March 2014
UFV India Associate Director Gurneet Anand and CICS India Chapter Coordinator Sanjeev Singh were invited to a meeting at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) with the Vice Chancellor Prof. A.D.N. Bajpai and Associates of HPU to further develop the MOU signed between UFV and HPU in November 2014 by Dr Mark Evered of UFV. The goal of the meeting was to further explore the possibility of academic programs on the same model as those at UFV Chandigarh. Gurneet gave a presentation on the Chandigarh BBA model and briefly discussed various collaborative research projects that the CICS and HPU could develop. There were positive responses and optimistic and encouraging views that will be actively explored and pursued. The VC also advised his team to visit the UFV Chandigarh campus in April, 2014 and move the matter further.
Dr Rajani Alexander, Consul General, Canada in Chandigarh also attended the meeting and offered to extend her support for getting the collaboration through and also offered to host the visiting team in Chandigarh in the near future. Others in attendance at the meeting were Ms. Satinder Cheema, CG Office, Chandigarh, Prof. Suresh Kumar, Dean of Studies, HPU; Prof. Mohan Jharta, Registrar, HPU; Prof. PK Ahluwalia, Dean Planning, HPU; Prof. Meenakshi F. Paul, Director, CCS, HPU; and Dr. Anupama Singh, Associate Director, CCS, HPU
After the meeting UFV India staff attended the International Conference on Public Policy, Governance and Democracy: Experiences from India & Canada at HPU. In this two day international conference, around 40 research papers were presented by national and international scholars. For the Inaugural Session Prof. A.D.N. Bajpai , Vice Chancellor, HPU was the chief guest and Dr. Rajani Alexander, Consul General, Canada was the key note speaker.
