The Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs has established an agreement for scholarly cooperation with India’s O.P. Jindal Global University, extending SPEA’s involvement in a nation that is seeking to grow and modernize its system of higher education.

SPEA’s agreement with the Indian university’s Jindal School of International Affairs and the new Jindal School of Government and Public Policy was formalized this month during a trip to India by IU President Michael A. McRobbie, SPEA Executive Associate Dean David Reingold and other IU officials.

“O.P. Jindal Global University provides a promising new model for the rapid development of superior higher education in India,” Reingold said. “We at SPEA are excited about this agreement, which will provide outstanding opportunities for engagement with one of the most vital regions of the globe.”

The agreement was formalized this month during a trip to India by Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie, Reingold and other IU officials. Also signing the agreement on behalf of IU was Vice President for International Affairs David Zaret.

The agreement calls for cooperation for the purpose of mutual support in research and teaching, including:

• The exchange of professors and other personnel for lectures and research, for discussing questions of mutual cooperation, and for joint formation of international seminars
• Joint research projects
• Student exchange programs
• A SPEA Abroad summer program for IU students in India
• A noncredit executive education program at IU for Indian professionals
• “Global classroom” learning through video lectures, shared course credits and other arrangements

The SPEA agreement is part of a broader collaboration between Indiana University and O.P. Jindal Global University, announced by McRobbie in November 2010. The partnership also includes the Maurer School of Law and the Kelley School of Business.

Jindal Global University, a private institution with a strong commitment to academic excellence, located just outside Delhi, was established in 2009 to promote global education. It includes schools of Law, Business and International Affairs and is adding a School of Government and Public Policy.

Founding Chancellor Naveen Jindal, a leading businessman and a member of India’s Parliament, provided the university with groundbreaking resources to honor his late father and to help address the growing need for high-quality institutions of higher education necessary to boost India’s college graduation rate.

The agreement adds to a rich array of international relationships for SPEA, including faculty research collaborations around the globe and formal partnerships with other institutions, including a recently signed agreement with Jönköping International Business School in Sweden. SPEA offers SPEA Abroad programs in Europe, Asia and Africa. The SPEA 2015 report for future development of the school calls for deepening its international ties, especially in Europe and Asia.