Education is an important pillar of India-US partnership, India's top diplomat in the United States said after a virtual meeting with the Chancellor of the University of California, Davis. "Good discussion this afternoon with Chancellor Gary May and his team on the big potential for knowledge and research partnership in agriculture, health, digital and climate change," said Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India's Ambassador to the US. “Education is an important pillar of India-United States partnership,” Sandhu said in a tweet after the meeting with Chancellor May."

Chancellor May is known as a highly engaged educational leader with a passion for helping others succeed. In 2015, the then President Barack Obama honoured him with the Presidential Award for Excellence in mentoring students in science, technology, engineering and math.

In 2021, he received the prestigious Lifetime Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for demonstrating extraordinary leadership to increase the participation of under represented groups in the fields of science and engineering. The university is located in the heart of the region which has historical ties with the US Sikh community, which includes many immigrants from Punjab. Today, half of the Sikh population in the US resides in California.

To preserve the stories and history of the immigrants from Punjab and share their contributions to the state of California, the university has created an archive of videos, photos and other documents. The ambassador's interaction with Chancellor May is part of his continuing outreach to US universities.