The Hyderabad (Sind) National Collegiate Board (HSNC) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (USA) have signed an academic partnership on 5th of December 2014. HSNC President Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani said the Memorandum of Understanding will ‘further the cause of establishing strategic partnerships between institutions of higher education’. “It also aims at fostering inter-cultural understanding between Pennsylvania and India,” he added.
“The tie-up will provide avenues for leadership and professional development,” said Ms. Manju Nichani, Principal of K. C. College. “It will facilitate teacher and student exchange initiatives and other twinning programs,” she added.
“This is a significant step for the HSNC Board,” said the HSNC President Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani, “as Pennsylvania is the only state in the USA to have established a unique government endorsed and managed ‘India Higher Education Initiative’.”
The signing of the partnership took place at the K C College, Mumbai on the 5th of December 2014.
The HSNC Board which has a strong presence in academia through its 27 educational institutions was represented by its President Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani and Principal, K. C. College, Ms. Manju Nichani. The delegation from Pennsylvania comprised Deputy Secretary Wilfred Muskens, Vice Chancellor Peter Garland, Dr. Don Francis and Pennsylvania’s Special Envoy Ms. Kanika Choudhary, who also the City of Philadelphia’s Honorary Ambassador to India.
HSNC Board President Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani said he sought to drive home the message that international exposure for the staff and students of institutions of the HSNC Board is the need of the hour; several international exchanges, visits, tie-ups and programs have been initiated in the past.
“The HSNC Board has actively formed collaborations and tie-ups with some of the major academic institutions across the world, including Deakin University, Australia and Union College, New York,” said Ms. Manju Nichani, Principal, K. C. College. “These collaborations are aimed to mutually benefit both the institutions through exchange of students and faculty,” concluded Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani.
BACKGROUNDER
Open Doors (www.iie.org/opendoors) ranks Pennsylvania as the sixth largest host state in the USA for international students with a total of over 33,000 students in 2012.
India is the second leading country of origin for foreign students in Pennsylvania, accounting for 15.8 percent of all international students enrolled in the state.
By 2020, it is expected that India will be the top country of origin for all international students studying in the United States.
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