The University of Illinois system is now setting up offices in India to help in the recruitment of students and build relationships with corporate and academic partners.
With as many as 2,848 students between the universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield last fall, India is already one of the top countries of origin for students at the University of Illinois System’s campuses.
Explaining that a new liaison office in the country will help drive growth for the University of Illinois, system president Tim Killeen said, “India has one of the world’s largest economies and it has grown rapidly, presenting an excellent opportunity for the U of I System to nurture our existing partnerships and develop new ones.”
Vivek Damle, a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was voted on July 22 by the Board of Trustees to serve as the board’s representative in India.
While the liaison office will be located in New Delhi, another branch office will be established in Bengaluru.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was founded in 1867.
“With our land-grant heritage as a foundation, we pioneer innovative research that tackles global problems and expands the human experience. Our transformative learning experiences, in and out of the classroom, are designed to produce alumni who desire to make a significant, societal impact,” the university’s website says.
“The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is charged by our state to enhance the lives of citizens in Illinois, across the nation and around the world through our leadership in learning, discovery, engagement and economic development,” it says, adding, “At Illinois, our focus on research shapes our identity, permeates our classrooms and fuels our outreach. Fostering discovery and innovation is our fundamental mission. As a public, land-grant university, we have the responsibility to create new knowledge and new ideas and translate these into better ways of working, living and learning for our state, nation and world.”
Many of the university faculty have memberships with organizations like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering.
“Our faculty have been awarded Nobel Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes, and the Fields Medal in Mathematics. That of our alumni matches the success of our faculty: 11 are Nobel Laureates, and another 18 have won Pulitzer Prizes,” the website says.
