Vellore Institute of Technology chancellor to receive honorary degree at Watson College Commencement
Viswanathan has fostered a strong relationship with Binghamton University
Govindasamy Viswanathan, founder and chancellor of the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in India, will receive a State University of New York (SUNY) honorary Doctor of Laws degree on May 10 during Binghamton University’s Commencement ceremony for the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Chancellor Viswanathan has a strong background in educational administration and is recognized for his humanitarian efforts and entrepreneurship.
“Binghamton University is honored that Chancellor Viswanathan will be able to join us at Commencement to be recognized for his contributions to international higher education,” said Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger.
“Chancellor Viswanathan has been a pioneer for expanding access to higher education in India and partnering with institutions around the world. Our community is stronger because of our relationship with VIT, and I hope that we can continue to share students and faculty and collaborate on important research for many years to come.”
Viswanathan said: “The academic cooperation between VIT and Binghamton University signifies a commitment to fostering global learning opportunities and facilitating knowledge exchange between our institutions. Through our ongoing collaborative initiatives, we aim to cultivate innovation, promote interdisciplinary research and empower students with a global perspective to tackle real-world challenges.”
Watson College Dean and Distinguished Professor Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari is inspired by Viswanathan’s rise from an economically challenged rural setting in South India and his crucial role in transforming higher education in India.
“Chancellor Viswanathan epitomizes all that this high honor from SUNY seeks to recognize,” Srihari said. “It is his vision, hard work and dedication that has resulted in one of India’s best institutions of higher learning.”
Born in Tamil Nadu, India, Viswanathan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Loyola College and a law degree from Madras Law College. He also completed an Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School (2003) and received an honorary doctorate from West Virginia University (2009).
As a member of Parliament (1967–77), Viswanathan advocated for the working class. He also served two terms in the Tamil Nadu State Legislature. He was minister for food, cooperation and dairy development, where he implemented measures that lowered essential commodities costs, improved bank functions and reduced corruption.
In 1984, he established the Vellore Engineering College, which became VIT in 2001. VIT now has four campuses and serves over 88,000 students from across the globe. It has been recognized as an institution of eminence by the Indian government and is known for its academic excellence, commitment to students, and addressing the educational needs of socially and economically disadvantaged students.
Viswanathan also received several national and international awards and was the past president and chief patron of the Education Promotion Society for India.
Viswanathan promotes community service through multiple projects, including the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development and Research Studies, Support the Advancement of Rural Students and the G.V. School Development Programme. He founded the Universal Higher Education Trust in 2011 to aid underprivileged students from the Vellore district in pursuing higher education.
Additionally, Viswanathan founded a center for sustainable development of rural communities and launched the Clean Palar Project to clean up the Palar River. He also initiated a project that planted one million trees in Vellore.
Watson College and Binghamton University have partnered with VIT for almost 15 years on educational and research programs. The first Binghamton-VIT memorandum of understanding was signed in 2011, and since then, VIT has become one of Binghamton’s strongest academic partners.
The two institutions work together on faculty exchanges, administrator visits, co-organizing conferences, and research endeavors, some of which have resulted in research proposals to the government of India.
Binghamton also has established a collaborative research center at VIT that focuses on autonomous systems, and that cooperation has resulted in joint publications and co-mentoring of graduate students. Today, many students from VIT are on campus at Binghamton, pursuing graduate and undergraduate education not just in engineering and computer science, but also at the School of Management and the College for Community and Public Affairs.
Binghamton University’s Office of the President invites nominations of individuals who represent what the University values and strives to instill in its graduates. Their accomplishments may be scholarly, artistic or a life of outstanding service. Nominees are considered by the President’s Honorary Degree Advisory Committee, the SUNY chancellor, the SUNY Honorary Degree Committee and the SUNY Board of Trustees before honorees are selected. Recipients are recognized with a SUNY honorary degree: Doctor of Fine Arts, Doctor of Humane Letters, Doctor of Laws or Doctor of Science. In awarding honorary degrees, Binghamton University celebrates the recipients’ achievements and claims them as having a special relationship with the University.