USIHEC: Institutional Collaboration between U.S. and India

U.S. - India Higher Education Cooperation (USIHEC) is a recent addition to USIEF (2009). USIHEC engages institutions of higher education in the U.S. and in India to foster and enhance linkages between them, an initiative by U.S department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. The importance of collaborations between Indian and U.S institutions of higher education is now widely recognized at both institutional and governmental levels. It seeks to deepen institutional ties in numerous ways: in areas of collaborative research, study abroad programs, faculty exchanges and seminars for higher education administrators from both countries.

US universities provide Indian students with wide-ranging development assistance in education, with a focus on skills formation in science and technology in particular. Many Indians were awarded scholarships to undertake advanced studies at US universities. Other forms of linkages have also emerged, with US students participating in various types of study abroad programs happening in India in many repudiated Institutes. Research links have also grown, though a little more slowly than expected.

USIHEC administers the “Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative Awards” and maintains a database of Indo-U.S. Educational Collaborations. The office also provides briefings to visiting delegations of American academics and administrators who are exploring India for further understanding of the Indian higher education system. Similar briefings are also provided to Indian academics and administrators seeking to strengthen academic partnerships with American institutions. USIHEC activities include, “Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Grants, Study Abroad Capacity Assessment Project, Transforming Boundaries, Community College Development in India and Association of U.S. Academic Programs in India (AUSAPI) Annual Conference

USIHEC organizes seminars for U.S. and Indian higher education administrators to visit each other’s countries for two weeks. These are capacity building efforts to enable administrators to make informed decisions about enhancing academic ties between American and Indian institutions of higher learning. USIHEC participated in a collaborative project in the field of study abroad in India. The project partners are the Institute of International Education (IIE), the Forum on Education Abroad and the American Association of Community Colleges. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. USIHEC administered a U.S. Department of State grant to Montgomery College which was designed to help build capacity in the vocational and technical education sector in India. The project sought to develop community college models appropriate for India. The programmes are focused specifically on faculty development and training, student affairs and support systems, aligning training programs with local and emerging industry, and organizing an online symposium on topics related to the growth and development of community colleges in India.

USIHEC hosts the annual conference for the Association of US Academic Programs in India (AUSAPI). Resident directors from U.S. study abroad programs based in India as well as administrators from U.S. and Indian academic institutions are invited to share best practices and discuss issues pertinent to education abroad.