FULTON, NY – Recently, a delegation of four professors from North Maharashtra University kicked off a 10-day visit to Cayuga Community College to hammer out the details of an agreement both institutions signed in March that opened the door for academic collaborations and exchanges.

The members of the delegation from North Maharashtra University include:

Dr. Dilip Hundiwale, Professor and Director, Board of College and University Development

Dr. Vijaykumarl Maheshwari, Professor and Director, School of Life Sciences

Dr. Bhausahebv Pawar, Professor and Director, School of Computer Sciences

Dr. Rajkishorh Gupta, Professor and Principal, Arts and Commerce College, Muktainager

Accompanied by Cayuga President Dr. Daniel P. Larson and Chief International Officer and Dean of Enrollment Management Cheryl Anderson Lindsay, and other campus members, the Indian delegation toured the facilities on both campuses – Auburn and Fulton.

The tours laid the groundwork for meetings with faculty and administrators to develop joint degree programs and explore other opportunities, including student and faculty exchanges.

“The U.S. has arguably one of the best academic systems in the world,” said Dr. Vijaykumarl Maheshwari. “We are particularly strong in science and mathematics. Through this partnership, we will be able to share our expertise.”

These initial conversations will focus on the areas with the most overlap and potential for collaboration in such areas as life sciences, biotechnology, math, English, business and management, information technology, computer science, and nursing.

Delegation members said they were impressed with the campuses and the facilities available to students.

“North Maharashtra University is very progressive, and we really share the same mission – which is to provide access to education,” said Lindsay. “We hope that we are laying the foundation for a long-time partnership with great possibilities for the future.”

During the 10-day visit, the Cayuga team and Indian delegation will gain a better understanding of each other’s governance structures, pedagogy, delivery methods, tuition and fees, and other considerations.

While the majority of the visit will focus on getting to know the faculty and academic resources at Cayuga, the group will also get a broader introduction to the region.

The group will tour Wells College, downtown Auburn, and attractions throughout the Finger Lakes Region and will travel to Niagara Falls.

In recent years, members of the Cayuga campus community have visited India multiple times to establish relationships with Indian universities.

In March, Larson, Lindsay and Professor Jeff Delbel made a 10-day trip to India, where they discussed collaborations with two universities – North Maharashtra University and Nagpur University in the Maharashtra region of India.

During their trip, the team also met the president of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, who received an honorary doctorate of letters from North Maharashtra University in Jalgaon in a formal convocation ceremony.

In addition to establishing these partnerships, Cayuga will offer its first travel study program to India during the spring 2013 semester.

The three-credit Eastern Philosophy hybrid course will provide students with the opportunity to embark on a 10-day excursion throughout India led by Dr. Delbel.

The course will provide students the opportunity to see, Varanasi, the oldest city in the world and the city that is considered to be the most holy in India.

In addition, Cayuga will host faculty exchanges with our partner institutions in India.

This fall, Cayuga will host the Sustainable Agriculture Symposium on Nov. 1 and 2 with both American and Indian scholars.

The idea for this symposium stemmed from the recent trips to India, which provided the opportunity to see the research conducted at the Rajiv Gandhi Biotechnical Research Institute in Nagpur.

The major areas of research at the institute include sustainable management of barren land, crop productivity, and aquaculture, as well as the transfer of eco-friendly and socio-economically viable technology to rural and remote tribal areas.

The Sustainable Agriculture Symposium at Cayuga will feature Dr. Sudhir U. Meshram, director of the institute, and will focus on developments in agro-ecology, biopesticides, biofertilizers, green chemistry, and related technologies, and their impact on water quality, soil productivity, the environment, food production and sustainable agriculture.

The global and local significance of the issues will be addressed by examining practices in Maharashtra Province, India, London, England, and the Finger Lakes region of Central New York.