Couple’s $4M gift honors UC roots

Mohammad H. Qayoumi and Najia Karim built their lives in Cincinnati long before their careers carried them around the world. They arrived at the University of Cincinnati as students, fell in love, married and bought their first home nearby. The university shaped not only who they became professionally, but the life they built together.

Now, decades later, they are giving back to the place where it began.

The couple has made a $4 million gift to support both the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Allied Health Sciences. Their donation establishes an endowed chair and a fund in engineering and a separate endowed chair in nutrition and dietetics, reflecting the fields that launched their respective careers.

“We hold enduringly positive memories of our time in Cincinnati, particularly regarding the exceptional education we received at the University of Cincinnati,” the couple said in a statement through the UC Foundation, the university’s philanthropic arm. 

“The formative academic experiences and rigorous training we received at UC laid the foundation for our subsequent professional achievements, for which we remain deeply grateful.”

A gift rooted in beginnings

Qayoumi, known as “Dr. Mo” to peers and students alike, earned two Master of Science degrees, a Master of Business Administration and a Doctor of Philosophy from UC between 1979 and 1984. He worked on campus as a staff engineer, adjunct faculty member and in utilities and engineering services. Karim earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Education before becoming a registered dietitian and serving as a consulting dietitian at the UC Medical Center Lipid Research Clinic.

Their gift names the Dr. Mohammad H. Qayoumi Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering, the first endowed chair in that department, and the Najia Karim, MEd, RD Endowed Chair in Nutrition Sciences and Dietetics. It also includes the Dr. Mohammad H. Qayoumi Electronics Teaching Lab Endowed Fund, supporting a new electronics lab in the renovated Old Chemistry building on UC’s Uptown Campus.

College leaders say the support will resonate for future generations of students, educators and researchers.

“I’m deeply grateful that Dr. Mo has chosen to honor his legacy at UC through philanthropy,” said John “Marty” Emmert, interim dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. “It is an exciting time at the college as our research spaces are updated, and Dr. Mo and Najia are helping to make this possible.”

Charity Accurso, dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences, said the endowed chair in nutrition and dietetics will strengthen research and student experience. 

“Najia’s accomplishments are a wonderful example for our students, as is her and Dr. Qayoumi’s generosity to their alma mater,” she said. “Endowments truly multiply our impact.”

Extending their legacy back to where it began

After leaving Cincinnati, Qayoumi and Karim built careers that reached far beyond the university. 

Qayoumi’s more than 30-year university career has included presidencies at San José State University and California State University, East Bay, along with extensive work as an author, researcher and lecturer. He has also served as minister of finance and chief adviser on infrastructure and technology to the president of Afghanistan. Karim, meanwhile, has continued her work as a clinical dietitian and nutritional health educator. She has also published widely in Farsi as a poet and founded the Cultural Society of Afghan Women.

Their achievements took them around the world, yet the couple said the foundation they shared at UC remained deeply influential. UC President Neville G. Pinto described the gift as reflecting the couple’s personal connection to the university as well as an enduring sense of purpose.

“Mohammad and Najia are devoted and generous members of the Bearcat family,” he said. “Together, their extraordinary gift will enhance the student experience at UC and reflects their enduring commitment to expanding the boundaries of knowledge.”

For Qayoumi and Karim, giving back is a continuation of the relationship that first took shape in classrooms, labs and their early years in Cincinnati. In their statement, they extended appreciation to the faculty, students and staff for their “unwavering commitment and exemplary dedication,” which has helped make UC an “institution of true distinction.”

“It is with deep honor that we acknowledge our status as alumni of the University of Cincinnati,” the couple added. “We remain profoundly grateful for the opportunities the university afforded us, which have been instrumental in shaping and advancing our professional careers.”