Randhir Jaiswal, consul general of India to the United States (New York), met with Ohio State leadership and faculty on May 11 to discuss current collaborations and future opportunities for partnerships with institutions and businesses in India.

Ohio State has a long history of engagement in India dating to the 1950s and currently has six active international agreements with leading universities. Mumbai is also home to Ohio State’s India Gateway, which facilitates academic and research partnerships, assists in student recruitment efforts, supports collaborative initiatives and fosters relationships with alumni.  

Highlights of Ohio State’s connections in India include:

• The College of Engineering partnered with IIT Bombay to establish the Frontier Center for Science and Engineering
• The Fisher College of Business formalized an international agreement to conduct executive education training programs and administer student-led projects with the Tata Group.
• The Center for Automotive Research hosted an all-women Society of Automotive Engineers team of undergraduates with the Cummins College of Engineering in Pune.
• The Obama Singh 21st century knowledge initiative led to the initiation and formalization of the APJ Abdul Kalam Center for STEM education and research at Aligarh Muslim University in 2013. A new M.Ed. degree curriculum was approved by Ohio State in 2014 and eight students have graduated from the program.
• Research Internship for Young Academics in the College of Engineering: a 10-week, fully sponsored internship for undergraduate students from India. The program attracts more than 200 applications each year and has supported more than 30 students from 2015-2021.

The following individuals attended the meeting with the consul general:

• Gil Latz, vice provost for global strategies and international affairs
• Nirmal Sinha, trustee emeritus, Federation of Indian Associations
• Ramakrishna Kasarla, chairman, Federation of Indian Associations
• Rattan Lal, distinguished professor of soil science
• Anil Makhija, dean, Fisher College of Business
• Anil Pradhan, professor of astronomy and director of the Indo-U.S. Center for STEM Education and Research
• Steven Ringel, professor, Neal A Smith chair, electrical and computer engineering
• Padmini Roy-Dixon, executive director, Global Gateways and Partnerships
• Angha Sirpurkar Childress, executive director, International Advancement