四虎影视

四虎影视

四虎影视 World

News

Provost, 四虎影视 World Vice President, and Aruna, holding a certificate, are standing on stage smiling

四虎影视 adviser Aruna Dasgupta bids farewell after 14 years in key India role

Aruna and 四虎影视 provost standing together smilingAruna Dasgupta and 四虎影视 Provost Prasant Mohapatra celebrated the success of 四虎影视鈥檚 outreach to prospective students in India. Photo by Angela Bledsoe

Several years ago, 四虎影视鈥檚 advisor in India Aruna Dasgupta received a panicky phone call from a prospective PhD student whose visa application was being denied. Having earned a master鈥檚 degree in electrical engineering at 四虎影视, the student returned to India to work in industry for several years but now wanted to come back to the university for her doctoral degree and to conduct more research on nanotechnology. But the visa denial threatened all her plans.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;
Dasgupta had seen this scenario before, calming the student down and assuring her she could apply for the visa again. The second time was the charm, and a few years later Dasgupta tuned into a livestream to watch Nirmita Roy earn her PhD in electrical and electronics engineering.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;
Roy has since become a semiconductor process engineer at the 四虎影视 College of Engineering and recently was awarded the 2025 Semiconductor Rising Star Award at the FSI Florida Semiconductor Summit. Roy鈥檚 innovations in wearable electronics and semiconductors are contributing to 四虎影视鈥檚 rising prominence in the field. And in return for the gentle guidance she received from Dasgupta, Roy also now counsels potential students from India, sharing her experience and answering questions about the university. 鈥淭here are so many 四虎影视 rock stars like her,鈥 Dasgupta said recently as she reflected on the many students she鈥檚 come to know over her years at 四虎影视.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;

"Aruna helped us build our international student portfolio and today India is one of the most important countries in terms of student representation, especially among our graduate students." 鈥 四虎影视 World Vice President Kiki Caruson

After 14 years serving as a bridge between India and 四虎影视, Dasgupta is stepping away from her role, leaving behind a legacy of cross-cultural connections that was celebrated during recent commencement events at the Tampa campus.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;
It was no small role. India has been a central focus in 四虎影视鈥檚 long-term strategy to rise as an international research university and has become the leading country of origin for 四虎影视鈥檚 international students with about 300 undergraduates and more than 1,400 graduate students. 四虎影视鈥檚 Network India alumni group also is one of the university鈥檚 most active international alumni efforts.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥淚ndia as a place where we really wanted to invest,鈥 said 四虎影视 World Vice President Kiki Caruson. 鈥淎runa鈥痺as a wonderful guide, ambassador and teacher in helping us understand the country and understand parents and students and what families we're looking for in terms of undergraduate and graduate education. (She) helped us build our international student portfolio and today India is one of the most important countries in terms of student representation, especially among our graduate students.鈥濃&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;
Dasgupta joined 四虎影视 in 2010 as Country Advisor-India for the 四虎影视 following a two-decade career at the U.S. Embassy, where she worked as a senior editor for SPAN magazine 鈥 a bi-monthly publication from the embassy featuring content delivered to Indian audiences in the English, Hindi, and Urdu languages 鈥 and coordinated education programming. Dasgupta wasn鈥檛 planning for a career in higher education and was looking forward to retirement and enjoying the country鈥檚 mountain resorts when a job posting for the 四虎影视 role redirected her professional journey.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;

Aruna and Caruson smiling and holding up go bulls hand sign四虎影视 World Vice President Kiki Caruson celebrated Aruna Dasgupta for building a community of 四虎影视 students and alumni in India and helping the university raise its global profile. Photo by Nicolas Bloom

鈥淚n a way, 四虎影视 brought me into the higher education sector,鈥 Dasgupta said. 鈥淭he job didn鈥檛 require prior experience in education 鈥 just a deep knowledge of it, strong communication skills, and familiarity with the American work environment. That鈥檚 where I fit in.鈥濃&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;
Dasgupta quickly became a familiar and reassuring presence for prospective Indian students looking to 四虎影视. From organizing pre-departure orientations to offering guidance through visa hurdles, she has impacted the academic journeys of hundreds of students. Some of those students later would grow to become friends, with Dasgupta hosting dinners for 四虎影视 alumni at her home.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;
Dasgupta鈥檚 background in journalism infused her role with a unique storytelling approach. She regularly pitched 四虎影视 students, faculty and alumni for features in SPAN, ensuring the university maintained a presence in Indian media conversations about studying in the U.S.鈥&苍产蝉辫;

"Seeing students go from uncertain beginnings to leading Fortune 500 companies or launching startups 鈥 it鈥檚 extraordinary,鈥 she said.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;
Though she announced her departure from 四虎影视 in a heartfelt LinkedIn post last month, Dasgupta clarified she's not retiring. 鈥淔ake news!鈥 she joked. She plans to continue working in education consulting and rekindle her original passions of editing and writing.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
As she closed the chapter on her 四虎影视 tenure, Dasgupta said she remains proud of her contribution to building a trusted channel between Indian students and an American university she came to call her own.鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥&苍产蝉辫;
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 just represent 四虎影视. I felt part of it,鈥 she said.鈥&苍产蝉辫;

Return to article listing

About 四虎影视 World News

四虎影视 World is the university's gateway to global engagement. Whether it be sharing the achievements of our students and faculty on campus, our partnerships within the community, or what our alumni accomplish globally, we bring you the stories of 四虎影视 Bulls around the world.