureates.
At UCO, Rao introduced programs in Sanskrit, Hindu philosophy and Hindu humanities. He also founded Oklahoma Research Day in 1999, bringing together regional colleges and universities across the state for an annual research event that continued for a decade.
Beyond the university, Rao served as founding president of the East West Art Forum and the India Association of Oklahoma. He also held leadership and advisory roles with several academic, scientific and arts organizations, including the American Crystallographic Association and the American Institute of Physics.
Following his retirement from UCO in 2008, Rao continued promoting academic partnerships between universities in the United States and India. He worked with institutions including SRM University, St. Joseph's College, Seshadripuram Academy for Global Excellence, Jain University and the University of Central Oklahoma to expand student exchanges and research collaborations.
Rao later was elected a fellow of the American Crystallographic Association. He also authored the association's "Living History" account and wrote the 25-year history of UCO's Graduate College during the university's 125th anniversary. He retired as the association's chief financial officer on Dec. 31, 2020, after serving as its treasurer and CFO for 35 years.
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