The University of British Columbia (UBC) plans to connect to more students and faculty from across the world, including India, with a dedicated focus on research collaborations. Arvind Gupta, its new vice-chancellor & president, in an interaction with Vikram Chaudhary of The Financial Express, says while a lot of good research is happening in India, institutions here should be more open to collaborations. Excerpts:
Can we expect to see a sharper focus on India now?
We have always considered India to be one of our key partners. India is quickly headed towards becoming the world’s third largest economy and will have one of the youngest populations in the world. According to OECD, in 2020, 200 million of the world’s 25-34 year olds will be university graduates and 40% of these will be from China and India, representing a huge proportion of the global talent pool. This will broaden the scope of collaboration and engagement at different levels with India. For example, we host IC-IMPACTS, a Canada-India Centre of
Excellence focused on research of critical importance to Canada and India. We are also forming academic partnerships to foster student exchange programmes and are interested in hosting a larger number of Indian students at our institution. Most recently, we announced an additional $250,000 annually in scholarships targeted at Indian students.
How important is India strategically from a student acquisition point of view?
As the largest democracy in the world, India is full of promise and with its unique history of diversity, we feel Indian students can play a significant role in UBC’s strong commitment to global citizenship.
How do you see India’s growth as an education destination and what are the synergies that you will look to explore via partnerships with educational institutions here?
We have seen a huge change in India in the last years. Today I see that India is committed to put in place an environment of innovation and research, and I see no reason why good research cannot come out of India. In fact, there is already some great work happening in India. But for any good research, institutions must be open to collaborations. At UBC we have a host of our students and faculty from outside and almost all our research papers are written with collaborations from other universities.
Are you looking at an off-shore campus in India in the near future?
UBC has focused on building strategic institutional partnerships to enhance our learning and research platform. We believe this strategy has the potential to expand UBC’s international profile very significantly and, in that light, do not have current plans to expand our physical presence into off-shore campuses. With regard to India, we are committed to expanding our links. We opened a Liaison Office in Delhi in June 2013 that is reaching out to academic institutions and industry with the purpose of forging partnerships.
What are the key advantages for Indian students looking to study at UBC in particular and Canada in general?
UBC is consistently regarded amongst the top 25 public universities in the world. Students are afforded an exceptional learning environment and our students report that our university provides a student experience that is second to none. Part of that hinges on our focus on creating excellent research opportunities for our students so that they have a chance to both learn from world-class professors and take part in the knowledge discovery process. The university also has a strong focus on career development with industry-based internships and co-op programmes that prepare students with practical experience.
With respect to international students, UBC also has one of the most comprehensive suites of services in Canada, with innovative and effective orientation programmes supporting new students on arrival, such as Jump Start and Vantage College.
Finally, Canada is consistently ranked by the United Nations as one of the top three most liveable countries. In addition to excellent healthcare, infrastructure, education and a strong and stable economy, Canada is also incredibly multi-cultural and has a tradition of welcoming thousands of international students and immigrants alike. Canada also offers international students opportunities to stay in Canada three years post-graduation, markedly different from the more restrictive approaches taken by other countries.
You recently announced the India Scholarships. Are these any different from various scholarships announced by global institutions for Indian students from time to time?
We’re acting on our stated commitment to support Indian students and making UBC available to bright, curious and academically gifted students. It’s recognising the promise of the future and it starts with excellence in education.