Ashoka University and Connecticut College, USA sign MoU for student exchange and research on COVID-19 impact
New Delhi: The Office of Global Education and Strategic Programmes (GESP) at Ashoka University has entered into a MoU and Student Exchange Agreement with Connecticut College, New London, CT, USA.
The collaboration between the two institutions will enable bilateral student exchange of undergraduate students between the two campus for a semester or a year beginning with the fall of 2021-22 academic year.
Five Ashoka students to participate on a virtual research programme on the impact of Covid-19 on communities being undertaken by the Walter Commons for Global Study at Connecticut College. The programme consists of student researchers from Connecticut College working with students of partner institutions in Ghana, Russia, Hong Kong and India. The project covers the impact of the pandemic on education, the environment, global inequality, activism, and policy. All teams will virtually present their projects in April.
According to Vanita Shastri, Dean of Global Education & Strategic programmes at Ashoka University, ”We are very excited with this MOU. It is for the first time that Ashoka has a student exchange agreement with a US school that offers students to pay home tuition while the host college provides free residence and basic meal plan to students. This will open up opportunities for a wider group of students who are on financial aid or those with certain needs to avail of the opportunity to study abroad.”
Students who would like to pursue the exchange programme will apply internally to be nominated through a review process at Ashoka University. They will need to meet admission requirements outlined by Connecticut College and should have completed at least three semesters of university study.
According to Amy Dooling, Associate Dean of Global Initiatives at the Walter Commons for Global Study and Engagement, Connecticut College, “This new student exchange program will immediately enrich our study abroad offerings, but I am also excited about other joint activities that Connecticut College can potentially pursue in collaboration with Ashoka including, for example, opportunities for faculty to bring students together in virtual classrooms or to engage in collaborative cross-cultural research projects. Connecticut College has a long and distinguished record of centering international programs as part of its liberal education mission, and partnering with a top-notch liberal arts university in India is a terrific development as we continue to fulfil that mission.”
Katherine Bergeron, President, Connecticut College, says, “The need for global cooperation has never been more urgent. This partnership with Ashoka will allow our campuses to shape a generation of leaders who can meet the global challenges of our time.”