In a few weeks, a senior UVA delegation will make a second visit to India in five months to accelerate and deepen our engagement with one of the world’s most vibrant players in higher education. The reasons for strengthening the relationship are clear. India’s rapidly growing economy is powering an explosive growth in government investment in higher education along with sweeping reforms that aim to facilitate a more innovative educational culture that opens more doors to international collaboration.
At the same time, India’s increasing prosperity is fueling an unprecedented level of interest in undergraduate and graduate study in the United States. With 400 students, India is already the second largest source of UVA’s international student community behind China, with significant potential for even greater numbers. During UVA’s most recent high-level visit to the country, thousands of prospective students and their parents thronged our booth at a college recruitment fair to clamor for information, and a growing community of Wahoo alumni there offered to assist us in talking up the benefits of a UVA education.
India’s importance as a potential international partner is more than about just numbers. As the world’s largest democracy on the front lines of transnational issues such as climate change, environmental sustainability, alternative energy, illiberal populism, global health equity, women’s empowerment, minority rights, small business development, economic disparity, and new technology, India is an enticing destination for UVA researchers and students eager to develop a more global perspective on these and other disciplines. And while India (like the U.S.) has its share of challenges to its developing democracy, the Indian academic community features a vibrancy and diversity of views that prizes free inquiry and expression that will make American faculty and students feel right at home.
