The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : SRM varsity forges ties with U.S. institutions

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 14, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

SRM varsity forges ties with U.S. institutions

Staff Reporter

It will help varsity to source partners for trade, academic collaboration and student exchanges It will help in making education initiatives

CHENNAI: SRM Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed University) on Thursday entered into an agreement with World Trade Center Rhode Island to forge global partnerships with institutions and industries in the United States.

This venture, billed as the first tie-up of State-controlled WTC with a private University in India, will help the SRM access U.S. institutions for specialised education initiatives as well as business development.

The WTC operates 279 offices across the world.

The networking will enable SRM IST to source partners for trade, academic collaboration and student exchanges, P. Sathyanarayanan, SRM Vice-Chancellor told a press conference.

While SRM University trade advocates and business leaders will use the Center as a gateway to tap the U.S. market, the U.S. companies seeking supplies for sourcing or outsourcing of critical functions would fall back on linkages with SRM. The collaboration included hosting of travel delegations, videoconferencing and market research. The first in the proposed series of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) on the education front was signed between SRM and Johnson and Wales University to collaborate on academic exchanges and curriculum development. The U.S. university specialises in business management, hospitality management and culinary arts.

Framework

The framework of the MoU includes professional exchange of faculty members, facility for SRM students to attend certificate programmes and student exchanges. Distance learning initiatives using the Internet and video-mediated communication tools, enlarging internationalisation of programmes of both universities and developing US-modelled degree programmes at the School of Hotel Management at SRM proposed. SRM also signed an MoU with Bryant University, known for its hotel management programme.

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