Friday, February 24, 2017

O.P Jindal Global University: World-Class Excellence Is Now at India's Doorstep


Every initiative of O.P Jindal Global University (JGU) reflects a vision committed to the laudable task of nation-building. There is also an innate desire within its ethos to make a mark across the global academic community. From MoUs signed with Israel's top law and business schools and the recent opening of its journalism school, the university is redefining the contours of higher education while staying grounded to its roots. By offering some of the most sought-after programmes such as B.A (Hons.) Economics, JGU is rubbing its shoulders with the likes of St.Stephen's College and SRCC in attracting the brightest minds from the country and the world at large.  

That's not all. Prof. Raj Kumar, the founding vice-chancellor of JGU stresses on the need to build higher education links in the area of humanities and social sciences, mostly with universities in developing nations in Africa. The university also brings together leading public policy academics, practitioners, researchers, lawyers and government officials from India to participate in a day-long workshops and conferences.  And through The Jindal Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship (JSiE), the university is also leaving no stone unturned in driving entrepreneurship in the social sector. 

The biggest factor, and perhaps the most important, is the positive impact made by the topmost leadership in running the affairs of JGU. The Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU, Dr. C Raj Kumar is a legal academician of international stature. Dr. Raj Kumar has studied at Oxford, Harvard, University of Hong Kong, and Delhi University. He is a noted speaker across the world’s finest universities and his recent speeches were at Harvard Law School and University of California at Davis School of Law.
Speaking at the Times Higher Education BRICS & Emerging Economies Universities Summit as part of a panel discussion on the place of global networks in re-imagining the future, Dr. C Raj Kumar stressed that to build higher education links with Africa that, the humanities and social sciences offer the best route for collaboration between developing nations.
“If universities focus on the hard sciences they…are constantly looking at advanced economies for technology transfer,” he said. “I think that the conversation needs to change. We really need to invest and reimagine the collaborative framework and [recognise] the need for emphasising the humanities and social sciences.”
Such is the exemplary vision with which the university is run and it is a testimony of its commitment to tackling the pressing needs in the higher education space using innovative strategies.
With the dearth of interdisciplinary journalism programmes in the country, the university recently launched its School of Journalism and Communication (JSJC), the sixth school of JGU. The JSJC will offer a three-year full-time BA (Hons) in Media and Communication programme, which is designed to give students a rigorous understanding of journalism across print, broadcast, radio and new media platforms.
Recently, Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the College of Law and Business (CLB) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) to create a framework for global collaboration in areas of academics, research, faculty and student exchange programmes. The signing ceremony took place at an elaborate event held at the Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi in the presence of Mr. Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel, who was on a six day visit to India and Union HRD Minister of India, Mr. Prakash Javadekar. The ceremony was part of an event organized by the Israeli embassy to boost academic collaborations and excellence in India.
The MoU signed between the institutions is aimed to promote academic, cultural and personnel exchanges that can enrich the experience of students, research scholars and faculty members from both institutions. The agreement will also facilitate student and faculty exchange programs and promote bilateral cooperation on research.
These collaborative ventures help implement 10 different forms of partnerships: Faculty Exchange Programs, Student Exchange Programs, Joint Teaching, Joint Research, Joint Conferences, Joint Publications, Dual Degree Programs, Joint Executive Education Programs, Summer and Winter Schools and Study Abroad Programs.
This is very much in tune with the university’s partnership with over 160 institutions in 40 countries since its inception. According to Dr C. Raj Kumar, ‘international education and collaborations of this type promote knowledge exchange between global communities and enhance our student's transformative educational experience.’
Another remarkable initiative has been the stress placed on promoting research and high-level dialogue between various stakeholders in shaping public policy. On this front, Jindal Initiative on Research in IP and Competition (JIRICO), an initiative of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) organised a conference on ‘The National IPR Policy and related IPR’ issues. The agenda had a 3-pronged approach: To identify the extent to which high-technology firms undertake innovative activity across sectors in India; the legal, policy and market-related obstacles faced by innovators and the role of government in enabling collaboration between industry and academia; the role played by industries in inducing innovation and knowledge and the issue of commercialization of IPs emanating from universities.
Dr. Raj Kumar, further observed, "As a research intensive, global university, JGU has been attempting to advance the need for knowledge creation and knowledge dissemination in a range of areas and our schools have been continuously engaged in advancing that agenda."
The institute also prides in nurturing a spirit of social entrepreneurship. The Jindal Centre For Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (JSiE) helps spirited individuals to design their social enterprise model and bring it to market, and to explore how to scale up over the long term.
The Centre for Health Law, Ethics and Technology (CHLET), Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) in collaboration with Ipas Development Foundation held a one-day consultation on access to safe abortion for minor girls with a special focus on The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) in New Delhi.
Another feather in the cap has been the recent signing of a MoU between The Jindal Institute of Leadership Development & Executive Education (JILDEE) of OP Jindal Global University (JGU) and the Power Grid Corporation of India, a transmission utility company. The MoU has been signed for a period of five years and will see both institutions exchange intellectual and infrastructure resources. The curriculum will employ various pedagogical approaches such as lectures, simulations, small group interactions, action learning projects, and case studies.
JGU has released an admission notification inviting candidates to apply for its various courses, including the newly launched journalism programme. The last date to submit the admission application is the 31st of May, 2017.


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