Saint Louis University, 200 years old, one of the oldest American Educational Institutions is looking to build partnerships and collaborations with Indian Educational Institutions

Hyderabad: Academic Collaborations between Indian and foreign universities are on the rise ever since UGC has come with new guidelines on the same. A case in point is an MoU of Hyderabad based School of Innovation and Management(SoiM), a business school from G. Narayanamma Institute of Technology and Science(for women) which entered an MoU today with the USA-based Saint Louis University, two hundred years old, one of America’s oldest educational institutions. They entered an MoU in the city at CoWorks of SkyView in Madhapur, Hyderabad. The Agreement was exchanged by Dr Samala Nagaraju, Associate Dean of SoiM and Eric S. Armbrecht, Associate Provost and Director of the Global Education Program at Saint Louis University.

Disclosing this in a press note issued in the city today, Ashok Kallam, Founder and CEO of Indo Global Studies, which facilitated this and many other global tie-ups and collaborations, who is also local partners for Saint Louis University said NEP 2020(National Education Program) was a welcome initiative and that the removal of restrictions, particularly bureaucratic hurdles, from the field of education mutually benefitting both India and the US on all fronts. This tie-up is one among the many to materialise in near future, he stated.

Speaking further, Ashok Kallam added that most American universities have been exploring their willingness to partner with India on some specific topics of interest – cyber security, healthcare, biotech, artificial intelligence, data sciences, agriculture, climate change and sustainability. Earlier students used to travel to the USA for studies, now, the trend is to study here and there. Now the buzzword is tie-ups and collaborations. Now the new regulations simplified the Tie-ups between Indian and foreign universities and allow students to get ‘dual degrees’ from both foreign and Indian institutes. And they are saving in the process and getting the best of both the countries

The purpose of my maiden visit to Hyderabad is to explore partnerships and collaborations with various educational institutions based out of Hyderabad, said Eric S. Armbrecht. Hyderabad is one of world’s mega centers for Technology, he said. Saint Louis University chose Hyderabad for my maiden visit among other cities in India because of this reason, The city is most known aroud the world for its role in advancing technology and human health. You have abundant talent here he said.

We have a lot of similarities between Saint Louis and Hyderabad. Both cities are in the centre of their respective countries. Like you as Technology Hub, we are Innovation Hub for Life Sciences. Like your robust startup ecosystem in this city, we too are a startup nerve centre in the USA. Eric chose Hyderabad first over other cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, which he is going to explore in the next two weeks for the same.

We have well over 600 Indian students joining us each semester. But 70% of them are from both Telugu states–Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. We would like to double this number.

Another reason for being in Hyderabad is you are a Vaccine Capital of the World. You are also a Pharmacy to the world. You are a Medical Tourism Hub. Post-pandemic Health Care is becoming a major source of employment. Our forte is solving the global problem of escalating healthcare costs. In this mission we would like to identify the right partner for collaboration in the areas of education, research and faculty exchange, he added.

Speaking further Eric, who was in the city at the invitation of Indo Global Studies, added that Saint Louis University is one of the few universities in the world responding to the needs of the skills development of the global workforce. As a part of this, Saint Louis University has come out with a novel product “SLU Experience”. a virtual skill development program through internships, workshops, competitions and events. The program aims at giving hands-down practical experience and learning the four essential skills of the 21st century which any global workforce intending to work in any domain needs. They are 01. Communications and collaborations, 2. Leadership 3. Critical Thinking and 4. Creative Thinking. This is a futuristic program with a future full of promises. We endeavor to train one million learners over the next two to three years program, which is being run across 65 countries across the globe including India.

India with a large portion of its population being young can contribute immensely to the global workforce, India is the tiger in this area.

Eric added that India and the USA are natural allies, especially in education. And he stressed that there is an immense potential to strengthen collaborations between the educational institutions of the two countries. International collaboration begins with mutual interests and a shared commitment to supporting students’ pursuit of career goals and personal ambitions. Saint Louis University is laying a foundation for many collaborations.

The United States of America allows 84,000 Indian students to study in American Universities annually. 44% i.e approximately 33000 students out of 84000 are from both Telugu states–Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The new trend post the pandemic is many American Universities are offering virtual programs in collaboration with local institutions added Eric

Eric was on a two-day visit to the city. He has already explored Hyderabad Biryani, the dish which is considered synonymous with the city of Hyderabad.