LEXINGTON, MA–Puran Dang, an Indian-American community leader and a patron of music and arts in Greater Boston, has been appointed “Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Entrepreneurship” at Adamas University in Kolkata, India.
Adamas University, a new university which wants to build relationships with US universities, awards degrees in various disciplines from BS to Ph.D.
Mr. Dang, who will be based in Lexington, MA, will play a pivotal role in the development of Adamas University. He will visit Adamas whenever he can.
Mr. Dang will organize collaborations with US universities, plan and organize seminars, panel discussions and handle several other undertakings. He will also give lectures to the students of Adamas on leadership and entrepreneurship.
Adamas University was founded by eminent professors, including Prof. Madusudan Chakraborty, who serves as the Vice Chancellor of Adamas Univeristy. He retired as the Director of IIT Bhubhaneshwar. He was a lifelong professor, head of the department and Deputy Director of IIT Khargapur before he became Director of IIT Bhubhaneshwar for five years. Professor Samit Ray is the Chancellor of Adamas University and a well-known educationist of India.
Both Prof. Ray and Prof. Chakraborty, and Adamas University President Amitava Mukhopadhyay visited Mr. Dang last month in Lexington. The meeting was also attended by a few local professors including Prof. Avijit Gangopadhyay, senior professor of oceanography at UMass Dartmouth; Prof. Partha Ghosh, professor of practice at Tufts University and MIT Sloan School and former partner at Mckenzie in Japan for many years.
Prof. Ghosh visited Adamas University in early October and gave a lecture about his vision on creating future leaders for India. Prof. Gangopadhyay is scheduled to visit Adamas University in January 2019 and discuss a strategy for greater US/New England involvement in developing new and innovative educational programs in India that are needed for the next generation of global Indians.
Prof. Bish Sanyal, head of Planning & Urban Development at MIT, is also scheduled to speak at Adamas University in December this year and help the university in an advisory role.
“Puran Dang continues to surprise me with his unending energy to strengthen various Indian universities. He has played an important role in mobilizing support for IIT ( Kharagpur) in the Boston area. And now he has offered his support to teach pro bono at the newly created Adamas University,” Prof. Sanyal, Ford International Professor of Urban Development & Planning and Director of Spurs/Humphrey program at MIT, said in a statement. “There is no end to Puran’s generosity. The world needs more leaders like Puran.”
Mr. Dang said he feels very humbled by this position and the extraordinary honor bestowed on him, and has requested Adamas University not to give him any salary. He will do this purely as a service to the noble goal of excellence in education.
Prof. Gangopadhyay said he was happy that Adamas has chosen Mr. Dang to bestow their first Distinguished Professorship outside India.
“Professor Dang was the founding father of the IIT Alumni Society all over the world and has been instrumental in setting up multiple societies and organizations for the benefit of young entrepreneurs,” said Prof. Gangopadhyay. “He and his family has been the beacon of hope and enlightenment and stands tall as a superb model for all things IITians can do in the world. Professor Dang is a true leader and entrepreneur spanning both centuries and both countries. It is really humbling to recognize the power and expertise of Professor Dang that could now be harnessed by Indians in India through this educational platform created by Adamas.”
