Kohlis donate $1.1 million for Classrooms of the Future at YSU
Dr. Chander M. Kohli, a prominent local neurosurgeon and former chair of the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees, and his wife, Karen, are donating $1.1 million to YSU’s “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign.
The gift will create 18 Classrooms of the Future at YSU, fully equipped with state-of-the-art Cisco Spark Stations - a cutting edge, cloud-based system for wireless presentation, white-boarding and video conferencing.
“This generous gift from the Kohlis will help bring the latest in teaching and learning technology to our campus,” President Jim Tressel said. “We thank Chander and Karen for their continued support of YSU, our students and the entire Mahoning Valley community.”
Each of the classrooms will be named the Aneal Mohan Kohli Classroom of the Future, in memory of the Kohli’s late son.
“The Classroom of the Future is here today, and I am proud to be a part of it,” said Kohli, a member of the YSU Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2005. He also is a member of the board of trustees at the Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, Ohio, where he served as board chair from 2013 to 2015.
Jim Yukech, YSU associate vice president and chief information officer, said the Cisco Spark Stations will bring technology to the university that will expand teaching beyond the four walls of the classroom.
“This high-tech system could positively impact our ability to increase online class offerings and certainly will enhance our student experience through video lectures and conferencing,” he said.
The $100 million “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign is the largest in YSU’s 109-year history. More than $50 million has already been raised. For more information, visit www.ysufoundation.org.
A native of India, Kohli graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and served more than three years in the armed forces of India as a general duty medical officer. He came to the United States in 1966. He did his rotating internship and one-year surgical residency at the Elyria Memorial Hospital, Elyria, Ohio, and served neurosurgical residencies at the University Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta Canada, and Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh. He started his own private neurosurgical practice in Youngstown in 1972. Karen Kohli practiced as a nurse for several years.
He has served as president of the Mahoning County Medical Society, a faculty member at NEOMED, president of the Medical Staff Clinical Executive Committee at St. Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center, and is the founding president of the American Association of South Asian Neurosurgeons. He also has served on the boards at Sky Bank, Humility of Mary Health Services, St. Elizabeth Foundation and the International Institute.
Among Kohli’s many honors are: Man of the Year Award from the India Association of Greater Youngstown, 1984; Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of International Physicians, 1997; Physician Recognition Award from the Mahoning County Medical Society, 2003; Community Service Award from Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, 2005; Community Award Citation from Kenneth Blackwell, Secretary of State of Ohio, 2005; Outstanding Achievement Award from the Youngstown chapter of AAPI, 2005; President and Dean’s Award, NEOMED, 2009; and the Award of Excellence, Outreach & Commitment from the Indian Alliance of Ohio, 2010. In 2012, he also was honored by the American Cancer Society at its 6th annual Cattle Baron's Ball.