WASHINGTON, PA (Aug. 20, 2012)—Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) is one of just five U.S. colleges and universities selected by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to participate in the 2013 India initiative of the International Academic Partnership Program (IAPP)
Over the next year, international education professionals at each of these institutions will participate in a series of training activities to help them implement and sustain partnerships with institutions in India. The strategy-building program includes a study tour to India in early 2013 to learn about the Indian higher education system and meet with potential partner campuses.
Kristin Crosby, W&J’s director of international recruitment, said India’s education and economic sectors are experiencing rapid and widespread growth, and governmental policy changes show promise. India’s educational boom coincides with W&J’s increasing international presence.
“The IAPP Program is significant to W&J because it will introduce us to institutions of higher education in India that have already been vetted by the Institute of International Education for their academic strengths, suitability and interest in forming sustainable long-term partnerships,” Crosby said. “It is our hope that partnering with institutions in India will serve W&J in a multitude of ways.”
Crosby hopes the partnership can help bring more Indian students (degree seeking students, transfer students and exchange students) to study at W&J; expand opportunities for W&J students to study abroad on short-term, semester, academic year or summer programs; provide opportunities for W&J faculty to pursue semester- or summer-long research and teaching
opportunities in India; and offer Indian faculty and administrators opportunities to conduct research or teach short-term at W&J. Areas of academic focus will likely be determined based on the strengths of potential partners, Crosby added
An IIE review panel chose the participating institutions based on their strong interest in building ties with institutions in India and their need for the assistance that IAPP provides. This year, IIE chose to accept a smaller group in order to offer a more tailored experience that directly addresses their specific partnership and capacity building goals. This is the third group of campuses to take part in the program focused on India.
Partnership activities may include joint programs, student exchanges or faculty linkages for collaborative research and teaching. IIE’s goal in creating the IAPP program of webinars, workshops and site visits is to empower institutions with a number of resources necessary for building partnerships with India and other countries.
“Higher education is an important area of the strategic partnership between the United States and India because of its impact on fostering collaboration on critical issues that we face today,” said IIE President Allan E. Goodman. “This new phase of the International Academic Partnership Program and the strong group of campuses will strengthen the educational ties between our two nations and pave the way for students and scholars from both countries to gain important international perspective. We remain confident that academic partnerships will continue to be a core pillar of the relationship between our two countries.”
In academic year 2010/11, despite a one percent decrease from the previous year, India remained the second leading place of origin for international students in the United States (after China) with 103,895 Indian students enrolled in U.S. higher education, according to Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, published by IIE with support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Students from India accounted for approximately 14 percent of the total international student population. Open Doors 2011 reports that India hosted 3,884 U.S. students in 2009/10. This represents an increase of 44 percent from the previous year, mostly due to the collective efforts of the public and private sectors to increase U.S. study abroad to India.
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