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 curriculum are in online converging, education, and we hope pedagogy, to create and 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 urbanrural divide, the economy. Liberal technology with rapidly arts developing education humanities, nature merges philosophy, and of Indian science the arts and to address some of the deeper issues facing India. Liberal arts education and intended sciences to education foster provides creative and "holistic" 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 discuss informal and setting. envision the Please come future for historian and and liberal help us arts and sciences education in India! Plenary talks by noted 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, University, Human Global Directors, Azim Premji Settlements, University, and Presidents Foundation, Krishnamurti and Shiv of Indian Foundation, Nadar the Ashoka Institute O.P. University of Jindal 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 (Singapore), University as Duke of Pomona College, University, California at Yale-NUS College McKenna College, Claremont 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 Initiative. Council The and conference Director of gathers the several Yale key India 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 conference attached, and available web at site the of http://www.astro.pomona.edu/blog/mohra/. CONFERENCE The PROGRAM 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 Panels of and their leaders rationales will address for the curriculum. 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 responsive India?” the ways provide and to the sciences in training environmental and leaders societal who are needs of Panel discussions will discuss the curriculum and in the which best new institutions possible and undergraduate initiatives instruction can in science, humanities and social sciences that will educate responsive enable and creative working groups collaborations leaders. from and the A final session institutions partnerships for to will explore 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 structure interactive of the and engaged meeting is conference. described The below, in basic 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 will meeting also starts. be passed Conference out programs, during nametags, registration. etc. 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 curriculum, am and – Ashoka vision for University the – future liberal (Pramath arts 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 Pramath Sinha* (Ashoka), Pawan Ranjekar Agarwal (Azim Premji), (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 religious culture and – its diverse spiritual heritage traditions, and and array its of deep literature? And what impacts would such a new form of higher education have on the future of India?” Panelists: Radhika Herzberger (Rishi Valley), (Shrishti School of Art, Design and Tara Kini* 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 for India’s Misra (Vidya Foundation), – Innovative Foundations providing education marginalized populations. Panelists: Foundation), Madan Shukla Bose Padaki (Head (Parikrma Rashmi Held High 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 present science? Online learning? Humanities? is best for common curriculum vs. teach or What balance 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 session curriculum will can create a address dialog these among a problems. mixed group The 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 Liberal am Arts - Research College – and what Institutional does it Culture mean to be at a teacher/scholar at a liberal arts college? (Bryan Penprase, Pomona College) 10:15-10:30 am 10:30-11:00 - Short Break am – Reflections on Indian and US Higher Education – Pradeep Khosla, Chancellor, UC San Diego 11:00-11:30 am - The view California, Santa Cruz – from the University of 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* College), and (KFI), Supriya Jerome Chaudhuri Nirmalraj (St (Jadavpur Josephs University, Kolkata). Session B: Internships for Panel 4 – Experiential Undergraduates. Panelists Learning and 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. Wilkinson* (Yale), Panelists Radha Gopalan include: (Rishi Steven 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 “partnerships for would convene online with learning,” titles “common including 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 Institute session Campus. will The be held session at will the Raman feature Research 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, Infosys, Auditorium) Inc., – currently Nandan chair Nilekani, of the former Indian CEO of 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: Inamdar, KFI. 1:00-2:00 pm - LUNCH 2:00 pm Adjourn asterisks denote panel chairs or co-chairs Satish Confirmed Attendees and Organizing The Conference Organizers Committee 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, Founding and Business (ISB). Dean of the Indian School of 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 frequent speaking of India in engagements, popular TED culture talks appearance on the Jon Stewart Daily Show. and include even an 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, philosopher and noted author, Indian will be historian, columnist, 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 history Chipko and thesis on prehistory movement. Now the of a the 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 history, politics, books authored of Civilized: A Verrier books anthropology or Environmentalism: many co-authored Global Elwin, His on topics and ranging cricket. by Mr. History, from Titles Guha include Savaging Tribals, and of India, the 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 Mr. Dr. Professor Mr. Dr. Professor First Pawan Dileep Cheriyan Sriram Anurag Andre Last Agarwal Ahuja Alexander Ayer Behar Beteille Dr. Dr. Chancellor Dr. Ms. Professor Mr. Professor President Professor Bidushi Sucheta CP Padma George Skukla Pankaj Rajan Supriya Hiram Vasudha Bhattacharya Bhattacharya Bhave Bhushan Blumenthal Bose Chandra Chandy Chaudhuri Chodosh Dalmia Ms. Professor Mr. Dr. Dr. Swati David John Radha Amian Dandekar Drew Faranda Gopalan Goswami Dr. Professor Mr. Mr. Dr. Ms. Dr. Dr. Vandana Chandan Ramachandra Andrew Radhika Meryl Cynthia Satish Goswami Gowda Guha Hay Herzberger Holt Humes Inamdar Ms. Mr. Professor Dr. Ms. Dr. Professor Archita George Zayn Pradeep Tara Mangala Sunder Rajaram Jha Joseph Kassam Khosla Kini Krishnan Kudli Institution Ministry of Human Resource Development National Institute of Advanced Studies St. Joseph's College NalandaWay Foundation Azim Premji University University of Delhi Claremont McKenna College, Pitzer College, Scripps College Jadavpur University Indian Institute of Human Settlements Symbiosis International University University of California, Santa Cruz Parikrma Humanity Foundation IIM Bangalore Rishi Valley School Jadavpur University, Kolkata Claremont McKenna College Yale University Shrishti School of Art Design and Technology Claremont Graduate University Claremont McKenna College Rishi Valley School Indian Institute of Human Settlements Srishti School Of Art, Design And Technology, Bangalore Azim Premji University Yale University / IIS O. P. Jindal Global University Rishi Valley School Harvard Business School Claremont McKenna College Krishnamurti Foundation Office of US-India Higher Education Cooperation Yale University Pomona College U.C. San Diego Consultant, Education and Music NPTEL Compegence of Pvajnan Enterprises Dr. Professor Dr. C. Dr. Professor Dr. Dr. Professor Dr. Dr. Ms. Dr. Mr. Ms. Professor Dr. Mr. Mr. Professor Prof. Ms. Dr. Mr. Nita Kumar Claremont McKenna College Raj A.K. Shiva Anitha Pericles Anuradha Brian Beth Bennett Maya Rashmi Rudrangshu Padmini Venu Priya Teng-Kuan Nandan Jerome Rajaram Sarah David John Kumar Kumar Kurup Lewis Maitra McAddoo McKinsey McClellan Menon Misra Mukherjee Nagaraja Narayan Natarajan Ng Nilekani Nirmalraj Nityananda Orr Oxtoby Oxtoby Dr. Mr. Ms. Professor Dr. Mr. Professor Professor Professor Dr. Madan Namrata Anita Rajeev S. Arjendu Donald Laurie Cameron Bryan Smita Usha Padaki Pandey Patankar Patke Pattanayak Pattison Patton Paxton Penprase Premchandar Rajaram Dr. Mr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Mr. Mr. Ms. Dr. Professor Dr. Professor Dr. Dr. Professor Radha Dileep Somak Anita Aromar Pelham Lindfield Ashish Supriya Lakshmi Malabika Jane Shekhar Pramath Raj Nikhil Urbasi Ramaswamy Ranjekar Raychaudhury Reddy Revi Roberts Sahni Sankaran Saripalli Sarkar Schukoske Seshadri Sinha Sinha Sinha O. P. Jindal Global University ISB and Harvard Kennedy School National Institute of Advanced Studies Yale-NUS College University of California, Santa Cruz Yale-NUS College Carleton College Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities The Teacher Foundation VIDYA The Telegraph Shrishti School Azim Premji University Yale University Yale-NUS College, Singapore UIDAI and TAGUP St. Joseph's College IISER, Pune Claremont McKenna College Pomona College Harvard Business School Co-Founder, CEO & MD, Head Held High Services The Doon School, Dehradun Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts Yale-NUS College and NUS Carleton College Pomona College Duke University O. P. Jindal Global University Pomona College Sampark NGO UWC Mahindra College Centre for Community Dialogue and Change, Bangalore the Azim Premji Foundation Presidency University Dwaraka Indian Institute of Human Settlements UWC Mahindra College, Pune University of California, Santa Cruz Ashoka India Raman Research Institute Presidency University O. P. Jindal Global University NIMHANS Ashoka University Shiv Nadar University Raman Research institute Professor Ms. Ms. Professor Ms. Ms. Dr. Dr. Ms. Dr. Kalyanakrishnan Sarah Alana Sharada Katy Neelakshi Cyrus Kavita Aleta Steven Sivaramakrishnan Smith Orr Sobelman Srinivasan Taylor Tewari Vakil Wankhade Wenger Wilkinson Yale University Claremont McKenna College Ben-Gurion University of the Negev National Institute of Advanced Studies MIT Ashoka University UWC Mahindra College, Pune Indian Institute of Human Settlements Claremont McKenna College Yale University Prospectus prepared by the “Future of Liberal Arts in India” Organizing Committee. Questions or more information? Please contact bpenprase@pomona.edu or check our web site at http://www.astro.pomona.edu/blog/mohra/