"Broadening awareness and understanding about India"
The India Program, supported by The Anil and Chitra Deshpande India Program Endowed Fund, is housed in the Department of Political Science of the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida. Established in 2007, it sponsors or co-sponsors public discussions involving prominent speakers, panels and other meetings; encourages scholarship and research; provides fellowships; and works with partners worldwide to broaden awareness and understanding about India. The program examines India in terms of politics, technology, communication, culture and religion, particularly as those issues relate to the country's rise in the 21st century. It also aims to promote understanding and expand relations between India and the United States. The idea for such a program at UCF was first advanced in 2002. Two years later, UCF led a Fulbright-Hays-funded project in India. Formal discussions for a program were launched in 2005, following the visit to the university by a high-level delegation of business and government leaders from India.
Anil Deshpande, president of Deshpande, Inc., is a businessman in the United States and India. He and his wife Chitra have supported UCF programs dealing with India and other international initiatives during the past several years.
The India Program Interim Co-Directors
Roger Handberg
Department of Political Science handberg@mail.ucf.edu
PH 302, 407-823-2608
John C. Bersia
Global Perspectives Office jbersia@mail.ucf.edu
PH 202, 407-823-0688
The India Program Advisory Board
John C. Bersia, Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives, UCF (interim co-director)
NarSinghh Deo, Professor and Charles N. Millican Endowed Chair, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, UCF
Anil Deshpande, President, Deshpande, Inc.
Roger Handberg, Chairman, Department of Political Science, UCF (interim co-director)
Mira Kamdar, Bernard Schwartz Fellow, Asian Society
Jack McGuire, Associate Dean, College of Sciences, UCF
Sibille Pritchard, President, Global Connections Foundation
Shubhro Sen, Entrepreneur; Founder and Executive Director, Global Outsourcing Leadership Institute
Pallavoor (Vaidy) Vaidyanathan, Assistant Vice President for Research, UCF; Associate Director, Florida Institute for Sustainable Energy, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Florida.
2008-2009 - Selected Visitors, Speakers and Events Related to India
Mira Kamdar, author of Planet India: The Turbulent Rise of the Largest Democracy and the Future of Our World (Risk and Reward in India's Booming Economy; multiple presentations at UCF and in the community).September 23, 2008
"America's Next President and the World," UCF. An international global issues conference in cooperation with the National Conference of Editorial Writers, The Anil and Chitra Deshpande Foundation, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, C.T. Hsu and Associates, LarsonAllen L.L.P., UCF Student Government Association, UCF College of Business Administration, UCF Diplomacy Program, UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program, The India Program at UCF, UCF Kurdish Political Studies Initiative, UCF Terrorism Studies Program, UCF Political Science Department, UCF International Services Center, UCF LIFE, Global Connections Foundation and other partners. November 6, 2008.
Chitra Divakaruni, acclaimed author of The Mistress of Spices and The Palace of Illusions. March 19, 2009.
South Asian Studies Association annual conference, UCF. An international, interdisciplinary academic conference in cooperation with the South Asian Studies Association and other partners. April 3- 5, 2009.
Ambassador Arun K. Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission and Acting Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Keynote Address to be given at the South Asian Studies Association Conference, April 4, 2009.
"Central Florida Global Forum 2009: Innovative Business Strategies for Turbulent Times," UCF. A regional forum sponsored by UCF Global Perspectives Office, Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and the Global Connections Foundation, in partnership with UCF College of Business Administration, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, C.T. Hsu and Associates, OCI Associates Inc., The Anil and Chitra Deshpande Foundation, LarsonAllen LLP, Junior Achievement of Central Florida, Inc., UCF Political Science Department and UCF LIFE. April 9, 2009.
2007-2008 - Selected Visitors, Speakers and Events Related to India
"The India Cultural Series," a lecture program for UCF LIFE. October 2007.
"Emerging Powers: China and India," an international global issues conference, sponsored by the UCF Global Perspectives Office, the National Conference of Editorial Writers, C.T. Hsu & Associates, P.A., Engineering & Environmental Design, Inc., OCI Associates, Inc., the UCF College of Business Administration, the UCF Student Government Association, the UCF Diplomacy Program, the UCF Political Science Department, the UCF International Services Center, UCF LIFE, the Global Connections Foundation and other partners. November 5, 2007.
Shubhro Sen, Entrepreneur, Founder and Executive Director, Global Outsourcing Leadership Institute. November 5-6, 2007.
"The China and India Series," a lecture program for UCF LIFE. February 2008.
Tony D'Souza, author of The Konkans and Whiteman. February 6, 2008.
"Vedic Heritage for the Global Welfare of the Next Generation," the World Association for Vedic Studies Seventh International Conference, sponsored by the World Association for Vedic Studies, UCF Global Perspectives Office, The India Program at UCF and the Global Connections Foundation. June 27 - 29, 2008.
