Exploring partnerships with India
ETSU administrators participate in IIE Country Spotlight tour of India.
Two East Tennessee State University officials traveled to India as part of a 17-institution U.S. delegation looking at the possibility of forming and expanding partnerships with higher education institutions in the country.
Dr. Christopher Keller, dean of the Honors College and senior international officer for ETSU, and Caleb Bennett, the university’s director of International Enrollment and Services, were among the 31 American higher education leaders who participated in the Center for International Partnership’s 2023-24 Institute of International Education (IIE) Country Spotlight Series: India from Feb. 25-March 2. This program aims to support broader bi-national efforts to increase U.S.-India collaboration and student and scholar mobility in higher education.
Members of the U.S. delegation took part in discussions on the intersection of higher education, business and government. They looked at India’s rapidly evolving higher education landscape and collaboration opportunities, and visited the cities of Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
“There is a wealth of opportunities for higher education institutions in the U.S. to engage and partner with institutions in India,” Bennett said. “The National Education Policy 2020 for India includes dramatic growth and expansion in the coming decade, and universities in the U.S. would be wise to consider their strategy for partnership between the two countries.
“These partnerships could include faculty exchange, research collaborations, student mobility and other mutually beneficial strategies.”
He and Keller are sharing their findings with other ETSU leaders, allowing the university to take an in-depth look at opportunities for engagement with India.
“I anticipate that ETSU will spend time in the upcoming months considering a plan for this engagement and determining where these opportunities line up with our strategic plan,” Bennett said.
The IIE effort builds on recent U.S. and Indian government-led partnerships. These include a Quad Fellowship program, established in 2021, that sponsors exceptional master’s and doctoral students from the Quad member countries of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the United States. The IIE also administers the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student and Scholars programs.
The IIE is the leader in designing and implementing international education strategies and program services. It works with governments, policymakers, educators and employers across the globe to prepare students and professionals for the global workforce and equip them to solve the increasingly complex challenges facing the interconnected world.
Learn more about the IIE at iie.org/.
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