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U of S signs MoU with Rural University |
| On July 23, 2009, Dr. Brett Fairbairn, Provost and Vice-President at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), signed a memorandum of understanding with Dr. Gyanendra Singh, Vice Chancellor of a unique university in rural India that focuses its research and teaching mandate entirely on rural development. The partnership is an excellent possibility for Canadian faculty and students to work in rural areas in collaboration with a well-established Indian Institution. The Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya University (MGCGV), which was founded in 1991 in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, undertakes academic, research, extension and training programmes 'for the empowerment of people and for the betterment of rural life.' The University offers multidisciplinary courses through 14 departments and 5 faculties up to the doctoral level. During the month of July, Dr. Singh met with university officials at the U of S campus including the university's Shastri Institute representative, Dr. Braj Sinha, representatives from the International Research Office and the Office of Global Relations, several college deans, two Vice-Presidents and the President, Peter McKinnon. Dr. Singh also travelled to several agricultural institutes, plants and research facilities throughout Saskatchewan and Alberta. The Vice-Chanellor's trip and the memorandum signing are both results of a 2008 visit to MGCGV by Dr. R. L. Kushwaha, a University of Saskatchewan faculty member in the Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering Department. The Shastri Institute facilitates such activities as part of its mandate to enhance linkages between Indian and Canadian universities through a Scholar Travel Subsidy programme. Courtesy: Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute |