Cornell University Signs Agreement With O.P. Jindal Global University To Build Global Hub In India

World class Ivy League Institute, Cornell University, U.S.A and Institution of Eminence, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, have entered into a Memorandum of Agreement whereby the latter would be working with Cornell as one of its centres for Cornell Global Hub, in a bid to enable both the institutions to build substantive partnerships and collaborations across all of its schools and programmes.

Launched in 2022, Cornell Global Hubs these Global Hubs are broad-reaching partnerships that combine research, learning, and engagement and bring together faculty, students, alumni, businesses, and the public as well as the private sector, thus providing a vibrant network of transnational research and educational opportunities. The Cornell Global Hubs which connect the entire university with strong international peer institutions and their communities, countries, and regions, are based in strategic locations the world over, while also ensuring the uniqueness of each Hub. Remarkably, all these Global Hubs share certain features while maintaining their distinctiveness - that of Cornell's academic distinction, educational verve, and civic responsibility—under the umbrella of One Cornell. These Global Hubs create more diverse, long-term opportunities and support for students and faculty to study, research, teach, and engage around the world by providing institutional connections in key locations. The idea of Cornell Global Hubs is based on the principle of mutual benefit and exchange, and the Ivy League Institution works with its Hub partners to to develop hands-on projects that promote study and expand the range of academic experiences both at home and abroad.

Through the arrangements, the institutions aim to jointly organize conferences and workshops that promote sharing ideas among scholars, policy makers, and business leaders of India and USA, and also explore opportunities for establishing joint innovation and activities to promote collaboration and innovation between India and the United States.

According to Professor Dr. C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, "JGU and Cornell have been working closely through its existing meaningful cooperation in the field of Law for over a decade benefitting students and faculty members through unique and valuable international programmes and intellectual engagements including dual degree programmes, student exchanges, joint research, joint seminars and conferences. The new reimagined and expanded collaboration at the University-level between Cornell and JGU has immense potential to provide an outstanding platform for students and faculty members of both institutions across all domains of mutual expertise to have a holistic experience of intercultural learning guided by the best global practices of higher education and research. This will enable the faculty members and students of both the universities to engage and interact with each other through various institutional partnerships".

Professor (Dr.) Wendy Wolford, Vice provost for International Affairs and Robert A. and Ruth E. Polson Professor of Global Development, Cornell University, expressed excitement over having O.P. Jindal Global University as a Global Hubs partner, and added that "Hubs build the kind of strong, long-term international relationships that create understanding and meaningful change".

Associate Professor in the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Professor (Dr.) Sarah Besky who is a cultural anthropologist specializing in labor and capitalism in the Himalayas, and also the faculty lead for Cornell's India Global Hub, looks forward to developing the Cornell-JGU partnership. "Cornell's partnership with JGU opens up new pathways for student mobility including coursework, internships, and research opportunities in the greater Delhi region. This partnership, and the work of Cornell Global Hubs, will further the institution's efforts towards promoting greater inclusion and internationalization. We look forward to welcoming JGU students to Cornell's campus very soon", said Dr. Besky.

On the occasion of signing of the Memorandum, Professor (Dr.) Mohan Kumar, Dean, Office of International Affairs & Global Initiatives, O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), expressed that the possibilities of this new collaboration were exciting. "The concept of Global Hubs is a novel one and JGU will play its full part in realizing the immense potential offered by Cornell University to our students and faculty members in this regard", he added.

Reflecting on the importance of this agreement for the development of Indian higher education while expending its global presence, Professor (Dr). C. Raj Kumar observed that the objective of the agreement was to "develop an enhanced understanding of each other's capabilities and requirements and to collectively work towards identifying opportunities for collaboration that addresses pressing issues in India and the United States and across the globe that strengthen academic exchange and research collaborations across the breadth of disciplines at both the Institutions". He added that the two Universities aimed to "further develop their valuable partnership that fosters the development of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes with close engagements between faculty members at both the Universities ultimately enhancing the multi-lateral and cross-institutional cooperation".

Both the Universities have shared an incredible synergy through meaningful engagement over the years which have led to tremendous potential for collaborative endeavours for students and faculty members on both sides, thus resulting in mutual benefits. Through the new collaborative effort, it is aspired that international exchanges, academic and scientific relationships, and support for collaborative research activities across important domains of higher education and research at both institutions would arise. This collaboration is also expected to provide opportunities for potential collaborations for all Schools and Research Centers at both the institutions.

One of the world's leading higher education institutions, Cornell is known for its outstanding reputation and excellence in quality higher education and research across domains. As of September 2021, Cornell boasts of 61 Nobel laureates, four Turing Award winners and one Fields Medalist, apart from 34 Marshall Scholars, 33 Rhodes Scholars, 29 Truman Scholars, 7 Gates Scholars, 63 Olympic Medalists, 10 current Fortune 500 CEOs, and 35 billionaire alumni, amongst its former and present faculty as well as alumni.

O.P. Jindal Global University on the other hand, is an Institution of Eminence (IoE) has been ranked as India's First ranked private university three times in a row by the QS World Universities Rankings, and the seventieth in the world. Right from its inception, the Institution has visualized internalization as the cornerstone of its core vision, and has strived to provide wide-ranging world class opportunities for its students and faculty members in terms of exchange with partner Universities; joint teaching opportunities for faculty members; collaborative research activities with joint projects and publications, joint seminars, conferences and workshops. The twelve schools under the University boast of more than 10,000 students studying in the various UG, PG, Masters' and doctoral programmes. Ensuring diversity amongst its faculty, the University also has more than 1,000 full time faculty members from 46 countries.

It is noteworthy that JGU's faculty members have also been actively participating in Cornell's Global Hubs Salon Series featuring Cornell faculty hosts in conversation with representatives of Global Hub institutions relating to various themes such 'Big Data, AI and the New Media'; 'Democratic Challenges and Change'; 'Future Cities'; 'Inequalities and Social Justice'; 'Migration and Mobilities'; 'One Health'; and 'Sustainable Development'.