W&M Chosen to Pursue Partnerships in India

By Amber Lester Saturday, March 27, 2010

William and Mary will soon partner with institutions in India as part of the International Academic Partnership Program, a federal pilot program. The college was one of 10 chosen by the Institute of International Education (IIE) to participate in the initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

During the 2010-2011 school year, William and Mary will participate in training activities and online seminars focused on implementing partnerships between the college and potential partners in India. College staff members will also join a study tour to India in the fall.

On campus, the college will work on prospective partnerships, keep an inventory of activities on campus that pertain to India and develop a strategic plan for the college’s work in India. Director of the Reves Center for International Studies Laurie Koloski submitted the winning proposal.

India has a large population, but a comparatively small higher education population. “The country is really moving into a reform phase and India just approved foreign campuses,” she said. “We could have joint programs or joint collaborative research projects.”

She said this is an opportunity for the college to take a hard look at its existing South Asian studies and see where it can expand, then develop a strategy to get there. “It’s not a question of taking our model to India,” she said. “It’s a question of taking our model and adding it to one or two of our partnerships in India.”

She hopes to see a more collaborative relationship between the college and its Indian counterparts. “I’d love to see our biology students go to India; I’d love to see public policy and education students go, too,” she said. “I would love to send a student in chemistry who doesn’t know the first thing about India and all of a sudden goes, ‘Wow, I had no idea it was like this.’”

Koloski is working on the partnership with several other faculty members, including Arnab K. Basu, associate professor of economics; Rani D. Mullen, assistant professor of government; Pamela Eddy, associate professor of education; and Walker Smith, professor of marine science at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS).

The college already has several courses and campus activities that focus on South Asian studies. Courses focusing on South Asia are offered in anthropology, art, business, economics, education, government, history, music, religious studies, sociology, theater, speech and dance. The college also has a summer study-abroad program in Goa, India, and groups of students in the Mason School of Business go on an annual tour of India. Faculty members have also invited guest speakers to talk about South Asian studies. Since 2005, 68 William and Mary students have studied in India, and Koloski would like to see that number increase.

The South Asian Students Association, with more than 100 members, is the largest student organization representing a geographical area; the association annually produces a cultural festival. A coed student Bhangra dance group also regularly performs. Bhangra is a form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.

“By partnering with universities in India, we will certainly strengthen South Asian studies at William and Mary, but we will also create opportunities for students and faculty in all fields to engage in global knowledge networks,” Koloski said. “What’s so exciting about partnering in this way is that the results are both local – enhancing the work we do on campus – and global – extending our reach out into the world – in the fullest sense of the words.”

The International Academic Partnerships Program is one of several IIE initiatives aiming to strengthen higher education bonds between the U.S. and India. The program could eventually include partnerships with colleges and universities in China.