SRM University – AP, Amaravati, a research university, participated in the 4-day working conference “Architecting the Future Global University” that was recognized by the New York-based Rockefeller Foundation.
It tackled a two-fold concern for educational institutions worldwide –
1. quality education remains inaccessible to millions of students.
2. branded residential institution model does not scale to global demand.
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“The global University is the best opportunity to meet the education challenges of the future”, says Dr. Jamshed Bharucha, Vice Chancellor, SRM University – AP, Amaravati.
SRM University – AP, Amaravati was the only Indian institution that was represented at this education event.
The conference is the brainchild of John Mitchell (Professor of Computer Science and former Vice Provost at Stanford), Robert Lue (Harvard), and Simone Buitendijk (Imperial College, Leiden University Medical Centre).
The mandate was to bring together the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial minds to devise a suitable approach to strategic planning.
The participants examined ways to architect a truly inclusive university that knows no impediments to world-wide learning and applied research collaboration.
“Traditional universities are not designed to address the surging global demand for quality higher education”, Dr. Bharucha Vice Chancellor, points out, “We explored innovative solutions that create networks of universities and employ the best technology to bring students and faculty together from across the world. SRM Amaravati already plays a key role being the only participating institution that has the capacity to innovate in ways that entrenched institutions cannot.”
The question of what kind of a workforce will be best equipped for the future underscores a pressing need for a global ecosystem that supports accessible, diverse, varied and effective lifelong learning. A dramatic shift is already underway in how universities teach and how they engage students in learning and preparing for their futures.