IIT-Kanpur to open office in US

IIT-Kanpur has decided to open an office in the United States to recruit quality researchers and academicians to the institute.

IIT-Kanpur has decided to open an office in the United States to recruit quality researchers and academicians to the institute.

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The proposal was formally approved at the board meeting on June 1. This is probably the first time an IIT is spreading its wings globally to attract quality faculty members. “We have formed a committee to decide where the office should be located by July. It will become operational by year-end,” Manindra Agarwal, dean of Resource, Planning and Generation told HT.

“Many US and European universities have offices in India. We strongly feel that there is a need to make our presence felt in a location that would provide us with lots of resources. The US will be an excellent platform for procuring faculty members and donations,” he said.

Acknowledging that faculty shortage is a major challenge facing IIT-Kanpur, he said, “This problem has arisen because we cannot compromise on quality. Owing to faculty shortage, we are not able to offer many courses too. This has also prevented us from offering flexibility to the faculty, and has prevented us from forming big research groups.”

Since a large percentage of the faculty comes from the US, Agarwal said the US-based office would help tap prospective candidates. “It will also act as a catalyst for raising funds and increasing research collaboration with varsities and industry in the US.”