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The need for
international collaboration in education is universally recognised
today. St. Xavier’s College decided to form a group of Faculty,
assisted by students, to explore opportunities in this area. In its
first year, through various collaborative efforts, the Council of
International Programmes [CIP] has made major strides in giving
students of St. Xavier’s College opportunities to interact with
students and faculty from various parts of the globe. These efforts
will undoubtedly give our students the competitive edge and cultural
sensitivity that is essential in today’s globalised world.
St. Xavier’s College in
partnership with K.C. College, was host to Deakin University,
Australia, for an Indian academic-cum-cultural week from 23rd
November to 1st December, 2006. As part of the
collaboration 6 faculty members and 25 students from Deakin University
visited the St. Xavier’s campus to attend lectures on international
business organized by the faculty of St. Xavier’s and Deakin. The
students also got the opportunity to visit the Mumbai Stock Exchange
and the Tata headquarters and were also addressed by a representative
from CII on “Challenges of Doing Business in India.” Guest lecturers
from industry and government also made presentations to the students.
An interesting debate
was conducted where students of St. Xavier’s college had to support
the motion that “The Australian Cricket Team is the Best in the World”
while students from Deakin University had to oppose it. Another
highlight of this program was a spirited cricket match between the
students of the two institutions. St. Xavier’s College also hosted 2
cultural evenings with an Indian Dinner and a ‘Dandiya Workshop’.
Deakin University also
organized two sessions for the students of the Mass Media at St.
Xavier’s, entitled, ‘One Shot Film’ by Liz & ‘Digital Storytelling’ by
Adrian - resident faculty at the university.
This year, St. Xavier’s
partnered with Harvard University under the Harvard College in Asia
Project (HCAP), with generous sponsorship from Godrej Industries Ltd.
HCAP is a venture by Harvard undergraduate students to explore
different cultures and perspectives and strengthen international
relationships between the leaders of tomorrow. As part of this
programme 10 students from St. Xavier’s College attended a week long
conference from the 11th to the 18th of
February, 2007 at Harvard College, U.S.A. The conference centered
around “Global Entrepreneurship: Opportunities on the Horizon”. In
March, 2007 St. Xavier’s College hosted 16 students from Harvard
College, during a week long programme from 25th March to 1st
April, 2007. The programme consisted of a two-day “International
Student Conference on Entrepreneurship. It also included many other
activities like an inter-disciplinary study tour of the Elephanta
Caves, a presentation by the “Dabbawallahs” and a Garba Night.
A collaborative
Academic Agreement was signed between St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai and
York University, Canada to cooperate in areas such as the exchange of
faculty members and students on a reciprocal basis, publications,
research materials, newsletters and so on. We are also looking at
joint projects related to research, teaching and faculty development.
Faculty members from
the Humanities interacted with Faculty from Liverpool Hope University,
U.K, in a video-conference. Common areas of interest emerged and
possibilities for collaborative research and teaching were discussed.
In the past academic
year, we have had international dignitaries speak to our students on a
variety of topics. Mr. Josef Eisele, the Consul General of Switzerland
spoke on Swiss Banking while Mr. Daniel Zohar Zonshine, the Consul
General of Israel discussed Business and Tourism in Israel. We also
had Israeli Artist and Holocaust survivor Ms. Sara Atzmon speak on
‘The Holocaust’. Mr. Emanuel Rosen, Israeli Journalist and Political
Analyst discussed ‘Journalism Practices and Ethics in Time of
Conflict’. Students also got the opportunity to interact with Mr.
Ashwin Merchant, Deputy Director of the Swiss Business Hub.
This year, the Goldman
Sachs Investment Bank identified eleven colleges in the country,
including St. Xavier’s College, for their “Global Leadership” program.
Based on the twin aspects of academic performance and leadership
potential, as displayed by the students through their activities and
initiatives in various fields, twenty nine students from India were
awarded the Goldman Sachs Global Leadership Award consisting of a cash
prize of $3000 each. Of these, fifteen students have been chosen to
visit the Global Leadership Institute in New York. Two students from
St. Xavier’s College, Ritika D’Souza and Anisha George from the second
year (Arts) received the award and were subsequently also selected to
go to New York in June. These students will interact with leaders from
across the world for a week and will be trained to handle the
challenges involved in global leadership. They will also have access
to resources otherwise restricted to Goldman Sachs employees.
Under the ‘Focus India’
Programme, 3 student representatives from the University of Applied
Sciences, Northwestern Switzerland visited St. Xavier’s College to
interact with the students and gain an understanding of the Indian
Education system. On the 11th of April, 2007, a group of 14
students and 2 faculty members of the University visited St. Xavier’s
College. At a lunch the students from Switzerland interacted with
students from St. Xavier’s college. The discussions covered a wide
variety of topics from student life in Switzerland, the differences
between governments in Switzerland and India, food habits and personal
interests. Students from St. Xavier’s made presentations on the
college and its history. This was followed by a tour of the college
campus led by Professor Nadkarni. The students visited the XRCVC and
learnt of the technology that St. Xavier’s uses to assist its visually
challenged students. They visited the Department of Inter-Religious
Studies and had a stimulating discussion with Fr. Lancy Prabhu on the
impact of religion on Indian business. This was followed by
thought-provoking discussion with Fr. Anthony Dias at the XISR who
drew attention to the large number of marginalized communities within
Indian society who are yet to reap the benefits of India’s progress.
This was followed by a dinner organized by the Swiss Consulate.
While we will continue
collaborative efforts with the Universities mentioned above, we are
also looking forward to many new and exciting projects.
Deakin University has
expressed an interest in visiting us again this year for lectures on
Management for their students.
We are also in the
process of designing course content for a special Summer School course
that the University of California, Berkeley has proposed to
incorporate in their Summer School Programme. Our faculty has also
been invited to visit the University to conduct this course.
St. Xavier’s will
partner with St. Mary’s University to organize their Semester Around
the World (SAW) programme. Students from St. Mary’s will visit India
in September 2008 for 10 weeks and will be hosted by us. They will
also attend a course on Indian Culture, History, Philosophy, Economics
and Business, tailor-made to cater to international students.
A similar course in the
biological sciences will be offered to students from York University,
Canada, in the month of May 2008.
We propose hosting the
‘India Sustainability Symposium 2007’ on the 27th and 28th
of November. It will bring together three top international schools -
Stanford University, U.S.A., the University of St. Gallens,
Switzerland, and St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. The aim of this
conference is to contribute to a dialogue on sustainable
internationalization of business in India and to create a win-win
relationship between India and the international community. It aspires
to serve as a platform for international student-led initiatives in
development.
Director,
Council of International
Programmes.
cip@xaviers.edu |
