Mahindra University, located in Hyderabad, received a commitment of more than Rs 500 crore on Tuesday, March 26 from industrialist Anand Mahindra and his family.
Anand Mahindra and his family are contributing the funds, which will be invested in the next five years, from Financial Year 2025 to Financial Year 2029, to expand the university's curriculum and establish it as a centre of excellence.
Additionally, in his individual capacity, the Chairman of the Mahindra Group promised to donate an additional Rs 50 crore to the Indira Mahindra School of Education, a division of Mahindra University, in the fiscal year 2025.
The school, named after Indira Mahindra, a teacher and Anand Mahindra's mother, seeks to be a centre of excellence for educational research, practice, and innovation.
In an interview with PTI, Mahindra stated that the university has established many schools on its campus in a relatively short period under the guidance of Vice-Chancellor Yajulu Medury.
"Now the goal is to really ramp up quickly, gain momentum, improve the quality, get the faculty and make sure the facilities for each of these colleges are superlative. And to that I am pledging Rs 500 crore to the university over a period of five years," he stated.
According to Mahindra, Rs 100 crore has been kept aside as part of the project for the total institution, which will begin this year. He stated that Rs 50 crore has been set aside specifically for the Mahindra School of Education.
Vineet Nayar, Tech Mahindra's former Vice-Chairman, founded Mahindra University (MU) in May 2020.
The university now offers 35 undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degrees through five schools and four institutes. Two new schools, including the School of Hospitality Management, are slated to open in the academic year 2024-25.
"There is a school of liberal arts, as well as a school of hospitality that will be coming up," Mahindra stated.
Mahindra Univeristy has roughly 4,100 students enrolled, with approximately 10 per cent of them pursuing postgraduate studies.
The university collaborates with global academic institutions, including Centrale Supelec (formerly Ãcole Central Paris), Cornell SC Johnson School of Business, Virginia Tech, Babson College, the University of Florida, and La Trobe University, for curriculum development, student immersion, faculty exchange, and research collaborations.
This combined pledge of Rs 550 crore is the latest in a string of educational projects supported by Anand Mahindra across India, including Mahindra United World College India and Mahindra International School.
