Duke's ties with India have been growing in recent years, as seen by the active role of Indian and South Asian student groups on campus. Pictured, members of LASYA perform a traditional Indian dance during the 2003 MLK cultural extravaganza. | Duke University Photography
President Brodhead, Duke Officials Traveling to India
Leaders from Fuqua, Sanford, Nicholas schools also on relations-building trip
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Durham, NC -- Despite the nearly 8,000 miles between them, Duke University and India are surprisingly close -- and about to get closer as Duke President Richard H. Brodhead and other university officials embark Oct. 9 on a visit to that nation.
The trip, with events planned through Oct. 16, will build on a number of ties between Duke and India, such as the following:
_ Nearly 300 Indian-born undergraduate and graduate students attend Duke, the most from any country except China.
_ The new Fuqua School of Business Cross-Continent program will have a hub in New Delhi.
_ Duke’s summer offerings for students include service-learning and study abroad programs in India.
_ Duke hosts vibrant Indian cultural programs on its campus, such as the annual Awaaz celebration.
_ Duke’s Sanford Institute has for many years worked closely with the Indian Administrative Service on professional education for civil servants.
_ Duke’s Talent Identification Program (TIP) conducted its first international program for gifted middle- and high-school students last summer in Ahmedabad and plans to expand in India in the next year.
Brodhead said the trip, the first to India by a Duke president, will help fulfill university founder James B. Duke’s vision of “harnessing the power of higher learning for the larger social good.”
“I don’t think anyone would dispute that with India’s size, its economic and political strength, and its vast pool of talented students and academics, it is a place from which we can learn a great deal,” Brodhead said. “At the same time, we are building lasting relationships that will help secure a shared future of teaching and learning with India. Duke’s strengths in business, public policy, the environment and biomedical research present a unique and compelling opportunity for collaboration with colleagues in India.”
President Richard H. Brodhead and other Duke officials will blog during the trip to India. To read their updates, click here.
Traveling with the president will be Blair Sheppard, dean of the Fuqua School of Business; Prasad S. Kasibhatla, associate dean for international programs at the Nicholas School of the Environment; Bruce Kuniholm, director of the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy; and Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations.
A sample of Duke-India connectionsFrom the Fuqua School's new expansion plan including a New Delhi school to Study Abroad and DukeEngage programs in India, the ties between university and country are growing stronger. President Richard H. Brodhead said if Duke is going to be an important international institution, it must have a presence in India. For a sample of existing cooperative programs, click here. |
Their itinerary includes stops in New Delhi and Mumbai, where Brodhead will host dinners for Duke alumni and friends. In New Delhi, the nation’s capital, Brodhead will address the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and discuss global environmental issues in a meeting with officials at The energy Research Institute. He will also attend a luncheon with Indian education leaders hosted by the U.S. Embassy, and meet with reporters.
The president is also scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by Malvinder Singh, CEO of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., India’s largest pharmaceutical company, and Shivinder Singh, CEO of Fortis Healthcare. The Singh brothers are graduates of the Fuqua School of Business.
In Mumbai, India’s largest city located on its west coast, the itinerary includes a dinner with Duke alumni and parents, and a luncheon with corporate leaders hosted by Duke Corporate Education. Brodhead also will address the student body of the Cathedral and John Connon School, one of the oldest and most prestigious secondary schools in India.
“I think it’s a great opportunity; it sends a great message to the Indian community and the Indian students at Duke University,” said Aneesh Kapur, co-president of Duke Diya, the South Asian Students Association at Duke. “I think this marks a significant initiative from the school, saying we’re getting great students form this part of the world and we’d like to continue to have them at Duke.”
Brodhead and others will post updates about the trip on a special blog, "A (Duke) Passage to India," available on Duke Today and at http://dn.duke.edu/india.
"Duke, like many universities in the United States recognizes that if we want to succeed globally,” Brodhead said, “we must be in India.”
