Following on the heels of the federal government鈥檚 new India Engagement Strategy, 快播视频 has signed a University-wide collaborative academic agreement with India鈥檚 University of Calcutta. The agreement was signed by York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and Suranja Das, vice-chancellor of the University of Calcutta, during a special ceremony听on June 20.
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| Above: From left, Suranja Das, vice-chancellor of the University of Calcutta, and York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri |
鈥淲e are pleased to sign this agreement with India鈥檚 Calcutta University and National Law University (Delhi),鈥 said Shoukri. 鈥淎t York, we recognize the value of internationalization for our community. This partnership provides our faculty and students with comprehensive learning and research opportunities, allowing them to collaborate, share ideas, and grow their worldly experiences, thereby enhancing their contributions to our global economy.鈥
The agreement allows for the exchange of students and faculty across disciplines and offers opportunities for collaborative research, joint project development and more. The first concrete area of collaboration听will likely be in the area of nanotechnology, which is the study听of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Following the signing ceremony, Das who was on his first visit to Canada, gave a well-attended talk titled 鈥淚ndia at the Crossroads鈥.
The impetus for the linkage between 快播视频 and the University of Calcutta came through a connection with听Sampra Badra, a professor of physics in York's Faculty of Science & Engineering and associate dean of the听Faculty of Graduate Studies. Badra and Das were听schoolmates in India 
and have kept in touch ever since.
Left: Sampra Badra
鈥淏adra was the initiator and driving force for our two universities starting talks,鈥 said York Associate Vice-President International Lorna Wright. 鈥淥ur connections with the University of Calcutta go back before there was a 快播视频. Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Lee Lorch, gave a talk on mathematics there in 1944 on the Summability of Infinite Series.
鈥淭his is a University-wide agreement with so much potential in a wide variety of subjects, including history, women鈥檚 studies, political science, peace and conflict resolution, mathematics, nanotechnology, and fine arts,鈥 Wright added.
Prior to the signing ceremony, Das听met with Badra,听Martin Singer, dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, and York mathematics and statistics Professor Jianhong Wu, who is听Canada Research Chair in Industrial听& Applied Mathematics.
Later that day, at Osgoode鈥檚 temporary offices in South Ross, Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Lorne Sossin and Wright met with a delegation of three vice-chancellors from three law schools in India. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with听Ranbir Singh, vice-chancellor of the National Law University (Delhi). The MOU outlines a basis听from which a future agreement may be signed that听would include cooperative research and exchanges of students, faculty and fellows, 
between the听two institutions.
Left: From left,听Ranbir Singh, vice-chancellor of the National Law University (Delhi) and Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Lorne Sossin
Sossin also met with听Veer Singh, vice-chancellor of NALSAR University of Law,听and听Balraj Chauhan, vice-chancellor of Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University in听Lucknow.听The group听engaged in exploratory meetings to learn more about each other and where the two听institutions could build a future agreement.
"We are excited about this new partnership, which further deepens Osgoode's engagement with India and will provide additional learning and research opportunities for students and faculty," said听 Sossin.
Discussions toward the agreement began in March when Sossin and several other Osgoode faculty members including Lisa Philipps, associate dean research, graduate studies & institutional relations, visited India and had an opportunity to meet with faculty and students and tour the excellent new facilities at NLU (Delhi). "Monday's signing ceremony at Osgoode was a wonderful launch for our official institutional relationship," Sossin said.
NLU (Delhi) was established in 2008 by the Delhi Government at the initiative of the Delhi High Court. The University has state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities for learning and research and has been offering a BA, LLB (Hons) program for three years. Starting this August, NLU (Delhi) will offer LLM programs in specialized areas and a PhD program.
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| Above: From left, Lorne Sossin,听Ranbir Singh, Lisa Philipps, Balraj Chauhan, Veer Singh, Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Poonam Puri, and Lorna Wright, associate vice-president international |
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