President Richard Davenport will explore new opportunities for higher education partnerships in India during Gov. Tim Pawlenty's trade mission to India Oct. 19-26. Davenport is the only higher education executive among the 73 trade mission delegates.
Davenport will travel to India as one of 15 independent delegates, exploring opportunities for collaborative student-faculty research, foreign study and other educational partnerships. Sam Roy, president and CEO of EPS Technologies, Mankato, and a director of the Minnesota State Mankato Foundation, will accompany Davenport on his visits.
"India is a critical trade partner for Minnesota business and industry, and we must develop higher education relationships that will enhance and improve that partnership," Davenport said. "As we cultivate partnerships with key universities in India for our students, and as we develop new opportunities for collaboration with Indian researchers, we expand the market for our graduates and for Minnesota products.
"This promises to be a productive trade mission with significant outcomes and benefits to Minnesota and Minnesota State University, Mankato and the MnSCU system."
Davenport will visit senior administrators in New Delhi (Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Delhi-Delhi School of Economics), and in Ahmedabad (Nirma University). He also will visit Minnesota State Mankato alumni and parents in New Delhi.
Davenport will attend several of the scheduled trade mission functions, including a U.S. Embassy reception in New Delhi, but will travel on his own to the universities.
Pawlenty is leading the mission for a number of reasons: India is the world's fastest growing free-market democracy; it plans major infrastructure improvements over the next several years; the purchasing power of India’s middle class is growing; pro-America India is eager to work with American business; and 58 percent of the Indian population – more than 564 million people – is under age 20.
Davenport was part of the governor's 2005 trade mission to China.
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