California University to open first Indian campus in Chandigarh

University of California Santa Cruz

Punjab Technical University (PTU) has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) this Monday for setting up an Institute of Excellence (IOE) at Chandigarh.

“We are happy to invite the University of California to set up their campus in New Chandigarh Education City that will be spread over 2000 hectares in the city. I assure foreign institutes of all possible help – be it permissions, sanctions and clearances; or infrastructure including land. The state government shall bear all the cost. As of now Delhi is the education hub in the North. However we wish to change this and present Punjab as a better alternative. If we are to export manpower to developed countries which have largely ageing population, our youth should be competent enough to contribute in this globalized atmosphere. For this we need institutions here that impart quality education,” said Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab at the MoU signing.

IOE currently expects to be self-financed for operating expenses. The institute will focus on high quality technical education and grant degrees in streams like Bio-Engineering, Bio-Informatics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Network & Digital Technology, Robotic Engineering, and Technology & Information Management. Students can further choose to transfer to UCSC to complete their undergraduate or graduate education and get a degree from UCSC provided they meet UCSC’s admission and other criteria in place at that time. UCSC shall also provide free teaching curriculum, methodology and test/exams similar to its current material at US at the new institute.

“Academic ideas should have no boundaries. The objective is to create a world class technical education institution to support advancement of aspirations of people of Punjab and India. This is in accordance with UCSC’s strategy to expand its role in education and research outside US,” explained George R Blumenthal, Chancellor, UCSC .

IOE will be governed by a seven member Board of Trustees or Governing Council comprised of eminent academicians, UCSC representatives, industry representatives and government representatives. The first Chairman of the Board of Trustees shall be appointed by the Governor of Punjab on recommendation of the state government. Plans are currently being made for the institute to commence teaching by 2015.