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UCFV signs partnership agreements with Indian universities

The University College of the Fraser Valley’s commitment to Indo-Canadian studies and research was strengthened recently through the creation of partnerships with two universities in India.

Signing ceremony at Panjab University: l-r: Dr. B.S.Ghuman, Professor, Public Admin., leading the effort to establish a Canadian Studies Centre at PU; Prof. Gupta, Dean of University Instruction, Prof. K.N. Pathak, Vice Chancellor; -Prof. P.Singh, Registrar; -DJ Sandhu, Dean (Acting), Faculty of Community Access, Business & Information Technology, UCFV; Lorne McKenzie, Dept. Head., Business Administration, UCFV.

UCFV has signed memoranda of understanding with Panjab University and Guru Nanak Dev University. The agreements state that the partner institutions will explore opportunities for cooperation in areas deemed mutually beneficial. These may include faculty and students exchanges, and curriculum development.

The agreements are part of UCFV’s ongoing process of developing programs and research under the umbrella of its Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and Research (CICSR). The seeds for the agreements were sown last fall when UCFV president Skip Bassford visited India as part of Premier Gordon Campbell’s trade mission.

D.J. Sandhu, UCFV’s Dean of Community Access, Business, and Information Technology, and Lorne Mackenzie, UCFV Business Administration department head, made a second trip on behalf of UCFV last month to solidify the deal.

“These two agreements are a wonderful complement to both our ongoing commitment to expanding international opportunities for UCFV students and faculty, and to our continuing process of developing our Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies and Research,” said Dr. Skip Bassford.

UCFV has recently introduced a number of Indo-Canadian studies courses, and continues to actively raise funds from the community to further develop the CICSR.

“Pursuing these partnerships with universities in India will open up many opportunities and add an applied dimension to our courses and research in Indo-Canadian studies and other areas,” said Sandhu.

Panjab University is located in Chandigarh, in the Punjab state of India, an area from which many Canadians of Indian descent originate, and is rated as one of the top 10 universities in India. The northern states, particularly Punjab, have very vibrant economic, political, social and community ties with Canada. Many Panjab alumni live in Western Canada. Panjab University is exploring the possibility of setting up a Canadian Studies centre to complement UCFV’s CICSR.

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