IIT Madras and US Consulate General in Chennai are hosting a three day virtual workshop titled ‘Destination South India’ to help build the capacity of South Indian Educational Institutions to host US students.

The workshop by US Consulate General in Chennai and IIT Madras is taking place from 15 to 18 November. The four day programme is being conducted in association with United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) and Forum on Education Abroad.

While the last date to register for the event being held by IIT Madras and US Consulate in Chennai was 15 October, the objective behind organising the event is to help educational Institutions in South India to understand the expectations of U.S. students, U.S. institutions and Indian institutions and to establish successful study abroad programs.

The programme by US Consulate in Chennai and IIT Madras will have sessions on credit transfer, safety and mental wellbeing, field visits and classroom sessions, role of Indian students, community connections, diversity and inclusion, research, ethical practices and preparation for post-pandemic programs.

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Professor Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean (Global Engagement) at IIT Madras spoke about the unique aspects of the event being held by US Consulate in Chennai and IIT Madras. ‘IIT Madras has been hosting a large number of students from several countries for over a decade now.’

We are very happy to conduct this program sponsored by US Consulate General Chennai towards capacity building among South Indian Institutions to host American students, he said.

The primary goal of the project is to build capacity of Indian institutions to support more American students coming to India to study abroad.

This project aims to promote south India as a study abroad destination for students from U.S. institutions and to build capacity of south Indian institutions to foster partnerships with U.S. institutions.

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Anne Lee Seshadri, Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate General in Chennai said Destination South India is a virtual workshop sponsored by the U.S. Consulate General Chennai.

Through this workshop, we want to help Indian institutions prepare to host U.S. students and to partner with U.S. universities. We also want to help American students understand that South India offers a fantastic academic and cultural experience, she said.

IIT Madras is working closely with the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai, United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) and The Forum on Education Abroad (FEA) to bring in leaders in ‘study abroad’ programs from various U.S. universities to speak at the workshop.

About IIT Madras

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’ The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres.

The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations.

IITM is a residential institute with more than 600 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.

IITM has been ranked No.1 in the ‘Overall’ Category for the third consecutive year in India Ranking 2021 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.

The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the ‘Engineering Institutions’ category in the same Rankings for six consecutive years – from 2016 to 2021.

It was also adjudged as the ‘Top innovative Institution’ in the country in Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) in 2019 and 2020. ARIIA Ranking was launched by the Innovation Cell of Ministry of Education.

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The Institute strongly believes that talent and good ideas can come from anywhere and has a remarkably diverse community, drawing students from across all Indian states and from various countries. Intensely curious and driven to explore, the student community of IIT Madras value rigorous analytical thinking, ingenuity, hands-on problem solving, and big new ideas.

The departments and centers of the Institute are responsible for the academic activities which include Teaching, Research and Industrial Consultancy.

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Pooja Singh

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