Drs. Ashok Kumar Dutt and Hiran Moyee Dutta Endowment for Graduate Students

The Drs. Ashok Kumar Dutt and Hiran Moyee Dutta Endowment for Graduate Students was established in December 2022 by Jhumku D. Kohtz, Ph.D., in memory of her father, Ashok Kumar Dutt, Ph.D., and in honor of her mother, Hiran Moyee Dutta, Ph.D. The gift was made as part of the We Rise Together Campaign for The University of Akron.

Dr. Dutt was a professor in the Department of Geography and Urban Planning at The University of Akron from 1968 to 2005. He was a prolific academic who studied a broad range of topics in geography and urban planning, and his work connected social, cultural, medical, population, economic, and developmental geography – with a special focus on urban and regional development planning in Southeast Asia. At the time of his retirement, he had published 19 books and would continue to publish into his 90s as an emeritus professor. In total, he published 168 original articles and book chapters and edited four journals. His academic contributions were detailed in the 2005 book “City, Society and Planning: Essays in Honour of Professor A. K. Dutt” by Thakur Baleshwar et al.

Dr. Dutt was a Fulbright Professor and recipient of several awards, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Asian Geography Specialty Group and the Regional Development Planning Specialty Group. Together with his longtime UA colleagues, Professors Allen G. Nobel and Frank J. Costa, he established the Asian Urbanization Conference, which debuted in Akron, Ohio, in 1995 and was held in Nanjing, China (1988); Delhi, India, (1991); Taipei City, Taiwan, (1994); London (1997); Chennai, India, (2000); Atlanta (2003); and Kobe, Japan (2006). With his colleagues and 42 graduate students, Dr. Dutt enhanced understanding of the Asian urbanization process. Incredibly, nearly half of his graduate students would become professors in the field, many using the skills he taught to excel in high-level government and university positions. His large legacy of trainees was a testament to his desire and ability to mentor the next generation of urban planners and geographers.

Together with his wife, Dr. Dutta, professor emeritus of biology at Kent State University, Dr. Dutt studied malaria as a medical geography problem, connecting its spread to factors such as rainfall, humidity, and temperature. He also pioneered the field of Aids geography in 1987, when he identified the two U.S. coastal cities where the disease first appeared, demonstrating yet again his abilities as a creative, fundamental contributor to his field.

One of seven siblings, Dr. Dutt was born in Madhubani, India, in December 1929 – although the exact date of his birth was lost when the family’s home and records were destroyed in an earthquake. He could see the Himalayas from the rooftop of the family’s rebuilt home, where he learned to kite-fight with his brothers.

He played soccer and mixed-doubles badminton at the college level, admiring his female partners who excelled at the sport despite being encumbered by their sarees. Dr. Dutt was a four-time graduate of Patna University in India, earning a bachelor’s in Geography with honors in 1953, a master’s in Geography in 1955, a master’s in Political Science in 1956, and a doctorate in Urban Geography in 1961.

In a country where love marriages were rebuffed in favor of arranged marriages, he chose his own wife (whom he met at Patna University) and refused a dowry, insisting it was a scorn on women’s rights. In fact, when Dr. Dutt’s mother told his new bride to stop her education and raise a family, he advised his wife to ignore his mother. After the couple immigrated to the United States in 1966, Dr. Dutt supported his wife’s pursuit of higher education in every possible way, even caring for their two young daughters for four months while she completed her doctorate at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Dr. Dutt passed away on Nov. 3, 2022, leaving a family dedicated to academics, which reflected the value he placed on higher education. In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughter Dr. Jhumku Dutt Kohtz, research professor in neurology at Northwestern University; daughter Dr. Rinku Dutt, ophthalmologist in private practice; and three granddaughters: Dr. Amy Kohtz, assistant professor of neuroscience, University of Mississippi; Sara Kohtz, a former Division I tennis player and Ph.D. candidate in Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois at Champaign; and Ariel Rockman, an undergraduate at Princeton University.

One thing is clear: Dr. Dutt made his own rules and followed his own heart until the very end. His combination of intellect, creativity, patience, and eternal positivity (his favorite phrases were “In America, anything is possible” and “Failures are the pillars of success”) will be missed-and treasured-by all who had the good fortune of knowing him.

The Drs. Ashok Kumar Dutt and Hiran Moyee Dutta Endowment for Graduate Students was established to assist University of Akron students pursuing graduate degrees in Geology or Biology, areas of academic interest for both Drs. Dutt and Dutta. To be eligible, students must:
• Be enrolled part-or full-time in the master’s program for Geology or Biology;
• Be in good standing with the University, holding a GPA of 3.0 or higher; and
• Have demonstrated financial need as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid.

This award shall alternate annually between graduate students in Geology (fall semester in odd years) and graduate students in Biology (fall semester in even years) and is not renewable. Selection of the recipient will be made by the Scholarship Committee in the respective department. When possible, the award should first be applied to the student’s account for tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board. The award then may be used by the student for research expenses, travel, professional development. off-campus living expenses, and other costs associated with pursuing a graduate degree. Funds used for expenses other than qualified educational expenses are reportable and may be taxable to the recipient.