BHU eyes strategic tie-ups with USA

Varanasi, July 18 (UNI) The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) here is planning to embark on an ambitious plan of striking a strategic alliance with institutions of excellence in USA.

The administration of the central university -- Asia's biggest residential varsity -- is banking on the whole-hearted support of a strong BHU alumni base in US to further its mission of striking major partnerships with American universities, institutions of academic and scientific excellence, besides the boundless potential of corporate behemoths.

''USA is a major destination for BHU to further elevate its stature globally,'' BHU Vice-Chacellor Panjab Singh told UNI here this evening.

Prof Singh will be a prominent part of a high-level delegation of Human Resource Development Ministry which will leave for the US on September 15 to explore possibility of close cooperation between American institutions and central universities of India.

''Our thrust will be to first explore possibility of tie-ups with US based academic and technological institutions and then push hard for inking MoUs with those institutions on a priority basis,'' Prof Singh maintained.

Refusing to divulge about US institutions which had been shortlisted for prospective tie-ups with BHU, Prof Singh said University of Buffalo: New York State University and Florida State University figure prominently on BHU's plans.

''With the Indo-US relations now six decades old, BHU is going to work in a big way to strike strategic ties with American institutions in areas spanning from information technology, material sciences, nano-technology, genetics to medicine and health care and social sciences,'' Prof Singh maintained.

The central varsity, established by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, is banking largely on a strong base of its alumni in US for actualising its mission of tie-ups with American institutions of excellence.

''The September visit will also render the necessary groundwork for hosting a meet of BHU's Alumni based in US which will go a long way for sustaining BHU's linkage with American institutions,'' he added.

The entire ideology of alliance with US institutions will work around three areas -- student to student exchange programme, expert and scientist exchange programme and working on common projects which will have global value.

UNI