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Indian visionary educator, philanthropist visits St. Cloud State

Achyuta Samanta, a social entrepreneur, philanthrophist, educator and 2014 Gusi Peace Prize Laureate, will speak at St. Cloud State Sept. 23.
Achyuta Samanta, a social entrepreneur, philanthrophist, educator and 2014 Gusi Peace Prize Laureate, will speak at St. Cloud State Sept. 23.

International visionary professor Achyuta Samanta, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, educator and 2014 Gusi Peace Prize Laureate is making his first visit to St. Cloud State University this September.

Samanta will present “The Art of Giving” at 2 p.m. Sept. 23, in the Atwood Memorial Ballroom with a reception to follow.

Throughout his career, Samanta has been inspired by the Art of Giving that led him to share his meager earnings and help others even as a poor child and a young man struggling to get an education. It is the main belief of his life, a concept he institutionalized as a non-profit organization in May 2013.

The philosophy of the Art of Giving as seen by Samanta is to be kind, attentive and honest with people, giving advice and praise.

“These are all forms of generosity and these do not require any particular level of material wealth,” Samanta said.

As founder of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Samanta’s mission is to eradicate poverty through education and put smiles on the faces of poor and neglected people.

KISS is a free residential institute serving 25,000 of the poorest tribal children in India. KIIT is a world class multi-disciplinary institution specializing in engineering and research. India’s largest private university, it serves more than 25,000 students from throughout India and 22 other nations. Funds from tuition at KIIT help to fund the work at KISS.

“Dr. Samanta has devoted his life to serving the forest peoples of India,” said President Earl H. Potter III. “His work is inspiring people around the world to better serve indigenous people.”

Through a memorandum of understanding, St. Cloud State University and KIIT are exploring establishing an educational and scientific agreement to encourage student and faculty exchanges, joint research and research exchange, course development and shared expertise and initiatives.

St. Cloud State’s relationship with KISS/KIIT emanates from the university’s regional interest in American Indian cultures and extends to indigenous peoples of the world. St. Cloud State’s global circle of partner institutions include those that have engaged in advancing knowledge of local indigenous peoples in Chile, Kazakhstan, South Africa and India.

St. Cloud State’s work with American Indians

St. Cloud State has made a commitment to work with the region’s tribes to help American Indian young people achieve their educational goals and to help all students prepare to succeed in a global economy and multicultural world. St. Cloud State has relationships with American Indian nations in the state of Minnesota.

  • The region is home to 11 sovereign American Indian nations.
  • More than 200 American Indian students are enrolled at St. Cloud State.
  • The university co-sponsors in-service education programs for Minnesota pre-K/12 teachers who work with American Indian students.
  • The American Indian Center and programs in the Department of Ethnic and Women’s Studies works to help St. Cloud State students, faculty and staff understand American Indian culture.
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