Workshop on Strategizing & Transforming Higher Education in India

Date: 22-23/01/2023
Location: Pune, India
Sponsored and organized by: MIT-World Peace University

Seven months after the visioning workshop held in Washington, DC, many of the participants reconvened for a follow-up meeting in Pune, India, to narrow focus toward a specific action – the formation of a consortium of Indian higher education institutions – and deepened conversations on best practices and cross – institutional collaborations for improving and transforming tertiary education in India. More than 80 vice-chancellors of mostly private Indian higher education institutions joined the workshop, along with several US university presidents and chancellors and industry experts from both nations.

The assembled group had the opportunity to hear from Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyar, who spoke of the value of education to Maharashtra, to India, and to the world, encouraged the attendees to enhance the education of students in both academics and ethics, expressed gratitude to visitors from the US and urged cooperation between US and Indian universities for mutual benefit. Stating that peace in our time requires cooperation and moral understanding, he urged educational institutions, especially those privately operated, to teach students with an underline goal of peace.

The discussions focused on the vision and plans for a Consortium or advancing Indian Tertiary Education (CITE) and Sabarmati University enthusiastically participated in it. Dr. K.B. Vyas, Provost I/C, participated in the said event. The provost has also been selected as the founding member of CITE as well as Sabarmati University being a part of the 75 founding universities.