World Universities Summit 2021 to be Inaugurated by Vice-President of India

The World Universities Summit 2021 On "Universities of the Future: Building Institutional Resilience, Social Responsibility and Community Impact" Organised by O.P. Jindal Global University from 21st - 23rd July will be inaugurated Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Hon'ble Vice-President of India in the august presence of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon'ble Union Minister of Education, Professor (Dr.) D.P. Singh, Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC), and Naveen Jindal, Founding Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University.

This summit will witness 150+ Thought leaders from 6 continents and 25+ Countries. Institutional heads from over 100 universities will be represented at the summit including 31 Vice-Chancellors, 28 Presidents & Rectors, 21 Provosts, Deputy/Associate/Executive Vice Chancellors & Vice/Associate Provosts, 25 Deputy/Vice/Executive/ Presidents & Rectors; 34 Sessions have been planned: 27 Thematic Sessions, 2 Special Dialogues, 2 Distinguished Public Lectures and 3 Keynote Addresses.

Representation from leading Universities and Colleges across Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong SAR, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States of America.

JGU has partnered with 6 Global Education Networks for this event - Association of Commonwealth Universities(ACU), Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Coursera, International Cooperation Group of Brazilian Universities (GCUB), STAR Scholars Network, UpGrad.

Over 30 themes related to Universities and Higher Education across the world will be discussed at this summit. There will be presence of Senior Leadership from National, Regional and International organizations including Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), World Bank, Association of American Universities and Colleges, American Association of Community Colleges, Times Higher Education, Quacquarelli Symonds, International Association of Universities, World Wide Fund, Society for Transnational Academic Research (STAR) Network.

The Summit isin partnership with 6 Global Education Networks - Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Coursera, International Cooperation Group of Brazilian Universities (GCUB), the STAR Scholars Network and UpGrad.

This event will also be graced by the presence of eminent thought leaders from across the globe for distinguished public lectures, keynote addresses and special addresses. These include Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, India; Professor (Dr.) Philip G. Altbach, Founding Director, Center for International Higher Education, Boston College; Dr. Joanna Newman, Secretary General, Association of Commonwealth Universities; Professor (Dr.) Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities; Professor (Dr.) Siv Pam Fredman, President, International Association of Universities; Dr. M.K. Sridhar, Member, Central Advisory Board of Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India; Ms. Sahana Singh, Author and Columnist; Professor (Dr.) Dinesh Singh, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi.

Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) said that, "We are looking forward to this summit that will bring together 150+ Thought leaders from over 25 countries across 3 days to create some very thought-provoking dialogues. This summit has been conceptualized with a vision to create a platform for universities worldwide to come together to help shape the Universities of the Future and define the role of universities in contributing to the community, especially during crisis like the ongoing pandemic. Also, today, at a time when social, political, technological and economic shifts across the world have been affected by a pandemic, the entire world is faced with the pivotal challenge of reimagining the role of universities than ever before. Technological advancements, pedagogical and disciplinary innovations, academic research combined with globalization and deeper societal engagement, are now changing the very way higher education institutions function. Hence, as the world continues to face one of the largest global crises of our time, it is important that universities across the world come together to find their collective consciousness and utilize their intellectual capital to pave a holistic and sustainable way forward for higher education institutions as well as for the world around us."

This summit will also see senior leadership from multiple National, Regional and International organizations including Professor (Dr.) Uttam Gaulee, President, Society for Transnational Academic Research (STAR) Network, Mr. Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer, Times Higher Education (THE), Mr. Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, President, Association of American Universities and Colleges, Dr. George R. Boggs, President and CEO Emeritus, American Association of Community Colleges, Dr. Nina Arnhold, Global Lead for Tertiary Education, World Bank.

This summit also aims to bring to India a truly global experience with speakers from over 25 countries and regions across 6 continents including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong SAR, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

One will get an opportunity to hear from, and even interact with renowned academics from leading universities including Harvard University, University College London, The University of Oxford, The University of Queensland, University of Southampton, University of Wollongong, Macquarie University, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, University of Sussex, IE University, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Durham University, Deakin University, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, The University of New South Wales, The University of Manchester, Victoria University of Wellington, Chulalongkorn University, University of Delhi, Zhejiang University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, King's College London, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Yonsei University, National Taiwan University, Singapore Management University, Monash University, Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, University of Pretoria, University of The Witwatersrand, Ashoka University.

Over 30 themes will be discussed across the sessions to cover a wide range of topics including "Virtualizing Mobility: Innovations for Internationalisation of Higher Education", "Minding the Gap: Rethinking Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment amid the Covid-19 Disruption", "On a Road to Equity: University Support System to Promote Diversity & Inclusion in Higher Education", "Being Glocal: University as a Site of Local Innovation and Meaningful Community Engagement", "The Power of Youth: Harnessing the Strength of Students for Institution Building and Community Impact", "Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Universities Promoting Equality and Nurturing Future Women Leaders" and "Empathetic University: Promoting Wellness amidst Grief and Grievances".

The three-day virtual event with global leaders of higher education will help to reimagine the 'Universities of the Future' and strengthen their vision and commitment towards institutional resilience, social responsibility and community impact.