A three-member delegation from the University of Mumbai in India visited Hawaii Community College on Thursday as part of a visit to the state, where the delegates have been studying the University of Hawaii system.
A three-member delegation from the University of Mumbai in India visited Hawaii Community College on Thursday as part of a visit to the state, where the delegates have been studying the University of Hawaii system.
The delegates have been meeting with key UH administrators and government officials during the past week to discuss and finalize a joint grant proposal between President Barack Obama and India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to support efforts to develop a similar community college model within the University of Mumbai.
The visit is part of India’s ambitious initiative to establish 10,000 community colleges for 500 million students by 2030.
The University of Mumbai has 667 affiliated colleges and more than 690,000 undergraduate students.
The delegates from India are Pro-Vice Chancellor Naresh Chandra; A.P. Mahajan, member, University of Mumbai Management Council, and Sanyogita Morarji, member of the UM Academic Council.
UH community colleges have been providing technical expertise to help India meet its goals for vocational education and skills enhancement.
Administrators, faculty and staff from Hawaii CC and the UH-Hilo welcomed the visitors to the Hawaii CC campus in Hilo on Thursday morning with a kipaepae ceremony.
“We’re honored that the delegation from the University of Mumbai chose to visit and learn from the University of Hawaii system and Hawaii Community College as they develop their own community colleges within their university system,” said Hawaii CC Chancellor Noreen Yamane. “We’re also excited about the prospect of entering into a partnership with the University of Mumbai to provide educational opportunities worldwide for administrators, faculty, staff and students.”