JGU, in collaboration with Association of Indian Universities and the Times Higher Education of the United Kingdom, organised ‘The G20 Universities Impact Summit: Implementing SDGs and Beyond’ on August 23 in New Delhi. The conference saw academics, policymakers and thought leaders deliberating on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their implementation and impact in the higher education sector. This Summit was a precursor to the G20 summit held in September in New Delhi.

The inaugural address for the G20 Universities Impact Summit was given by Dr. Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education, Government of India, in which he highlighted the significance given to SDGs in India’s National Education Policy.

Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS) welcomed the new batch of master’s students on the campus. The students are part of institute’s existing M.A./M.Sc. Applied Psychology and two new courses, Masters in Rehabilitation Sciences and M.Sc. Psychosocial Rehabilitation, both of which have been approved by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).

This prestigious recognition from RCI marks JIBS as one of the pioneering behavioural sciences’ institute in the country offering licensed courses in psychosocial rehabilitation and rehabilitation sciences with a distinctive emphasis on both physical and developmental disabilities.

JIBS held an orientation for incoming students to familiarise them with their course work, curriculum, and the university and institute, as well as all facilities and opportunities available to them.

During the orientation, students got an opportunity to listen to Professor of Eminence (Dr.) Sanjeev P. Sahni, Founder and Principal Director of JIBS, about his experience in the field of psychology and behavioural sciences. They also got an opportunity to interact with him.

Dr. Pulkit Khanna, Executive Dean, JIBS, also interacted with the new students and welcomed them to JIBS. She reminded them of the hard work that needs to be put in during their time here, while also urging them to take full advantage of opportunities available at the institute.

The Centre for Foreign Languages (CFL) of the Office of English and Foreign Languages (OEFL) held its second orientation meeting on August 16. Over 60 students attended, along with CFL faculty members.

Professor  Jagdish Batra and Professor  Sérgio Meira introduced the CFL and gave a short overview of its resources, including the Global Languages Lab, and highlighted the need for teaching foreign languages to the JGU student community tailored to suit their interests and goals.

Professor  Shruti Jain spoke about the relevance and scope of learning German language and its culture in India. Professor  Jain also emphasised on the opportunities present for students interested in pursuing higher studies in Germany (via the DAAD – Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst, or German Academic Exchange Service).

Professor Navreeti Sharma presented the French language courses, stressing the desirability and interest of students in learning about the French culture and literature, and the opportunities for further study, as well as the availability of CFL faculty at JGU. She described pedagogical tools and strategies used in class to develop a more communicative, learner-centric approach to teaching French.

Professor Neha Tyagi presented the structure of the Spanish language courses that are tailor-made to support student requirements. Mr. Mohammed Jilani described the main reasons for learning Spanish and the hands-on approach of the courses, including opportunities of attending summer/winter short-term study abroad programmes that focus on language, culture and history. The main event was followed by a Q&A session with the students.

Dr. Vipin Vijay Nair, Assistant Professor at the Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS), has been awarded the prestigious Certified Financial Crime Specialist (CFCS) Scholarship in pursuit of his dedicated efforts as a financial crime compliance and advocacy professional through teaching, research, and outreach.

The award is hosted by the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS), USA, to acknowledge the contributions and efforts of professionals working in the field of Financial Crime Compliance and Advocacy.

The award was presented during the Valedictory Session of the 2023 Financial Crime Virtual Week on August 11. The final ceremony was attended by more than 400 participants from 80 countries. The award application process attracted an unprecedented number of candidates from across the globe this year, with over 750 nominations from professionals in more than 60 countries. The scholarship was awarded to 22 professionals who excelled on a detailed list of award criteria, especially as ‘Case Breakers and Difference-Makers in the field of Finance Crime’.

The prime purpose of ACFCS in the last few decades has been to arm financial crime specialists with the tools and resources they need to fight financial crime, build a wealth of knowledge, and advance in their careers.

91̽�� (JGU) has achieved an unprecedented and path-breaking milestone of building international collaborations with 288 universities in the G20 countries. This unique initiative signifies JGU’s resolute commitment to embracing a more interconnected world, transcending geographical boundaries to cultivate a diverse and inclusive academic environment.

This remarkable initiative perfectly aligns with the shared vision of the G20 countries for interconnected higher education systems. With a focus on fostering cooperation and facilitating knowledge exchange on a global scale, this initiative is set to transform the world of higher education. JGU’s strategic decision to forge partnerships with universities in the G20 nations showcases its unwavering commitment to fostering international academic collaborations and propelling the growth of the global knowledge landscape. This has created unparalleled opportunities for the students and faculty of JGU to collaborate with world-class universities across the G20 countries.

As India’s global university with over 11,000 students from 70+ countries and over 1,100 full-time faculty members from 50+ countries, JGU has forged fruitful partnerships with reputed universities and higher education institutions within the G20 countries across all continents. They include Universidad Torcuato Di Tella and Austral University in Argentina; University of Cape Town and University of South Africa in South Africa; University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, Monash University, University of Sydney and University of Queensland in Australia; Federal University of Pernambuco and Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Brazil; York University, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary and University of Guelph in Canada; Tsinghua University and Peking University in China; Humboldt University Berlin and University of Hamburg and Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany; Airlangga University and Jenderal Soedirman University in Indonesia; University of Bologna and Sapienza University in Italy; Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Nambu University in South Korea; Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology-ITAM and University of Guadalajara in Mexico; Saint Petersburg State University, Far Eastern Federal University and HSE University in Russia; King’s College London, University of Oxford, Queen Mary University of London, University of Edinburgh, University of Southampton and University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom; Tokiwa University, Yamanashi Gakuin University in Japan; KOC University and Sabanci University in Turkey; Harvard University, Cornell University, University of Michigan, Indiana University, University of California-Davis, University of Southern California, Columbia University, University of Arizona, Seattle University and University of Virginia in the United States of America; Sciences Po and Catholic University of Lille in France; and a number of other universities in the G20 nations.

The G20 Education Working Group focuses primarily on ensuring literacy and numeracy, digital technologies for human development, education and the future of work, and international education collaboration. Their educational policies place an emphasis on excellence, equality and global engagement. Similarly, JGU’s internationalisation initiatives prioritise instilling in our students and faculty members these values that unite the G20 countries for the common good of human development.

JGU’s initiatives within the G20 countries include student exchange programmes and research internship programmes that provides students with opportunities for field-specific research experience and academic engagements along with hosting scholars for research and students from the G20 countries for the India Immersion Programmes in a diverse set of thematic areas. This is further supplemented with faculty-level collaborations for research publications, joint conferences and several similar academic endeavours in line with G20’s mission of promoting lifelong learning in technology, global collaboration, diversity, excellence and equality.

JGU’s international collaborations have been established with the primary objective of providing students and faculty with valuable international opportunities to seamlessly enter into a global arena of opportunities. With the addition of these new collaborations, JGU’s global partnership network has grown significantly, now boasting over 400 institutional partnerships in over 70 countries. In consonance JGU’s commitment to internationalisation and the G20 vision for connected and collaborative higher education, these partnerships not only promote faculty and student exchanges but also contribute to research collaborations, enabling a global interchange of knowledge and ideas.

A total of 1,100+ JGU students have been involved in study abroad programmes over the last three academic years. These programmes include semester exchanges, dual degree opportunities, and short-term study abroad initiatives. Even for the faculty members, several opportunities for joint research projects and paper publications have been materialised in which around 50+ faculty members have been involved.

Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, JGU, said: “From its inception, JGU’s commitment to internationalisation was driven by our strong belief in the transformative power of global higher education. Our belief was bolstered with the vision of India’s presidency of the G20 which highlighted the need to foster a dynamic, interconnected world of exchange and opportunity. We have strived to be ambassadors of this vision and commandeered our efforts towards forming meaningful partnerships with the leading universities, the intellectual epicentres of the G20 nations. As India’s presidency reaches its zenith, it is a proud moment for JGU to announce this remarkable landmark of forging 288 institutional partnerships across G20 countries.”

Professor (Dr.) Mohan Kumar, Dean, Strategic & International Initiatives and Director, Jindal Global Centre for G20 Studies, JGU said, “JGU, coinciding with the New Delhi G20 Summit, has launched a commendable initiative of forging partnerships with G20 universities. Nothing can be more powerful than this for demonstrating the validity of ‘Vasudeva Kutumbakam’ and ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, which is the theme of the New Delhi G20 Summit. The future of the world lies in the hands of the youth and this initiative by JGU seeks to build an interconnected future for the students of the G20 countries.”

Dr. Akhil Bhardwaj, Director of the Office of International Affairs and Global Collaborations, JGU said, “The Office of International Affairs & Global Initiatives at JGU is deeply committed to continue expanding our partnerships’ network, creating valuable opportunities for our students to study in the best and leading universities across the globe as part of their respective degree programmes at JGU. We are conscious of ensuring that our international collaborations have a meaningful impact on the life of our students and faculty members and hence, significant efforts are undertaken to implement these collaborations that we have established over the years.”