Multi-disciplinary courses, overseas projects at OP Jindal Global University
OP Jindal Global University (JGU) is a nonprofit global university established by the Government of Haryana and recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC). JGU was established as a philanthropic initiative of its founding chancellor, Naveen Jindal, in memory of his father, OP Jindal. Awarded the highest grade ‘A’ by the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC), JGU is also one of the few universities in Asia that maintains a 1:13 faculty-student ratio. It is the only private varsity in Haryana to be ranked amongst the top 10 private institutions in India by QS University Rankings: BRICS 2018.
The university has fostered over 200 collaborations with universities and institutions in 50+ countries. Making the most of 87 study abroad projects, immersion programmes, summer school and winter school collaborations , students of JGU have been to Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Brown, Cornell, Oxford and Cambridge, among other institutions, from Hawaii to Hong Kong.
Opportunities have been created for faculty exchange and development. Of over 300 faculty members, 72% are alumni from the top 200 global universities like Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, Yale, Brown, Berkeley and more. Including the vicechancellor C Raj Kumar, four are Rhodes Scholars. Women comprise 45% of the faculty and 20% of the faculty come from 20 different countries across the globe. Together, this outstanding pool of academicians is committed to putting Sonipat on the global academic map.
One of the biggest advantages of JGU is that all the eight schools — Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), Jindal Global Business School (JGBS), Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA), Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JSGP), Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities (JSLH), Jindal School of Journalism & Communication (JSJC), Jindal School of Art & Architecture (JSAA) and Jindal School of Banking & Finance (JSBF) — are housed within the same building. This facilitates frequent interaction between faculty members of the schools.
As an institutional policy, faculty members from different schools share offices, encouraging discourse between disciplines. The creation of interdisciplinary research centres and groups in all the schools has also allowed faculty members from various disciplines to collaborate, which has fostered interdisciplinary research.
These measures allow students to gain a holistic view of the world they live in and how the discipline they are engaged in affects or is affected by other disciplines. Students at JGU are able to take up courses offered across eight schools offering a diverse range of programmes from food and culture, to financial modelling, to urban planning, to gender studies.
For example, a student of JSIA is able to take up a course on the International Criminal Court offered by JGLS. In the fall of 2017, one third of the elective courses offered at JGU were cross-listed. There are also a number of courses that are co-taught by faculty members from different schools. Says Srivatsan, student (Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities) “What I like about JGU is that you can specialise in your field while getting exposure in other fields you’re interested in.we can take as many courses as we’re able to accommodate.”
Stepping out into the world and getting industry experience is just as important as academic training. Summer and winter internships are compulsory for all undergraduate students. “In just the past week, I’ve been to a conference and participated in a debate,” says Shubham Gupta, first year student. Gupta is on a 100% scholarship.jguoffersscholarships to 75% of its students. Gupta spent two months working with a Member of Parliament for his summer internship.
Other law students have worked with Supreme Court judges and top law firms like White & Case, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Khaitan & Co. Students from other schools have joined organisations like Cola, Pepsi, ITC, Citi Bank, ICICI and HCL, to name a few. Students have taken up positions in fields like theatre and advertising to journalism and sports management.
As a research-driven university, JGU has since its establishment set up 55 interdisciplinary research centres and three research and capacity building institutes.
In addition, it has created a vibrant research environment which promotes cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research and collaborative work with local, regional, and international communities.
Active researchers among the faculty members bring their research findings into the classroom, and students’ research projects and community engagement work produce new areas for research.
This works both ways. JGU’S teaching informs research and faculty research informs teaching. There is immense scope here for connecting the local to the global with a focus on a student-centric approach to developing the research skills of students.
Student research also takes place through the participation in internal and external conferences, workshops and other activities and research-based community engagement projects. Cross-registration of courses is encouraged across all the schools, laying emphasis on the university’s commitment to providing interdisciplinary research opportunities and academic experiences .
The University’s Research Grants Policy (URGP) lets students undertake research assistantships on individual faculty projects. In addition, JGU earmarks 20% of its annual research budget to support student research projects.
The pursuance of a global research agenda lies at the centre of the varsity’s goal to build a world-class institution of learning.
Faculty research at JGU has been encouraged through five important and interrelated initiatives.
First, teaching responsibilities of faculty members are appropriately balanced with their research aspirations.
Second, the university’s staff development policy has supported faculty participation in national and international conferences in order to present their research.
Third, the university’s research centres also provide a sharper focus to specific aspects of research for faculty members who while pursuing their research agenda, are able to bring together other national and international researchers to participate in collaborative research with their Centres.
Fourth, through URGC, faculty members are awarded grants for individual research.
The university has encouraged and incentivised faculty research and publications through the annual research excellence awards, and through monetary awards for outstanding publications.
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