Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani has received a USD 1 million endowment from one of its notable United States alumni. With this open-handed donation, the institute plans to mainly focus on expanding scholarship opportunities for female students and enhancing the financial aid to deserving students from low-income families. The institute is also contributing to the faculty-guided innovation projects at the institute.
With this funding, BITS will benefit considerably, which will not only expand innovation at the institute but also promote it. The purpose to endowment fund is to specifically target low-income background women and girls' scholarships. These scholarships are designed as a way of reducing financial barriers and increasing access to higher education for deserving students at BITS Pilani. Moreover, this donation is seen as one of many that will be merged into a larger endowment program providing the institute with a stable long-term funding source for strategic priority areas such as scholarships, research, and academic excellence.
Fund Encouraging Innovation through Academic Mentorship
A part of this funding, besides the scholarships, will be used to support innovation projects where students engage in solving real-world problems under the organized guidance of faculty members of the institute. This is in line with the institute’s commitment to incorporating practical, solution-oriented learning as a natural part of its academic ecosystem.
About the Donor - Brij Bhushan, Alumnus and Founder of RCG
The significant contribution is made by the BITS Pilani alumnus Brij Bhushan, who was a member of the first batch of BITS Pilani in 1960. He is the founder of Reston Consulting Group (RCG), a US-based company offering services in network operations, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, IT support, and telecommunications to both government and commercial clients. RCG company provides the above services to the government and commercial clients.
Long-Term Relationship With BITS Pilani
Not only Brij Bhushan but also his wife, Champa Bhushan, a master’s degree holder in electrical engineering from BITS 1966, has enjoyed a long-lasting relationship with the institute Director. They have been playing a vital role in the Washington DC BITS alumni community since the 1980s. After Bhushan’s retirement, the couple came back to India BITS campus for a semester in 2006 and taught.
In 2009, they also set up two merit-cum-need (MCN) scholarships at BITS that continue to support students today. Besides that, they have committed themselves to the BITS alumni community in Washington DC for the last three decades. When Mr. Bhushan retired, they took a short trip to the Pilani campus in India to teach for a semester in 2006. Previously, in 2009, Mr. and Mrs. Bhushan had established two merit-cum-need (MCN) scholarships at BITS, which continue to support students today.
