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U of A poised to start new joint doctoral program with four Indian universities

The agreement will be approved at a later date as Turpin's travel to India to meet with officials at the four universities was cancelled

The University of Alberta is one step closer to developing a joint doctoral program with four Indian universities.

On October 23, the General Faculty Council academic planning committee approved a motion, that once officially approved, will have four Indian universities create a new joint doctoral program with the U of A.

David Turpin, U of A president, originally planned on travelling to India in early November to “move forward relations” with institutions and have this agreement officially signed. After the release of the provincial budget, Turpin cancelled his trip. However, the agreement will still go ahead but be formalized “at a later date,” said the office of the president.

The following Indian Institutes of Technology are included in the proposed agreement: Roorkee, Bombay, Kharagpur, and Madras.

The rationale for creating this joint program is to advance the U of A’s relations with Indian universities, attract top graduates to Alberta, and build further research connections. The provost’s office at the U of A has committed to providing three years of funding to support two incoming IIT students per institution per year. Any outgoing U of A students attending programming in India would have basic costs of accommodation and food covered by the IIT they attend.

The joint doctoral program, while approved at the U of A, will take effect upon final approval once a formal memorandum of understanding is signed between both parties.

According to documents supporting the creation of this joint doctoral program, the U of A already has a strong relationship with these institutions. This includes leading the number of academic paper joint publications than any of the other top 15 Canadian universities. Additionally, the U of A Research Experience has brought over 175 undergraduate research interns from IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur to the university since 2010.

“Developing joint doctoral degree programs with the top IITs will allow us to further advance and solidify the U of A’s profile as the leader in Indo- Canadian academic relations,” the documents read. “At the moment, no other Canadian institutions have entered into such agreements with the IITs.”

UPDATE: A previous version of the article stated President David Turpin would be leaving for India in early November to formalize the agreement. At 4:44 p.m. on November 7, The Gateway was informed by the Office of the President that the trip would not go ahead. The article has been updated to reflect the new information.

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Adam Lachacz

Adam Lachacz was the Editor-in-Chief of The Gateway for 2020-21. Previously, he was the 2019-20 News Editor, 2018-19 Staff Reporter, and a senior volunteer contributor from 2016-18. He is a fifth-year student studying history and political science. Adam is addicted to the news, an aspiring sneakerhead, and loves a good cup of black coffee.

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