Arizona International hosts Dr. TV Nagendra Prasad, Consul General of India to the United States

Jan. 26, 2023

On January 14, Arizona International welcomed members of the University’s Indian community and their friends for a reception to recognize and celebrate the contribution and achievements of Indian students, faculty and scholars.

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Dr. TV Nagendra Prasad with Indian students, faculty and scholars.

Dr. TV Nagendra Prasad, Consul General of India to the United States (center) with Indian students, faculty and scholars.

Arizona International’s guest of honor was Dr. TV Nagendra Prasad, Consul General of India to the United States. Also in attendance was Dr. Liesl Folks, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Daniel Palm, Associate Vice President, International Affairs, JP Jones, Dean, International Education, and Salil Gupta, Chief Advisor for South Asia.

Addressing guests, Dr. Prasad expressed his pleasure and honor in meeting University of Arizona students and academics and learning more about their study and research. He spoke about the important impact of initiatives and collaboration between Indian and U.S. institutions and outlined recent policy changes in India that will provide increased opportunities for institutions to develop deeper academic and research ties in India.

JP Jones, Salil Gupta, Dr. Liesl Folks, Dr. TV Nagendra Prasad, Daniel Palm

L-R: JP Jones, Dean, International Education, Salil Gupta, Chief Advisor, South Asia, Dr. Liesl Folks, Senior Vice President Academic Affairs and Provost, Dr. TV Nagendra Prasad, Consul General of India to the United States, Daniel Palm, Associate Vice President, International Affairs.

Dr. Folks acknowledged the hard work and significant contribution of the University’s growing cohort of Indian students and academics, noting that since 2018, Indian students have come from more than 250 cities, 25 states and four union territories, to become one of the largest communities of the 130+ nationalities on campus.

The reception was held on the stage of the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, providing a unique and captivating ambiance. Guests were treated to a remarkable dance performance choreographed by Hayley Meier, Assistant Professor of Practice and Undergraduate Advisor at the UArizona School of Dance. The piece was performed by Bachelor of Fine Arts dance majors Sophia Borgarello and George Brous, who completely entranced the audience.

Sophia Borgarello and George Brous dancing

Bachelor of Fine Arts dance majors Sophia Borgarello and George Brous

The University of Arizona has more than 550 Indian students currently enrolled across undergraduate and graduate programs from business, information science and computing to engineering, health, environment and space studies. Additionally, Arizona International provides guidance and support to more than 60 visiting Indian faculty and scholars working in research, administration and teaching across medicine, pharmacology and health to geosciences, environmental sciences, engineering and more.