Leveraging the Power of the Indian Diaspora: US–India Higher Education Relations

The growing Indian diaspora in the United States serves as a critical link for furthering US-India higher education relations, yet its role and potential are often overlooked.This article highlights the ways in which the diaspora on US campuses-from faculty to presidents and chancellors, to secondgeneration Indian American students-is furthering this critical relationship.The role of institutional partnerships and national policies is also discussed.s global education landscapes shift and geopolitical alliances evolve, one enduring force continues to shape and strengthen the US-India relationship: the Indian diaspora.With over 5.2 million people of Indian origin in the United States-the largest such group outside India-the diaspora is not only significant demographically, but is also a diplomatic and intellectual bridge, especially within the higher education sector, where Indian Americans serve as connectors, champions, and catalysts for deeper bilateral cooperation.From students and faculty to philanthropists, university leaders, and policy makers, members of the Indian diaspora have helped define and enrich the US-India higher education corridor.