Amid Racial Backlash, Why NYU Named Its Engineering School After This Indian-Origin Couple
NYU Tandon School of Engineering is named after philanthropists Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon. Know all about the powerful Indian-American couple,
New York University's School of Engineering was renamed the NYU Tandon School of Engineering in 2015. Recently, a video showing its graduates landing jobs at major tech firms like Google and Amazon, received several racial comments.
The video was filmed during the graduation ceremony at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Students were sharing that they have secured lucrative job offers. However, instead of praise, the video received hate comments against Indians.
This is to be noted NYU's college, facing backlash in the video, is named after an Indian-origin couple- Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon and Ranjan Tandon.
In 2015, the Indian-American philanthropists donated a $100 million gift to the U.S. engineering school; it is one of the largest donations received by the University.
Who are Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon and Ranjan Tandon?
Former McKinsey & Company partner and founder of Tandon Capital Associates, Chandrika Tandon, still plays a crucial role at NYU as she serves as a trustee and chairs both the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and the university's President's Global Council.
Chandrika's work towards the education sector is one of the biggest highlights. She is the founder and patron of Madras Christian College's Boyd-Tandon School of Business. She is also a member of Yale University's President's Council of International Activities and her Foundation has established faculty Chairs at Yale and Harvard Universities. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Investment Committee and serves as a Governor of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Her husband, Ranjan Tandon, is an IIT Kanpur and Harvard Business School alumnus. He is the founder and chairman of Libra Advisors.
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August 15, 2025, 18:03 IST
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