Pune, October 30. FLAME University (estb. 2015), a pioneer Pune-based liberal arts varsity, signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the top-ranked Amherst College, Massachusetts (USA) for collaboration on academic and student initiatives, sharing best practices and generating cutting-edge research.

“This partnership signifies an important step forward in our mission of making FLAME a truly global institution. As liberal education gets acknowledged as the game changer of the future, we aspire to exchange knowledge and best practices that will allow us to contribute to the advancement of liberal education globally,” said Prof. Dishan Kamdar, vice chancellor of FLAME University, speaking on the occasion.

The FLAME-Amherst collaboration agreement is for an initial period of five years. Under the terms of the MoU, Amherst students will study with FLAME students for one semester. Similarly, FLAME University students will also spend one semester or an entire year studying liberal arts courses in Amherst. This exchange programme is for undergraduate students. Moreover, the MoU covers faculty and staff exchanges, research collaboration, curricular development, conduct of experiential learning programmes, pedagogical innovations, academic conferences and colloquium series.

BrainGain-Cambridge workshop

Mumbai, October 23. Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), a comprehensive capacity building in east and central Asia initiative supported by UK Research Councils (aka the GCRF COMPASS project) and the Mumbai-based BrainGain Academy, has scheduled, a ten-day ‘Leadership Programme On Global Challenges’ at Cambridge University (UK) in December 7-17. The workshop will focus on global challenges and sustainability. The deadline for admission into the programme is November 10.

BrainGain Academy offers short-term, cohort-based, curated learning experiences at top-ranked universities around the world. It curates, develops and markets experiential learning programmes in partnership with universities abroad to devise new ways of learning. This project is jointly presented by the universities of Kent and Cambridge in the UK; ADA University, Azerbaijan; Belarusian State University, Belarus; Tajik National University, Tajikistan and University of World Economic Diplomacy, Uzbekistan, in partnership with BrainGain Academy.

“We are honoured to collaborate with such a prestigious university for this short-term programme. In BrainGain, we strongly believe that the programme tackles all relevant issues that need urgent attention. With its reputation for academic excellence and scholarly tradition, Cambridge University, which has produced 109 Nobel laureates, 11 Fields medallists, seven Turing award winners, and 14 British prime ministers, will offer our students impressive learning outcomes,” says Harjiv Singh, founder-CEO of BrainGain Academy.

FT ranks IIM-Calcutta #1

Kolkata, october 28. The Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C, estb.1961) is ranked #17 globally in the Financial Times Masters in Management Rankings 2019 for its two-year MBA study programme. Advancing by six ranks this year, the institute is ranked #1 in India, higher than five other Indian B-schools listed in the FT rankings.
The annual FT global rankings evaluate B-schools worldwide under the parameters of current salary, weighted salary, salary percentage increase, career progress, involvement of international faculty, inclusion of international board members, percentage of female faculty and student gender diversity ratio.

“With the internationalisation of our curriculum over the years and some of our best faculty recruited from around the world, IIM-C programmes are curated to address the needs of the dynamic global business environment. As a result, we’ve been able to create a pool of ethical and responsible leaders across domains. The higher ranking will help us network more closely with top B-schools worldwide,” says Prof. Prashant Mishra, dean (new initiatives and external relations) of IIM-C.

University Living spreads wings

Noida, October 30. University Living (UL), Noida, a company providing purpose-built student housing for varsity students worldwide, announced a new plan to expand its employee base to 200 in the coming fiscal. In sync with this development, it will also shift to a new 10,000 sq. ft. office in Noida, Delhi-NCR.

UL helps students find verified, premium purpose-built housing the world over and covers all aspects of living abroad, including the booking of student accommodation, local guarantor support, room essentials, airport transfers, welcome kits, concierge, and housekeeping among other services. The company’s tie-ups also facilitate services such as forex and education loans to students.

Currently, UL offers one million beds in 12,000 verified properties, with a global presence in 203 international cities in the UK, Australia, USA, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and Singapore, among others.

The new office will serve to revamp the current office culture. “Our decision to move to a larger and superior workplace also falls in line with our aim of increasing the employee headcount to 200 in the coming fiscal,” says Saurabh Arora, founder-CEO of University Living.