The Future of Liberal Arts in India Towards an Integrated Education – Undergraduate Liberal Arts and Sciences in India: A Conference on New Directions, New Curriculum, and New Institutions.
Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, Jan. 7-9, 2014
Sponsored by Yale University, Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, the Indian Institute of Human Settlements, and the Raman Research Institute
The Future of Liberal Arts in India - Bangalore - Jan. 7-9, 2014 1
Towards an Integrated Education – Undergraduate Liberal Arts and Sciences in India: A Conference on New Directions, New Curriculum, and New Institutions.
CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
Liberal arts and sciences education in India is taking root in a number of new institutions and initiatives, making this an opportune time to showcase some of these new ventures, and explore how Indian liberal arts education can develop in its own way, building its own academic traditions that create lasting and meaningful impact for society. Advances in online education, pedagogy, and curriculum are converging, and we hope to create a stimulating workshop where leaders advancing Indian higher education can discuss the future landscape of education in India.
In our meeting, we will discuss the best strategy for implementing online and liberal arts higher education in India in a way that will help solve some of the challenges that India faces in the new century. Liberal arts education can help create a new generation of graduates trained to think creatively about complex issues such as the urban-rural divide, the rapidly developing nature of Indian economy. Liberal arts education merges science and technology with humanities, philosophy, and the arts to address some of the deeper issues facing India.
Liberal arts and sciences education provides "holistic" education intended to foster creative and independent thought. It is an education that can liberate people to pursue their passions, enabling them to do their best and expand their capacities in all fields. One goal of such an education is to produce graduates who will approach the world with a more balanced perspective, and who can create new jobs and programs to help others with a sense of social responsibility. How is liberal arts best suited for the Indian context? What has been the experience of the new initiatives in liberal arts in India?
We use the occasion to not only assess the relevance of and need for liberal arts education in India but to also meet with Presidents, founders and Vice Chancellors of leading liberal arts institutions and foundations to engage in an exchange of experiences and ideas aiming to learn and be motivated or motivate action for bettering the education
of the youth of India and the world. We will meet at the green and serene grounds of the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, a place created by the Nobel laureate Prof Sir C.V. Raman himself well over six decades ago for research in physical sciences. We meet for two days and a morning with time set aside for discussions between talks both in a formal and informal setting. Please come and help us discuss and envision the future for liberal arts and sciences education in India!
Plenary talks by noted historian and author Ramachandra Guha and by former Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani will provide an exciting context and motivation for our meeting with considerations for the implications of new liberal arts institutions as it relates to India’s history, politics, and future industrial development. Our confirmed presenters include some of the most dynamic leaders of higher education in India and the United States. Founding Vice Chancellors, Directors, and Presidents of the Ashoka University, Azim Premji Foundation, Indian Institute of Human Settlements, Krishnamurti Foundation, O.P. Jindal Global University, and Shiv Nadar University will be attending with many of their academic leaders from these new institutions. They will be joined by Presidents, Deans and professors from liberal arts colleges and universities abroad such as Pomona College, Yale-NUS College (Singapore), Duke University, Claremont McKenna College, University of California at Santa Cruz, and Carleton College. Professors from Yale University representing all three divisions (Sciences, Social Science and Humanities) will be attending, led by K. Sivaramakrishnan, Chair, South Asian Studies Council and Director of the Yale India Initiative. The conference gathers several key experts developing new forms of education within Indian society, including reaching under-served populations and extending the model of liberal arts education in India. A list of confirmed attendees is attached, and available at the conference web site of http://www.astro.pomona.edu/blog/mohra/.
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
The meeting has been designed to foster discussions on liberal arts and sciences tertiary education in India and we approach it in a multi-pronged manner where we bring together leaders with a variety of expertise. A set of introductory talks will outline the vision of each of the institutions and their rationales for the curriculum. Panels of leaders will
address particular questions relevant to India, such as “how can higher education create a more just and sustainable India?” or “What is the role of liberal arts and sciences in training leaders who are responsive to the environmental and societal needs of India?” Panel discussions will discuss the curriculum and the ways in which new institutions and initiatives can provide the best possible undergraduate instruction in science, humanities and social sciences that will educate responsive and creative leaders. A final session will enable working groups from the institutions to explore collaborations and partnerships for undergraduate education, curriculum development and research.
Schedule for “Future of Liberal Arts in India” Conference.
This schedule includes a set of speakers and a lively mix of plenary talks, panel discussions, and working groups to enable an interactive and engaged conference. The basic structure of the meeting is described below, in five sessions that span Jan. 7-9, 2014.
Pre-Meeting Reception/Icebreaker (Jan. 6, 2014)
Venue: Raman Research Institute (6:30-9:30 pm) – Registration and Reception. A chance to meet some of the meeting participants over dinner and enjoy the venue before the meeting starts. Conference programs, nametags, etc. will also be passed out during registration. Conference attendees can meet each other in a relaxed social setting.
Day 1 Schedule (Jan. 7, 2014)
!9:00-9:15 am - Opening Remarks – Venue: Raman Research Institute Auditorium. Short welcomes from RRI, Pomona and Yale.!!
9:15-10:15 am - Keynote Speaker - “Pluralism and University Education in India and Beyond,” Ramachandra Guha, noted historian, author, and thinker. His works include frequent columns about current politics and original thinking about India’s history and future – http://ramachandraguha.in/. (introduced by K. Sivaramakrishnan, Yale)
!!10:15-10:30 am – BREAK
!!Session I – Introductory Talks – New Institutions, New Curriculum for India
Venue: Raman Research Institute Auditorium. Speakers will introduce themselves and the vision of their institutions toward liberal arts. They will discuss their curriculum and programs, and their particular concerns and questions they hope to address. These speakers will be given 30 minutes each, including time for 10 minutes of questions and discussion with the audience. Questions are important as we want to maintain an interactive feel to the meeting
.!!10:30-11:00 am – O.P. Jindal Global University – global affairs curriculum, and vision for the future (Raj Kumar, founding Vice Chancellor)
!!11:00-11:30 am – Ashoka University – liberal arts curriculum, and vision for the future (Pramath Sinha, Founder & Trustee, Ashoka University)
!!11:30-12:00 pm – Azim Premji University – access and equity in higher education and future plans (Anurag Behar, founding Vice Chancellor)!!
12:00-12:45 pm – Plenary Panel Discussion I: “What is the right balance between broad access to higher education – scalability and affordability – and building excellence and selectivity?”!Panelists: Dileep Ranjekar (Azim Premji), Pramath Sinha* (Ashoka), Pawan Agarwal (Advisor, Higher Education Planning Commission of India).
12:45 -1:45 pm – LUNCH; Raman Research Institute
!!1:45-2:45 pm – Plenary Panel Discussion II: “How can Indian higher education better reflect the full richness of India’s culture – its diverse heritage and array of religious and spiritual traditions, and its deep literature? And what impacts would such a new form of higher education have on the future of India?”
Panelists: Radhika Herzberger (Rishi Valley), Tara Kini* (Shrishti School of Art, Design and Technology), Nita Kumar*(CMC).
Introductory Talks (continued) – New Institutions and New Curriculum for India!!
2:45-3:15 pm – Shiv Nadar University – plans and progress (Nikhil Sinha, founding Vice Chancellor)
!!3:15-3:45 pm – Yale-NUS College (Singapore) – Liberal Arts in Southeast Asia: Yale- NUS College (Pericles Lewis, inaugural President)
!!3:45-4:15 pm – Presidency University (Kolkata) – Liberal Arts education in a State University Curriculum: the GenEd programme at Presidency University (Somak Raychaudhury, Dean of Faculty, Natural and Mathematical Sciences)!!
4:15-4:30 pm – TEA BREAK
4:30-5:00 pm – Liberal thinking in India: Ancient model for contemporary practice” (Dr. Laurie Patton, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Duke University)
5:00-5:45pm – Innovative Foundations providing education for India’s marginalized populations. Panelists: Rashmi Misra (Vidya Foundation), Madan Padaki (Head Held High Foundation), Shukla Bose (Parikrma Humanity Foundation), Sriram Ayer (Ashoka Fellow, NalandaWay), Maya Menon (The Teacher Foundation).
!5:45-6:45 pm - Indian Higher Education and Liberal Arts – A Dialog: Andre Beteille (University of Delhi) and Rudrangshu Mukherjee (Opinions Editor, Telegraph). Moderator: Sharada Srinivasan (NIAS)!!
7:15-9:30 pm – Conference Dinner with Cultural Program + Dinner. (Venue: RRI.) Artists will be selected and introduced by the RRI host institution.
Day 2 Schedule (Jan. 8, 2014)
The second day will be relocated to the Bangalore City Campus of the Indian Institute of Human Settlements, just a short distance (less than 1 km) south of the Raman Research Institute. In this session we would feature a series of panel discussions focused on the details of the curriculum and institution – how does your institution teach or present science? Online learning? Humanities? What balance is best for common curriculum vs.
electives? What expertise will your institution develop and what niche are you working toward?
Session II – Liberal Arts Education in the US and India
Some of the US host institutions will describe some of their approaches to liberal arts education. Also in this session panels of five presenters will pose and answer some difficult questions facing India and its higher education sector, and how new institutions and new liberal arts and sciences curriculum can address these problems. The session will create a dialog among a mixed group of presenters and with the audience.
9:00-9:20 am – Opening Remarks – C B Bhave, Chairperson of the IIHS board, welcomes attendees to IIHS. Lakshmi Saripalli (RRI): introduction to the day’s proceedings.
9:20-9:50 am – Pomona College and its liberal arts mission (David Oxtoby, President, Pomona College)
9:50-10:00 am – Liberal and International Education at Yale (K. Sivaramakrishnan, Director, South Asian Studies and India Initiative, Yale University)
10:00-10:15 am - Research and Institutional Culture at Liberal Arts College – what does it mean to be a teacher/scholar at a liberal arts college? (Bryan Penprase, Pomona College)
10:15-10:30 am - Short Break
10:30-11:00 am – Reflections on Indian and US Higher Education – Pradeep Khosla, Chancellor, UC San Diego
11:00-11:30 am - The view from the University of California, Santa Cruz – George Blumenthal, Chancellor, UC Santa Cruz
!11:30-12:00 am – Building Centers of Excellence: A Review of Science Research Policy and Curriculum Reform in the US – David Drew, Claremont Graduate University.
!!12:00-12:30 pm – The Global Liberal Arts Imperative (Hiram Chodosh, President, CMC)
!!12:30-1:30 pm – LUNCH – Served at the IIHS research center, where the conference talks are being held. Will be a “working lunch” with tables designated by topics for our afternoon breakout sessions.!
Session III – Details of Governance, Curriculum and Support for Building Excellence in Liberal Arts
After lunch, the meeting will break into two parallel sessions, which will feature panel discussions of how to implement science, humanities, common curriculum, and experiential learning into undergraduate education, and the ways these programs provide transformative and holistic education for undergraduates. The smaller groups in each panel discussion will enable deeper discussions and potential collaborations.
!!1:30-2:30 pm Parallel Panel Discussions I – Science and Common Curriculum at Liberal Arts Institutions
!!Session A: Panel 1 – Science in Liberal Arts institutions – Panelists include: Somak Raychaudhury* (Presidency U., Kolkata), Arjendu Pattanayak (Carleton), Priya Natarajan* (Yale), Urbasi Sinha (RRI), and Sharada Srinivasan (NIAS).
!Session B: Panel 2 – Common Curriculum and General Education Models – Panelists include: Anitha Kurup (NIAS), Rajaram Kudli*(Prajnan Enterprises), Usha Rajaram (APU), Nikhil Sinha* (Shiv Nadar).
!!2:40-3:40 pm Parallel Panel Discussions II – Humanities and Experiential Learning at Liberal Arts Institutions!!
Session A: Panel 3 – Humanities for 21st Century India – what is the best approach? Panelists include: Rajeev Patke* (Yale-NUS), Beth McKinsey (Carleton), Cynthia
Humes (CMC), Satish Inamdar* (KFI), Jerome Nirmalraj (St Josephs College), and Supriya Chaudhuri (Jadavpur University, Kolkata).
!Session B: Panel 4 – Experiential Learning and Internships for Undergraduates. Panelists include: Sara Smith Orr* (CMC), Bidushi Bhattacharya* (CMC, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges), Rajaram Nityananda (NCRA and Azim Premji ), Brian McAddoo (Yale-NUS College), Kavita Wankhade(IIHS).
!!3:40-4:00 pm – TEA BREAK
!!4:00-5:00 pm – Plenary Panel Discussion III – How can higher education help sustain India’s environment and economic growth throughout the 21st century – political and scientific dimensions. Panelists include: Steven Wilkinson* (Yale), Radha Gopalan (Rishi Valley), Dilip Ahuja (NIAS), Amlan Goswami (IIHS).
Session IV – Working Group Meetings
In this session smaller groups will convene to work together on particular topics of mutual interest. We would start the meeting with a possible set of topics and a whiteboard that would enable people to sign up for these “breakout” or “birds of a feather” groups. A total of 6-8 of these groups would convene with titles including “partnerships for online learning,” “common curriculum development,” “outreach and access,” and other topics TBD. These sessions would make use of 6 meeting rooms at IIHS.
Each of the working group topics will be announced at lunch, and the working group representative will stand and offer a short thumbnail description of the topics they will be focused on in the working group discussions.!!
5:00-6:30 pm- Working Group Discussions – Small groups will convene to discuss topics that are most useful and relevant to attendees and which can lead to longer term collaborations. Group representatives will convene a focused discussion on specific topics, and report back to the entire conference some plans for addressing each topic at their home institutions as well as potential and proposed collaborations.
Evening Reception and Dinner – hosted by Nandan Nilekani and Aromar Revi at the Indian Institute of Human Settlements Tharangavana facility (1.5 km from the conference location).
Day 3 Schedule (Jan. 9, 2014)
This final session will be held at the Raman Research Institute Campus. The session will feature reports back from the various working groups, and a discussion of how best to continue the collaborations and contact. Partnerships between the institutions can be discussed – we may hear from new connections between US and Indian institutions, and also between Indian institutions.
Session V – Conclusion and “next steps”
!!9:00-10:00 am – Opening Plenary (Venue: Raman Research Institute, Auditorium) – Nandan Nilekani, former CEO of Infosys, Inc., currently chair of the Indian Government Committees on technology – UIDAI and TAGUP, and author of the book “Imagining India.” (Introduced by Aromar Revi, IIHS).
!10:00-10:15 am – BREAK
!!
10:15-11:15 am – Plenary Panel Discussion IV: “How can liberal arts and sciences help address some of the societal problems within India and promote equity in society with regards to gender, caste, and region?”
Panelists: Smita Premchander* (Sampark NGO), Anita Reddy (Dwaraka), Swati Dandekar (filmmaker), Shekhar Seshadri (NIMHANS), Zayn Kassam* (Pomona College).
11:15-11:45 am – Indian Institute for Human Settlements – interdisciplinary education programs in India and future plans (Aromar Revi, Director).
11:45-12:00 pm – Reports from working collaborative groups – a series of 5 minute recaps of working group “breakout” discussions.
!12:00-12:30 pm – Next steps – a discussion. [session facilitators: K. Sivaramakrishnan (Yale), and Pramath Sinha (Ashoka)]!!12:30-1:00 pm – Concluding remarks: Satish Inamdar, KFI.!!1:00-2:00 pm - LUNCH !!
2:00 pm Adjourn
• asterisks denote panel chairs or co-chairs
Confirmed Attendees and Organizing Committee
The Conference Organizers include a group from Pomona, Yale, IIHS, and RRI. The team has been very successful in lining up some dynamic and exciting leaders in higher education and industry for our conference. Below is the Committee, and a list of confirmed attendees as of November 5, 2013.
Organizing Committee
Prof. Bryan Penprase, Frank P. Brackett Professor of Astronomy, Pomona College
Dr. Lakshmi Saripalli, Astrophysicist, Raman Fellow, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, India.
Prof. K. Sivaramakrishnan, Dinakar Singh Professor of India and South Asian Studies; Chair, South Asian Studies Council of Yale University; Director, Yale India Initiative
Mr. George Joseph, Director for International Relations and Leadership Programs, Yale University
Dr. Aromar Revi, Director of the Indian Institute of Human Settlements, and noted expert on climage change and environmental science.
Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha, Founder & Trustee of the Ashoka University, and Founding Dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB).
Keynote Speakers
Nandan Nilekani, entrepreneur, former CEO of Infosys, Inc. and currently chair of two key Indian government committees on technology (the Technology Advisory Group for Unique Projects - TAGUP - and the UIDAI committee), will deliver a keynote speech to our "Future of Liberal Arts in India" conference on January 9, 2014. Mr. Nilekani was CEO of Infosys, Inc., from 2002 and 2007, and presided over the growth of this company as it expanded to over 80,000 employees and surpassed a worth of $30 billion, making it India's third largest IT-based company. Mr. Nilekani's book Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation sets forth a number of bold ideas about the future of India, and his contributions to the discussion of India in popular culture include frequent speaking engagements, TED talks and even an appearance on the Jon Stewart Daily Show. We are excited he will be joining our conference and addressing our group with his vision about the Future of Liberal Arts Education in India!
More information about Mr. Nilekani is available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandan_Nilekani http://www.ted.com/speakers/nandan_nilekani.html
Ramachandra Guha, noted Indian historian, columnist, philosopher and author, will be delivering a keynote address at the “Future of Liberal Arts in India” on January 7, 2014. Mr. Guha studied at St. Stephen’s College, the Delhi School of Economics, and the Indian Institute of Management at Kolkata, where he wrote a doctoral thesis on the history and prehistory of the Chipko movement. Now a full-time writer, he has previously taught at the universities of Yale and Stanford, held the Arné Naess Chair at the University of Oslo, and been the Sundaraja Visiting Professor at the Indian
Institute of Science. Mr. Guha is a prolific and profound author of many books on topics ranging from history, politics, anthropology and cricket. Titles of books authored or co- authored by Mr. Guha include Environmentalism: A Global History, Savaging the Civilized: Verrier Elwin, His Tribals, and India, The Unquiet Woods: Ecological Change and Peasant Resistance in the Himalya, A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport, Last Liberal and Other Essays, Nature, Culture, Imperialism: Essays on the Environmental History of South Asia, and several other titles.
More information about Mr. Guha is available at: http://ramachandraguha.in/ http://www.amazon.com/Ramachandra-Guha/e/B001IR1CXI
Confirmed Attendees
Our conference has enlisted a group of the most innovative thought leaders and educators from India and the United States. Below is the final list of confirmed attendees at our conference.
Prefix First Last Institution Mr. Pawan Agarwal Ministry of Human Resource Development Dr. Dileep Ahuja National Institute of Advanced Studies Professor Cheriyan Alexander St. Joseph's College Mr. Sriram Ayer NalandaWay Foundation Dr. Anurag Behar Azim Premji University Professor Andre Beteille University of Delhi Claremont McKenna College, Pitzer College, Dr. Bidushi Bhattacharya Scripps College Dr. Sucheta Bhattacharya Jadavpur University C P Bhave Indian Institute of Human Settlements Chancellor Padma Bhushan Symbiosis International University Dr. George Blumenthal University of California, Santa Cruz Ms. Skukla Bose Parikrma Humanity Foundation Professor Pankaj Chandra IIM Bangalore Mr. Rajan Chandy Rishi Valley School Professor Supriya Chaudhuri Jadavpur University, Kolkata President Hiram Chodosh Claremont McKenna College Professor Vasudha Dalmia Yale University Shrishti School of Art Design and Ms. Swati Dandekar Technology Professor David Drew Claremont Graduate University
Mr. John Faranda Claremont McKenna College Dr. Radha Gopalan Rishi Valley School Dr. Amian Goswami Indian Institute of Human Settlements Srishti School Of Art, Design And Dr. Vandana Goswami Technology, Bangalore Professor Chandan Gowda Azim Premji University Mr. Ramachandra Guha Yale University / IIS Mr. Andrew Hay O. P. Jindal Global University Dr. Radhika Herzberger Rishi Valley School Ms. Meryl Holt Harvard Business School Dr. Cynthia Humes Claremont McKenna College Dr. Satish Inamdar Krishnamurti Foundation Office of US-India Higher Education Ms. Archita Jha Cooperation Mr. George Joseph Yale University Professor Zayn Kassam Pomona College Dr. Pradeep Khosla U.C. San Diego Ms. Tara Kini Consultant, Education and Music Dr. Mangala Sunder Krishnan NPTEL Professor Rajaram Kudli Compegence of Pvajnan Enterprises Dr. Nita Kumar Claremont McKenna College Professor Dr. C. Raj Kumar O. P. Jindal Global University Dr. A.K. Shiva Kumar ISB and Harvard Kennedy School Professor Anitha Kurup National Institute of Advanced Studies Dr. Pericles Lewis Yale-NUS College Dr. Anuradha Maitra University of California, Santa Cruz Professor Brian McAddoo Yale-NUS College Dr. Beth McKinsey Carleton College Dr. Bennett McClellan Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities Ms. Maya Menon The Teacher Foundation Dr. Rashmi Misra VIDYA Mr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee The Telegraph Ms. Padmini Nagaraja Shrishti School Professor Venu Narayan Azim Premji University Dr. Priya Natarajan Yale University Mr. Teng-Kuan Ng Yale-NUS College, Singapore Mr. Nandan Nilekani UIDAI and TAGUP Professor Jerome Nirmalraj St. Joseph's College Prof. Rajaram Nityananda IISER, Pune Ms. Sarah Orr Claremont McKenna College Dr. David Oxtoby Pomona College Mr. John Oxtoby Harvard Business School Co-Founder, CEO & MD, Head Held High Dr. Madan Padaki Services Mr. Namrata Pandey The Doon School, Dehradun Ms. Anita Patankar Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts Professor Rajeev S. Patke Yale-NUS College and NUS Dr. Arjendu Pattanayak Carleton College Mr. Donald Pattison Pomona College Professor Laurie Patton Duke University
Professor Cameron Paxton O. P. Jindal Global University Professor Bryan Penprase Pomona College Dr. Smita Premchandar Sampark NGO Usha Rajaram UWC Mahindra College Centre for Community Dialogue and Dr. Radha Ramaswamy Change, Bangalore Mr. Dileep Ranjekar the Azim Premji Foundation Dr. Somak Raychaudhury Presidency University Dr. Anita Reddy Dwaraka Dr. Aromar Revi Indian Institute of Human Settlements Mr. Pelham Lindfield Roberts UWC Mahindra College, Pune Mr. Ashish Sahni University of California, Santa Cruz Ms. Supriya Sankaran Ashoka India Dr. Lakshmi Saripalli Raman Research Institute Professor Malabika Sarkar Presidency University Dr. Jane Schukoske O. P. Jindal Global University Professor Shekhar Seshadri NIMHANS Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha Ashoka University Dr. Nikhil Sinha Shiv Nadar University Professor Urbasi Sinha Raman Research institute Professor Kalyanakrishnan Sivaramakrishnan Yale University Ms. Sarah Smith Orr Claremont McKenna College Ms. Alana Sobelman Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Professor Sharada Srinivasan National Institute of Advanced Studies Ms. Katy Taylor MIT Ms. Neelakshi Tewari Ashoka University Dr. Cyrus Vakil UWC Mahindra College, Pune Dr. Kavita Wankhade Indian Institute of Human Settlements Ms. Aleta Wenger Claremont McKenna College Dr. Steven Wilkinson Yale University
Prospectus prepared by the “Future of Liberal Arts in India” Organizing Committee. Questions or more information? Please contact [email protected] or check our web site at http://www.astro.pomona.edu/blog/mohra/