From: Gruia-Catalin Roman (UNM)

[ThanhVu Nguyen]

= Gruia-Catalin Roman
== Former Dean, University of New Mexico · Close Friend

I lost a dear friend and it is painful. He meant so much to me, both as a respected colleague and as a special human being. We first met when I came to UNM as Dean. Deepak was suspicious of my "brilliant" and "bold" initiatives based on a lifelong distrust of authority, well founded in his personal experiences. Later, we had offices close by and a deep friendship evolved. We shared similar values, we loved to analyze world affairs, we enjoyed retelling the story of our lives, and we encouraged each other to face challenges straight on. I loved our dinners together, especially those involving Roli's wonderful cooking, and I appreciated his collection of great Scotches, which he generously offered for side-by-side tasting. He enjoyed movies and often recommended hard to watch traumatic stories about life in India.

Deepak loved both teaching and research. I think he was a perfectionist in both. I had the chance to see him teach and many a times we discussed pedagogy and the challenges students are facing. He showed care for the individual while demanding quality work; he accepted no shortcuts on his part and invested much effort to ensure an excellent learning experience, even when facing major health challenges. On the research side, he felt a deep obligation toward his graduate students and their future careers. He was a great mentor and rejected retirement out of a desire to see his last student graduate. Professionally, he was an excellent researcher who continued to maintain research funding until the very end. His dedication to intellectual inquiry and innovation were central to his identity and he could not envision a life without research.

I learned a lot from Deepak and will always think of him with affection. His passing is a great loss for our academic institution, his friends, and his family. Sarita and I love Roli and we are by her side in these difficult times.