Yale University signs MoU with OP Jindal Global University

Yale University and O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi on December 10, 2012 for collaboration in leadership education and public service. The MoU seeks to foster the development and delivery of educational programs for civil servants, military personnel, career diplomats, non-governmental employees, and other senior and mid-career professionals in public service, by means of a strategic partnership between Yale University and JGU. 

The main focus of the MoU is the development and the delivery of educational programs for various governmental and non-governmental institutions  contracted by the Government of India, the United Nations system, the World Bank  and International Monetary Fund systems and their affiliated entities, and other nongovernmental  and inter-governmental institutions in India, by specifying JGU as a strategic Indian partner institution of Yale University for their  delivery. 

Yale University and JGU will jointly bid for contracts with these institutions and will develop specialized educational modules that involve joint curriculum preparation and joint delivery to contracted institutions. The broad disciplines and issue areas that will encompass the joint educational agenda through this strategic partnership include Law, Diplomacy, International Affairs, Governance, and Public Policy.

The signing of MoU was followed by a lecture on “Corruption and Reform in the Digital Age” by Dr. Jennifer Bussell from Yale University,  which was presided over by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. Shashi Tharoor. In his Presidential address, Dr. Tharoor (pictured right) urged civil servants to gear up to meet demands for better services from “informed” citizens. “Responsiveness and accountability would therefore be the watchwords for civil servants in the new era”, Dr. Tharoor added. Dr. Tharoor emphasized the need to harness the full potential of digital revolution and urged the bureaucrats to equip themselves with better skills. Stating that “every teacher must be a good learner, every good leader must be a good follower”, Dr. Tharoor emphasized that “every bureaucrat must be a good listener”.  

Commenting on the development, Mr. George Joseph, Director for Asia and Global Leadership Program, Yale University said, “Yale is proud of its long association with Jindal Global University. Yale’s faculty and administrators – myself included – are proud of the modest contributions that we have been able to make to what we at Yale believe is rapidly emerging as a center of excellence in research and teaching in India and in Asia. The focus by its faculty in Law, International Affairs, Business, and Government and Public Policy will position Jindal as an institution engaged with the most pressing issues facing India and the globe. Yale is pleased to embark on this effort with Jindal and advance our common mission of using education to advance leadership and public service.”

The Vice Chancellor of JGU, Professor Raj Kumar said, “This Yale-Jindal collaboration is due to close cooperation between the two universities in the past several years through a number of joint initiatives. I am sure the signing of this MoU will deepen our existing partnership and will give a further boost to leadership education and public service worldwide.”

Professor Peter Schuck from the Yale Law School taught a course for one semester at the O.P. Jindal Global University. In October 2010, JGU hosted the visit of Professor Richard Levin, President of Yale University. Students of Yale University and JGU collaborated on a joint research project to evolve a national legislation for street vendors in India. Since the founding of JGU, several Yale graduates, both JDs and LLMs have been faculty members and have made valuable contributions to institution building at JGU. 

This post was prepared by JGLS student Shreyas Gupta.