Despite Satish Agarwal having no prior connection with Texas A&M University, the power of the Aggie Spirit combined with the university’s high research activity and notable staff led him to establish the Satish and Kamlesh Agarwal Endowed Fellowship in Statistics at Texas A&M.
“There are a lot of international students who need financial support, and I hope this scholarship will help them successfully continue their studies,” Agarwal said.
Born in India, Agarwal received a master of commerce degree from Kanpur Uttar Pradesh and the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants in Calcutta. Agarwal and his wife, Kamlesh, have been providing generous monetary donations to universities and nonprofit organizations across the United States since they settled here in 1981.
“I’ve met a lot of people in College Station working as professors with Texas A&M University,” Agarwal said. “I met a professor, Dr. Bani Mallick of the statistics department, at a social gathering — I was impressed with him and offered my donation.”
Mallick also remembers the meeting fondly.
"I remember meeting him and feeling inspired," he said. "He's an outstanding person who has experience in using gigantic data to make business decisions. I am confident that his gift will further advance the field of statistics."
As a supporter of Texas A&M University, being an Aggie embodies a shared identity and a lifelong bond with a university known for its rich history and impactful contributions to society. Overall, Texas A&M’s combination of traditions, academic strengths, size, values and culture distinguish it as a unique institution within the landscape of American universities.
Agarwal’s generous donation will be used to provide one or more fellowships to full-time students in good standing pursuing graduate degrees in statistics or graduate degrees in the 5-Year Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Program within the Department of Statistics.
Texas A&M stood out to Agarwal because of its coveted R1 university status, a classification awarded based on research activity given by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
“Texas A&M University stands out from other universities in several ways,” Agarwal said. “With over 70,000 students, Texas A&M University is one of the largest universities in the United States, and its size allows for a diverse array of academic programs, research opportunities and extracurricular activities.”
After providing his generous donation, familiarizing himself with the university and learning more about its traditions and achievements, Agarwal now proudly considers himself an Aggie — and even gave the word meaning of his own.
“As a supporter of Texas A&M University, being an Aggie embodies a shared identity and a lifelong bond with a university known for its rich history and impactful contributions to society,” Agarwal said. “Overall, Texas A&M’s combination of traditions, academic strengths, size, values and culture distinguish it as a unique institution within the landscape of American universities.”
With his endowed fellowship and newly acquired Aggie Spirit, Agarwal hopes to provide students with advice of his own.
“Please use this scholarship to complete your respective program successfully,” Agarwal said. “I firmly believe that students getting scholarships and fellowships should pay back the university in some way, shape or form once they are fully employed.”