City University of New York to Establish Achyuta Samanta Research Institute
Bhubaneswar, Sept 20: The City University of New York today announced the establishment of a research institute in the name of Dr Achyuta Samanta, providing U.S. students with the opportunity to research Odisha’s rich art and heritage, as well as exploring Dr Samanta’s contributions to the socio-economic development of indigenous communities and his success in the field of education.
The Centre will be known as ‘The Achyuta Samanta India Initiative of The CUNY CREST Institute (ASIICCI) at City University of New York’. It will be inaugurated next month by Dr Samanta. The announcement was made by President of Bronx Community College, City University of New York Dr. Milton Santiago, who extended an invitation to Dr. Samanta to inaugurate the new research institute.
The City University of New York (CUNY), a public institute, can be compared to the University of Delhi. It comprises 25 colleges and serves a diverse student body from 122 countries. The idea for setting up the institute in the name of Dr Samanta emerged following a visit by CUNY officials to KIIT and KISS, where they were inspired by Dr. Samanta’s achievements in education and his commitment to serving marginalized populations.
Accepting the invitation, Dr. Samanta expressed his gratitude and excitement. “This institute is a testament to the work we’ve done at KIIT and KISS. I believe it will encourage more research and understanding of Odisha’s culture and my journey,” he said.
Dr. Santiago highlighted the university’s mission: “Education is the key to lifting people out of poverty, and we strive to never turn anyone away.” At the event, Alexander McLaren, Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad noted the importance of fostering educational ties between the U.S. and India.
Prof Peter Groffman, a leading researcher at CUNY, who has 66000 citations to his credit, stressed the importance of international collaboration in addressing global challenges like climate change.
Sita Raiter, Public Diplomacy Officer, US Consulate General Mumbai; Prof. Paramita Sen and Prof. Neal Phillip from the Bronx Community College, City University of New York; Salil Kader, Advisor- Strategic Planning & Public Engagement Public Diplomacy Section, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad and Prof. Saranjit Singh, Vice Chancellor, KIIT DU also spoke on the occasion.
