Developing Globally Compatible Institutional Infrastructures for Indian Higher Education

Abstract

The authors profile developments in the globalization of Indian higher education, with an emphasis on emerging globally compatible institutional infrastructures. In recent decades, there has been an enormous amount of brain drain: the exodus of the brightest professionals and students to other countries. The article argues that the implementation of robust student support and quality-assessment methodologies in Indian universities is essential if India is to become an attractor as well as a source for international student and faculty circulation. On-site research conducted with senior administrators and student body members in India indicates that the mounting pressure to develop such infrastructures is increasing the divergence between privately funded and traditional public schools in the Indian higher education landscape, as progressive private institutions position themselves to become competitive in burgeoning international partnerships. In particular, many new innovative private university programs and infrastructures have developed that address the demands of cross-circulation with Western academic programs.