OUR MISSION
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Alumni Foundation, Inc. is an independent, non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote the welfare of the university by cultivating a mutually beneficial relationship between the university and the growing Alumni worldwide community.
The Alumni Foundation will support the needy students in the from of scholarship, facilitate communication with the university and the alumni, and, seeks to strengthen alumni relationship with the university by use of mutually beneficial programs.
The Foundation will facilitate networking among alumni and will encourage the alumni engagement with the university.
WHY
We the graduates have had the privileged to receive our college education at one of the India’s eminent
universities. Over the years, after graduation we have used that education to achieve success in respective
chosen professions and other disciplines, available at 17 different
faculties at the University.
We must recognize the tangible as well as intangible benefits brought to each one of us through our formal education.
At this stage in our lives, perhaps it is time for us to share the rewards of our success by giving back.
HOW
After much thought and interaction with a number of alumni in the US and India it was decided to create a
Foundation for the benefit of the university in 1997.
In 2017 the Foundation organized a formal fundraiser gala 2017 at the Houston Community College-West Loop Campus. It was attended by approximately 150
guests, who contributed over $ 50,000 to the cause of the Foundation.
The gala was organized to bring back memories, identify student needs and different ways of giving back were shared with
those present. During the gala, the M. S. University of Baroda Chancellor Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad, Vice Chancellor Dr. Parimal Vyas and Director of Alumni Affairs Dr. Sanskriti Majumdar addressed the gala via video to inspire the university alumni.
For the foreseeable future the Foundation has created a scholarship program that supports cost of education and
substance of deserving students, currently enrolled at the university and/or those wishing to enroll at the university. In addition,
the Foundation offers to be a vehicle to receive donations from specific groups and/or graduating class for specific purposes.
In the future, as availability of resources increases the Foundation may look at other avenues and opportunities to fund activites at the university
History
About 26 years ago, while visiting Houston, then Pro - Vice Chancellor, Dr. Veena Mistry and her husband Dr. Rumy Mistry, who was a
coordinator for alumni students, soliciting funds for equipment for Faculty of Communication and Journalism. They made a plea at a small
gathering of the university alumni.
That was the germination of the idea to create the MSU Alumni Foundation.
With active participation donations for the equipment were collected and that became the corpus for the future foundation. However, the donations were not sent to the university, as in the meantime a Japanese company in a gesture of goodwill donated the
essential equipment.
With this corpus of fund in hand and inspired by the noble gesture of a company that had little to do with the university or the faculty,
we, the alumni chose to create the foundation now known as the Maharaja Sayajirao University Alumni Foundation, Inc. Its sole
purpose is to help our university in as many different ways as possible.
The idea to activate the Foundation was discussed a number of times, but never got traction. In the mean time the market favored
investment assets, tripled in value.
Finally, first event after reactivating the Foundation occurred in fall of 2017, with the same goal, to raise funds from the now relatively
affluent MSU alumni community, thus allowing the Foundation to help in funding programs at the university.
Before the event, extensive communication occurred between the university officials, i.e. the Chancellor, Rajmata Shubhangini Raje
Gaekwad, the Vice-Chacellor, Dr. Parimal Vyas and the Director of the Office of Alumni Affairs Dr. Sanskriti Majumdar.
Encouraged by the initiative by the alumni in the U.S. video messages were recorded and forwarded to the Foundation and played at the gala. It
was like old times, reminding us all of the functions we uesd to have at the Students Union Building as well as different halls of residence.
The gala was a pleasant and successful evening they collected over $50,000. The successful event was followed by serious and productive ongoing communications with the university officials. Now the means are in place to help the needy students.
The first two donation checks in the amount of $10,000 was personally delivered by two Foundation board members, Jagat Kamdar and Manendra Vaishnav to the Office of Alumni Affairs in 2019.
This event established a working relationship between the Foundation and the university. The Foundation expects in the next five years collections would increase to assist more needy students.
The board members hope to make the Foundation self-sufficient by being self-funding in the coming decade.
In the coming year the Foundation board will expand to appoint new members from almuni residing across the world.
