On June 19, 2013, Rutgers University signed a memorandum of understanding establishing the Indian Council for Cultural Relations Chair of Contemporary Indian Studies at Rutgers University. This event followed Rutgers's receipt of a grant of approximately $250,000 from President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 21st Century Knowledge Initiative. The program was announced in November 2009 as an affirmation of the leaders' commitment to enhancing India-U.S. partnerships in education. Rutgers, with the assistance of its partner institution, Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, will welcome a distinguished visiting professor from India to teach courses, deliver public lectures and engage directly with faculty, staff and students between 2014-2017. The initiative aims to increase study abroad opportunities for American students through international service learning, internships and dual degree opportunities.
Ambassador Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay, Consul General of India; Rochelle Hendricks, New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education; and Richard L. Edwards, executive vice president for academic affairs at Rutgers, were joined by members of Rutgers' India Initiative and South Asian Studies Program, as well as community members.
