Ten university administrators and faculty members from India visited UNL on Oct. 24 to explore the different components of a large public research university.
The Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrator Program sponsored the group’s visit to Nebraska. The program exposes participants to a wide range of higher education institutions in the United States.
“UNL enjoys a great relationship with India, and hosting these colleagues helps strengthen those ties,” said David Wilson, senior international officer and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. “We hope that this trip to Nebraska is productive and educational for the visiting administrators as they learn about UNL’s approach to student success, administration and scholarship. It has been productive for us as we learn more about higher education in India.”
The group also visited the University of Nebraska at Omaha and met with NU system officials while in Nebraska. The U.S. trip also allowed for visits to several institutions in the Chicago and Washington, D.C., areas, including George Mason University, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Montgomery College, the University of Maryland-Baltimore, City Colleges of Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Northwestern University.
The university’s participation in the Fulbright-Nehru program was the result of a commitment made by University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken during a February visit to the Fulbright office in New Delhi. During their trip to the United States, the participants will spend more time at NU institutions than anywhere else.
While in Lincoln, the group met with several NU officials, including Milliken about the role of a land grant institution in the 21st century; with Associate Vice President for Distance Education Mary Niemiec about online education at NU; with Vice Provost for Global Engagement Tom Farrell about strategic internationalization in the NU system; and with Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Susan Fritz about accreditation. They also made a visit to the University of Nebraska Foundation offices, where they heard from NU Foundation President and CEO Brian Hastings on fundraising and development.
The group includes scholars and administrators from leading Indian institutions such as the University of Delhi, Panjab University, IIT Bombay, as well as newer institutions in the Indian Northeast and in the state of Jharkhand.
During their tour of UNL on Oct. 24, the participants met and heard presentations from Chuck Hibberd, dean of the Cooperative Extension Division, and Mark Doyle, director of global engagement at IANR; Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Amy Goodburn; David Keck, director of the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management; and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Regina Werum.
Salma Ahmed Farooqui of Maula Azad National Urdu University noted UNL’s institutional capacity to coordinate across different disciplines and keep students in the forefront of its mission.
She also noted other similarities between UNL and her publicly funded institution, particularly in how UNL administrators and center directors often play a dual role as researchers and educators.
“And I must say that it feels very organized (at UNL),” she said. “There is a collaborative spirit, a team spirit that is evident … it can be a successful model.”
