US Calling!

The spiralling cut-offs required for admission by domestic universities have led to an increase in students considering higher education abroad.  The United States continues to be one of the top education destinations for Indian students. In a recent interview, US Consul General Jennifer A. McIntyre of the US Consulate at Chennai revealed that Indian students made up for 12 per cent of the total foreign students studying in the US, the second largest cohort after China. “Close to one lakh Indian students are studying in higher education institutions in the US today and there has been an increase in the number.”

The International Knowledge Center, set up by GenNext Education Inc, acts as a bridge between US universities and Indian students. The Center has agreements with different universities for student admissions, student exchange and faculty development programmes. Gen Next Education, Inc. was started by Girish Ballolla who saw the need to help US universities internationalize their campuses and graduate global citizens prepared to function in this highly global economy.

Ballola was born and raised in India before moving to the US to pursue a higher education and understands first-hand, the challenges students face in identifying and applying to universities in the US.  He is also experienced in the challenges associated with recruiting the “right-fit” international students. His keen interest in helping US universities internationalize their campus and help them develop an international presence led to the creation of the International Knowledge Center.

Gen Next is organizing a series of events featuring prominent US universities later this month. The events will be held in different cities across India. Universities include University of Kansas, University of Minnesota, University of Denver, Kansas State University, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Indiana University, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

Watch this space for more information!

New academic strategy for scam-tainted university

TROUBLED times ahead for UK’s higher education sector?

With University of Wales, the country’s second largest university (70,000 students studying its courses in 130 colleges around the world), mired in a “cash for certificates” scam, the spotlight is, once again, on academic integrity.

There is much outrage in UK’s academic fraternity over this incident. Vice-chancellors of five Welsh universities (Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Bangor, Glamorgan and Swansea) have called for the university to be wound up following a BBC Wales programme last week that showed a reporter posing as a student arranging to pay for bogus qualifications at a London college validated by the University of Wales. The reporter was seen paying £1,500 (US$2,300) in cash for a certificate. The programme followed an earlier probe into the university's links with dubious overseas colleges in Malaysia and Thailand.

The University of Wales has since announced a new academic strategy, which will see the institution only award degrees to students on courses designed and fully controlled by the University.

The transformed University will cease to be an accrediting body for other universities in Wales. It will instigate discussions with these universities to withdraw from awarding degrees to their students. The University will also bring to a close validated programmes offered at centres in the UK and overseas and introduce a new academic model.

Professor Medwin Hughes, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wales said, “In light of HE policy changes in Wales and the creation of a transformed University of Wales, we believe the time is right for us to adopt a new academic strategy and only award University of Wales degrees to students on courses designed and fully controlled by the University of Wales. We are therefore proposing to bring the current validation model to a close.”

"We have a duty of care to all students on existing programmes and will honour our current commitments to them. However, from next year, all Universities in Wales will either have to use their own degree awarding powers or make other arrangements for the courses they run both locally and on a transnational basis.

"And our own international collaboration will now be based solely on courses designed and fully controlled by the University of Wales, embedded in our Faculties and led by our own academic staff. We remain committed to a global role and believe it can serve Wales well.”