Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh University hosts Global Partnership Conclave 2025 with top Universities from 13 countries
Bangladesh’s Acting High Commissioner Md Nural Islam Invites Chandigarh University to Partner with Bangladesh’s Public Institutions for Their Academic Growth
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, March 29, 2025: To explore new collaborative opportunities with universities across the world, Chandigarh University (CU) hosted one of its kind academic congregation, ‘Global Partnership Conclave 2025” which was attended by distinguished delegations from prestigious universities worldwide to foster knowledge-sharing and innovation through international student mobility, faculty exchange and collaborative research efforts.
A joint initiative of Chandigarh University’s Punjab and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) campus, on the theme “Strengthening Relationships and Exploring Opportunities for Global Collaboration,’ ‘Global Partnership Conclave 2025” was attended by Acting High Commissioner Bangladesh High Commission, Md. Nural Islam, as Chief Guest in the presence of Deep Inder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University, Prof (Dr) RS Bawa, Advisor to Chancellor, Chandigarh University.
The other dignitaries from who graced the inaugural ceremony of the Conclave as Guests of Honour included Assoc. Prof Jacqueline Anne Norton- Faculty Academic Lead for Transnational Education, Partnerships and Mobility Faculty of Arts, Design and Media Birmingham City University, United Kingdom, Vamshi Krishna Janga- Assistant Director-Academic Partnerships, Northeastern University, USA, Jennifer Evanuik, Senior Director, International Initiatives, Georgia State University, USA, Prof. (Dr.) Hugh Bigsby- Dean, Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce, Lincoln University, New Zealand, Dr. Chris Bottrill- Associate Vice President, International, Capilano University, Canada and David Israel- Executive Director, Global Education Strategy, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
The Global Partnership Conclave 2025 was attended by academic leaders from 19 universities in 13 Countries including-Canada, Australia, USA, New Zealand, Georgia, United Kingdom, Denmark, South Africa, Nepal, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Thailand,and Ghana. These 19 Universities included Walailak University, Capilano University, The University of Melbourne, Georgia State University, Lincoln University, International Black, Sea University, Northeastern university, Birmingham City University, University of Copenhagen, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Siam University, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH), Horizon Campus, Kumasi Technical University, University of Windsor, University of Otago, Vaal University of Technology, University of Monterrey in Mexico and The Pennsylvania State University.
In his address, Chief Guest Md. Nural Islam, Acting High Commissioner of the Bangladesh High Commission, said “Chandigarh University is one of India’s leading private universities and has become a popular destination for Bangladeshi students. Currently, 412 students from Bangladesh are pursuing higher studies at Chandigarh University. We are confident that the University will continue to rise to future challenges and strengthen its global partnerships with institutions across the world. In terms of collaboration with Bangladeshi institutions, Chandigarh University has established strong and dynamic ties.”
He further added, “Bangladesh has several esteemed institutions with which we can foster deeper collaboration. While our public universities excel in academics, their global outreach remains limited. We encourage Chandigarh University to engage with Bangladesh’s public universities for future partnerships. As a representative of Bangladesh, I assure you of our full support in facilitating educational cooperation. I hope this year marks a successful milestone in fostering global academic partnerships.”
"In Bangladesh, we have some good engineering institutions with which we can cooperate for further collaborations. Also, Public universities in Bangladesh are very good in academics but their Global collaborations with other institutions are not up to the mark. So, we request the Chandigarh university to work with the public universities in Bangladesh for further collaborations. And as a representative of Bangladesh, we would be very happy to extend all sources of cooperation to promote educational access taking into practice. I wish global partnership conclave a grand success,” he added.
On the occasion, Deep Inder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University said, “Providing international academic exposure to students has remained a major cornerstone of the academic ethos nurtured here at Chandigarh University. With over 515 international academic collaborations with top global universities and prestigious academic institutions in more than 100 countries across six continents, Chandigarh University (CU) boasts of becoming the first Indian university to achieve this scale of international engagement,”.
“Aligned to the new National Education Policy (NEP-2020) guidelines, Chandigarh University has been placing a strong emphasis on internationalization and foreign collaborations with leading global academic institutions. As outlined in the NEP, Chandigarh University has been laying emphasis on academic mobility, research alliances with prestigious foreign universities and offering combined degree programs. CU has worked relentlessly to make its curriculum globally competitive as per international standards and our stellar performance in the global rankings, which have ranked Chandigarh University among world’s top 231 universities, is a true testament to that. All these factors have resulted in not only opening doors of opportunities for acquiring quality education at prestigious global academic institutions for CU students but also providing international job opportunities and making them responsible global citizens for CU students,” he added.
In his address, David Israel, Executive Director, Global Education Strategy, University of Melbourne, Australia said, “I want to emphasize the importance of opportunities that global education presents. There are thousands of universities and colleges around the world so when you get any global educational opportunity, I implore you to grab the opportunity because of the transformational value of education. You will see the world, make it part of your education and become global citizens because as we travel and understand different cultures, we come closer. Global education helps students get to know each other, work with each other and solve the problems of the world. Global education is the gift you can give yourself and take opportunities to get global and transformative experience of global education,” he added.
In his address, Dr Chris Bottrill, Associate Vice President, International, Capilano University, Canada, acknowledged the challenges of choosing an overseas institution, emphasizing the importance of finding one that values and respects students.He reassured that, despite negative reports, international students are warmly welcomed in Canadian communities, universities, and cities.
In his welcome address, Prof. (Dr.) RS Bawa, Advisor to the Chancellor of Chandigarh University, stated, "The purpose of the Global Partnership Conclave 2025 is to leverage the expertise of our esteemed partners to help this university grow and achieve greater success in the future. This event will benefit our students as our distinguished guests share their insights and contributions, offering valuable perspectives to students from around the world. It promises to be immensely beneficial, fostering collaborations and joint initiatives that will not only enhance higher education but also strengthen international relations for years to come."