Written by Colin McEvoy | February 6, 2025 | SHARE
Vinita Desai, Lehigh University’s in-country representative in India, visited campus for the first time this week to strengthen connections, support student recruitment, and enhance academic partnerships
For the last 18 months, Vinita Desai has been representing Lehigh University as its in-country representative in India, spreading the word about Lehigh throughout the country with a particular focus on student recruitment and academic partnerships.
This week, Desai visited the Lehigh campus in Bethlehem for the first time since she began her role as Senior Advisor Recruiting Strategies and Partnerships. During her week-long visit, she met with officials from across the university and familiarized herself with the campus, which will strengthen her ability to advocate for Lehigh in India.
“From the moment I arrived, it’s been a great experience,” Desai said. “The campus is very unique—not too urban, but not too small either. The community has been very receptive and helpful, and I’ve especially enjoyed connecting with international students and learning about every aspect of their Lehigh journey.”
Based in Mumbai, Desai assists with student engagement and recruitment for Lehigh’s undergraduate and graduate Indian programs. Additionally, she supports the Office of International Affairs (OIA) in identifying and fostering meaningful collaborations and partnerships with premium educational institutions in India.
“My schedule keeps me visiting schools all the time,” Desai said during a meeting with the full OIA staff on Feb. 5. “I'm actively engaged with students, talking to parents, speaking to agents and institutions, and helping ensure that Lehigh has good brand visibility in India, including across social media and outreach through several other channels.”
Lehigh and OIA have been deepening their engagement in India in recent years, with an emphasis on Indian student recruitment, academic partnerships and research collaborations. Last summer, Lehigh officials met with college counselors and rising high school seniors during a Building Futures Workshop event in Mumbai, which Desai helped support and organize.
“India is very important for Lehigh’s global engagement strategy, and Vinita has been a big part of that,” said Cheryl Matherly, Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs at Lehigh. “She brings deep experience with the Indian higher education market and has been a key player with supporting our recruiting and partnership strategies.”
During her visit, Desai visited with faculty and officials from all five Lehigh colleges, as well as the university’s admissions office, Iacocca Institute, Office of Creative Inquiry, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, enrollment support services, and Mountaintop Campus.
“This is clearly a very close-knit and supportive community here at Lehigh,” she said. “I’m going to be returning to India with a good feeling about the university and a strong sense of accomplishment with regard to everything that is taking place here.”
Desai also met one-on-one with Nathan Urban, Lehigh Provost & Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs; Stacy Burger, Director of Global Partnerships & Strategic Initiatives; Amanda Connolly, Director of International Students & Scholars; and Anand Ramamurthi, Professor and Chair of the Department of Bioengineering and a Provost Faculty Fellow.
Additionally, Desai attended a meeting of the Lehigh in India Steering Committee, of which she has been a member since its inception early last year. The committee is dedicated to enhancing and coordinating the university’s engagement in India, and its members include faculty, staff, and key stakeholders with active projects in the country.
The committee aims to streamline efforts, share resources, and build a cohesive brand for Lehigh’s presence in India. Its mission is to provide strategic guidance on recruitment, partnership opportunities, alumni engagement, media strategy, and funding pathways while maintaining a comprehensive inventory of India-related initiatives.
Desai also attended the Compelling Perspectives event on the Lehigh campus on Feb. 6. It featured V Spehar, a citizen journalist, award-winning podcaster and online personality who has built a following of more than three million subscribers on the video-sharing platform TikTok.
Desai has a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Mumbai, and has worked both as an assistant professor and in private migration and education consulting firms in India.