UVA delegation meeting with Indian partner institution O.P. Jindal Global University.
By Mandira Banerjee
University of Virginia’s Vice Provost for Global Affairs Ambassador Steve Mull and McIntire School of Commerce Dean Nicole Thorne Jenkins led a delegation to India Feb. 19-24 to continue efforts to strengthen the University’s presence and engagement, building on the groundwork laid in an earlier 2022 trip.
In addition to visiting UVA’s leading partner institution in India, O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) near New Delhi, the delegation also met with industry and government leaders, visited the Indiana University and Harvard University centers, met with leaders of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, participated in engagements with the growing UVA alumni communities, and attended an international conference on Indian higher education in Goa.
Along with Mull and Jenkins, the delegation included Dudley Doane, Director of UVA’s International Studies Office (ISO); Professor Pankaj Vir Gupta, who leads India-focused studios for Architecture School students; Judi Byers, Executive Director of Graduate Marketing and Admissions at McIntire; Darci Spuck, Director of Global Advancement at McIntire; and Ingrid Hakala, Director of the University’s Global Internships program.
Mull said the visit to India was an important next step in intensifying the University’s engagement in India, the world’s largest democracy and soon to be its most populous nation. “This is the year of India for us,” he said, as he identified a strategic plan to expand study-abroad and exchange opportunities for UVA students; kick-start collaborative research in advancing key UVA priorities in the study of democracy and environmental sustainability with JGU and other potential partners; and support ambitious recruitment efforts, particularly among intending graduate students. Mull noted that the possibility of establishing a permanent UVA office in India to advance and support all of these efforts is high on his agenda.
Jenkins mentioned that in the next year, the McIntire School will resume global courses in India. “As we reengage post-COVID, we look forward to expanding our existing footprint and forging new and exciting partnerships with Indian universities and organizations,” she said.
The UVA delegation was in India recently to continue efforts to strengthen UVA’s presence and engagement in the country.
Gupta, who has been leading the Yamuna River Project in India in the past decade, was also enthusiastic about long-term engagement and partnership with Indian institutions. “The new collaboration with Jindal may enable a greater cross-pollination among some of our research initiatives, and perhaps offer an anchor-center for advancing and expanding the research and academic projects that are already underway,” he said. “Issues of social justice, environmental degradation, climate change, and democratic values are all increasingly urgent areas of focus, both in the U.S.—at UVA—and in India.”
Similarly, the ISO is hoping to offer J-term programs in India in the near future. “We are also planning to launch a summer global internship program in India in 2024 and looking forward to welcoming degree-seeking students from India to UVA in the years ahead,” added Doane.
This story was originally published on UVA Global March 29, 2023.
