University of Chicago to open new centre in Delhi

The University of Chicago will open a major new academic centre in Delhi next spring, supporting and expanding opportunities for collaboration among scholars and students from India and Chicago, across academic disciplines. The centre in Delhi will be a home for research and education for the university’s faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates working in India and throughout South Asia, as well as Indian researchers and students representing a wide array of institutions, and scholars from around the world. President Robert J Zimmer said the centre in Delhi will be an intellectual destination and will enable the University of Chicago to better support research and scholarship that will benefit faculty, students, and society. “The centre in Delhi reflects the importance the university places on global engagement and our commitment in India and South Asia particularly,” said Zimmer on Monday at a news conference in New Delhi. “The centre will support the work of our faculty, provide a platform for collaboration and opportunities for Indian scholars, prepare our students with a much greater understanding of India, South Asia, and global issues, and contribute to intellectual discourse in and with India. Our goal is to create an intellectual destination in Delhi, where scholars and students from the US, India, and around the world can benefit from the free exchange of ideas,” added Zimmer. The centre will promote scholarship and teaching under three broad umbrellas: business, economics, law and policy; science, energy, medicine and public health; and culture, society, religion, and the arts. It will represent all parts of the University, including the college, the academic divisions, the professional schools, and the university’s affiliated laboratories:Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and the Marine Biological Laboratory. Located in the cultural and commercial district of Connaught Place, the 17,000 square foot centre will provide space for seminars and conferences, as well as faculty offices and study areas. It will host Indian and South Asian students and scholars, serve as a base for UChicago students and faculty working at other institutions in India and throughout the region, and engage alumni and parents in India and South Asia. The new centre in Delhi will capitalize on a strong body of work already underway. A University faculty committee recommended the creation of the centre and has catalogued dozens of research partnerships between UChicago scholars and their Indian and South Asian counterparts. “After a century of significant research collaborations between India and Chicago, the centre will provide a focus for building on that legacy in Delhi and throughout the region,” said Gary Tubb, professor in South Asian Languages and Civilizations, and the faculty director of the centre. Provost Thomas Rosenbaum recently announced Tubb’s appointment to the three year post, in which he will work with the UChicago community to develop and oversee the implementation the centre’s academic agenda. Tubb also will lead efforts to foster strong partnerships with Indian and South Asian colleagues, engage area alumni, and establish the Center as a model for international scholarly endeavors. The centre in Delhi represents the University’s long term commitment to build relationships in India and throughout the region and will be an important addition to UChicago’s international presence. Delhi joins the university’s centre in Beijing, opened in 2010, and in Paris, opened in 2004, in bringing together researchers and students to collaborate across the academic spectrum. In the three years since it opened, faculty, students, and other scholars from more than 25 countries have visited the centre in Beijing more than 7,000 times. Paris and Beijing have been successful platforms for interdisciplinary conferences, partnerships, meetings, and other activities. Building on the university’s presence in China, work is also underway on a centre in Hong Kong that will house a University of Chicago Booth School of Business Executive MBA program as well as other University programs. Chicago Booth also has campuses in London and Singapore, where UChicago faculty teach in degree- granting programs. The university’s Oriental Institutehas a presence in Luxor, Egypt, founded in 1924 and known as “Chicago House,” which documents ancient Egyptian inscriptions and works with Egyptian scholars on conservation, restoration, and site management. “The university’s overseas centres along with the numerous international activities on campus in Chicago together create a dynamic global network for joint programming, teaching, and research activities,” said Ian Solomon, vice president for Global Engagement. Solomon noted that the centre will benefit from and support a large and enthusiastic body of UChicago alumni in India, offering social, professional, and educational opportunities. The centre in Delhi is a wholly owned foreign enterprise operating under the name of UChicago Centre in India Private Limited. The centre in Delhi will not grant degrees. Source: Education News