The University of North Texas will name the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics after a $20 million gift from the couple, the university said Tuesday.
The gift is intended to accelerate UNT’s work in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, with money directed toward students, faculty, research and entrepreneurship in fields the university says are reshaping industries, professions and society.
UNT said the college will focus on the development, application and responsible use of artificial intelligence, intelligent systems and data analytics. It will bring together programs and expertise in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, advanced data analytics, health informatics, information science, library science and learning technologies.
“Anu and I see this as an investment in what students will be able to imagine and accomplish in the years ahead,” said Vikas Sinha (’23 Ph.D.). “Artificial intelligence will be one of the defining technologies of our generation, and universities have an essential role to play in preparing the people who will shape its future. What excites us about UNT’s vision is that this college will go beyond teaching students how to use AI. It will prepare them to build it, understand it, question it, govern it and apply it responsibly — developing both the builders and the stewards of intelligent systems.”
What the gift will support
- Gift amount: $20 million
- Donors: Anuradha and Vikas Sinha
- College name: Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics
- Permanent endowments: Six, supporting college leadership, student scholarships, endowed professorships, entrepreneurship and incubation, advanced research and emerging technologies
- Planned university celebration: Later this year, with the Sinha family, students, faculty, university leaders and community members
UNT President Harrison Keller, Ph.D., said the gift positions the university to respond to changes driven by artificial intelligence.
“Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how we work, conduct research and solve problems, and universities have an important responsibility to help shape what comes next,” Keller said. “The Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics positions UNT to lead in that work. Vikas and Anu’s commitment will create new opportunities for our students and faculty to build, study and apply these technologies while advancing central priorities of our Look North: UNT 2030 strategic plan — reshaping how we prepare students for a changing labor market, accelerating interdisciplinary research and innovation, and creating enduring value for North Texas and the state.”
The college also will serve as a university-wide hub for AI and analytics research and education, connecting faculty and students across disciplines through shared infrastructure, collaborative research opportunities and industry partnerships, according to UNT.
Dean Kinshuk, the college’s leader, said the gift is broad enough to affect multiple parts of the academic enterprise.
“What makes this gift extraordinary is that it gives us the ability to think bigger about every part of the student and faculty experience,” Kinshuk said. “We can connect students with emerging technologies and meaningful research, recruit and support outstanding faculty, create opportunities for entrepreneurship and build partnerships that move ideas beyond the university. Our goal is not simply to teach students how to use new technologies. We want them to understand them, question them and be prepared to shape what those technologies become.”
Two divisions and a new institute planned
The college, working with the Office of the Provost, is organizing its academic programs into two complementary academic divisions and will house a new interdisciplinary institute.
The Division of Applied Intelligence and Informatics will focus on building and deploying intelligent systems, including work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, advanced analytics and health informatics.
The Division of Information and Learning Applications will focus on how information and intelligent systems operate within human and institutional contexts, including information science, library science and learning technologies.
The Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Institute will connect AI and analytics research and education across UNT, with opportunities for interdisciplinary research, shared infrastructure, external research funding and industry partnerships.
UNT said the institute also will strengthen the university’s capacity to compete for research funding and expand its research enterprise as Texas public research universities see significant investment through the Texas University Fund. UNT is a TUF-eligible institution.
Sinhas’ relationship with UNT has grown
Vikas and Anu Sinha came to the United States from India to continue their education after each earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Sri Venkateswara University. Both earned graduate degrees from Florida Atlantic University. Vikas later went on to Northwestern University before earning his Ph.D. from UNT in 2023.
Vikas Sinha now serves as vice president of the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom and has served on the UNT College of Information Leadership Board since 2023.
The couple previously gave a 2024 gift establishing the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science, along with endowments supporting scholarships, faculty, research and special initiatives. A year later, they made another major gift creating the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science.
“Education has opened doors for us throughout our lives, and we want to hold those doors open for others,” Vikas said. “Education changed the trajectory of my life. When I came to America as an international student, someone invested in me before they knew what I might someday accomplish. That experience has stayed with me, and it is a large part of why Anu and I believe so strongly in what UNT can make possible for students — including those who may come here from another country carrying the same ambition and belief in education that we once did. For us, this gift is about paying that opportunity forward and recognizing that immigrants don’t simply participate in the American dream — they help build it.”
Keller said international students have an impact beyond their degrees.
“International students come to our universities to learn, but their impact extends far beyond the degrees they earn,” Keller said. “They contribute ideas, build companies, create jobs, lead communities, and create opportunities for the generations who follow them. Vikas and Anu’s story is a powerful example of what can begin when a talented student chooses UNT.”
Brandon Buzbee, UNT vice president for University Advancement, said the gift extends the couple’s commitment to education.
“Vikas and Anu have taken something they believe deeply in — the power of education to change lives — and built a legacy around extending that opportunity to others,” Buzbee said. “Their relationship with UNT has continued to grow because their vision has continued to grow. This gift ensures that vision will keep creating opportunities long into the future.”
UNT said it will mark the milestone with a university celebration later this year.