Grants as Planning Stepping Stones:

Strategic Initiatives for Engagement with India at Winston-Salem State University

UNC India Summit

UNC General Administration

January 30, 2013

2010: IIE/IAPP - India

Calls from the School of Business and Economics and the School of Health Sciences to apply for pilot program

Connecting with institutional priorities:

a. WSSU 2010-2015 Strategic plan

b. UNC Tomorrow Commission: Global Readiness

WSSU IAPP Process India Task Force, with representation from all schools

and the College of Arts and Sciences

IIE/IAPP webinars

FOCUS ON:

Developing a Strategic Plan for India on the basis of internal assessment of current engagement with India and infrastructure for internationalization on campus;

Mobilizing the campus to develop India-related programs and generate resources

Understanding the higher education system in India, and best practices in developing and sustaining academic partnerships with Indian institutions

Internal AssessmentNo formal partnerships

Ten Indian origin faculty members who have received degrees in India, and conducted scholarly research in or on India

One course on Indian history

Several courses with some Indian content: Literature, Business and economics, Mass Communications, History, Art, Religion, Sociology

No study abroad in India by students

Very few F-1 international students, but more Indian origin graduate students

Fall 2010 Study Tour of India

Short but very educational

Exposed to the diversity and complexity of higher education system in India

Many potential opportunities for partnering

Strategic Planning ReportGoals

Identify and develop partnerships with suitable Indian institutions starting with Health Sciences, Business and Economics, and Information Technology. Correspondingly, seek opportunities to expand partnerships in the liberal arts and sciences and education.

Prioritize faculty development and research to increase knowledge of India across the curriculum, and promote curriculum development and student learning.

Provide opportunities for experiences abroad in India for undergraduate and graduate students.

Organize co-curricular activities on campus to promote knowledge and awareness of India.

Promote the enrollment of international students from India, particularly in graduate programs in Business and Computer Science.

Identify and increase resources to develop partnerships and faculty and curriculum development.

Lessons Learned and Challenges

Planning process facilitated by IIE allowed for a team of interested faculty and administrators to come together around a common goal

Discovered that a number of faculty members from across the disciplines are interested in India-related programs

Motivating enough faculty to turn their focus to research and teaching relating to India

Obtaining institutional support, as well as resources and funding

Finding appropriate partners and developing partnerships

NEH Humanities Initiatives Grant2012-2014

Awarded a grant of $100,000 for a faculty development seminar:

“Integrating India into the Liberal Arts Curriculum”

Objective:

Enhance the global competence of students at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) by

incorporating knowledge about India across the curriculum and through co-curricular activities.

Twelve faculty members at WSSU from disciplines including literature, religion, art, economics, management, nursing, information systems, Portuguese, geography, history, political science, information technology, are in the NEH India seminar.

Thirteen scholars and experts on India have been identified to serve as workshop leaders, guest speakers and resource persons over a three-year period to provide insights into Indian literature, culture, history, art, and religion, as well as pedagogical issues relating to teaching India.

Outcomes

developing or restructuring a course or courses to infuse knowledge about India;

creating materials to share or disseminate this knowledge for faculty and students in both the Humanities and other program areas, as well as on campus and in the community;

building library resources and creating a web page with links to academic and cultural resources on India.

Activities and Next Steps

The opening workshop on May 7 and 8, 2012, featured four scholars

Three scholars of India visited WSSU in September, October and November. Each delivered a public lecture on Thursday, followed by a seminar/workshop for the faculty enrolled in the seminar on Friday morning.

Three workshops each Spring and Fall 2013

WSSU International Faculty Development Seminar in India: July-August 2013