The new college is expected to become an academic and research hub focused on artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, data analytics, cybersecurity, health informatics and learning technologies, university officials said.
Vikas Sinha on the role of AI
Vikas Sinha, vice president of the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom and a 2023 doctoral graduate of UNT, said artificial intelligence will play a defining role in the future, and universities have an important responsibility to prepare people to shape it.
“Artificial intelligence will be one of the defining technologies of our generation, and universities have an essential role to play in preparing the people who will shape its future,” Sinha said, according to FOX 4 News.
Sinha also connected the donation to the couple’s experience as immigrants in the United States, saying the gift was intended to give future students opportunities similar to those that helped the couple.
“This gift is about paying that opportunity forward and recognising that immigrants don’t simply participate in the American dream; they help build it,” Sinha said, according to FOX 4 News.
How the $20 million will be used
The $20 million donation will create six permanent endowments. According to FOX 4 News, the endowments will support student scholarships, endowed professorships, college leadership, entrepreneurship, advanced research and emerging technologies.
The new Sinha College will have two academic divisions: Applied Intelligence and Informatics and Information and Learning Applications.
It will also house the Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Institute, which is designed to encourage industry partnerships and research collaboration across the university.
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Part of UNT’s long-term strategy
UNT President Harrison Keller said the new college is aligned with the university’s “Look North: UNT 2030” strategic initiative. The initiative focuses on adapting higher education to changes in the labour market and accelerating interdisciplinary innovation.
The Sinhas have previously supported UNT’s data science efforts. FOX 4 News reported that the couple funded the university’s Department of Data Science in 2024 and the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science in 2025.
The couple immigrated to the United States from India, and Vikas Sinha later earned his doctoral degree from UNT in 2023. UNT plans to hold a campus celebration later this year to formally honor the naming of the new college.
