OP Jindal Global University (JGU) has become the only University from India that has been shortlisted by an influential international higher education ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE) for its Asia Awards 2020 in the categories of “Outstanding Leadership and Management Team” and “Excellence and Innovation in the Arts”.  

JGU, which has completed just 10 years, is also the youngest institution from Asia that is in contention for these top honours.  

In a unique recognition, JGU has been shortlisted under three different award categories this year that celebrate efforts and success in: 

1. Outstanding Leadership and Management Team

2. Excellence and Innovation in the Arts

3 Workplace of the Year. 

These awards recognize and celebrate the transformational work of selected universities across 48 nations of the Asian Continent. THE Awards Asia 2020 attract nominations from hundreds of widely acknowledged universities that are among the best in the world.  

JGU has been shortlisted for THE Asia Awards for second year in a row. These awards were instituted by THE in 2019.   

Having selected for nominations in multiple categories of the competitive THE Awards Asia 2020 is a recognition for the effectiveness of the leadership and management team, success in study of liberal arts and humanities, and also delivering on the commitment of sustaining an inspiring, productive and enabling work environment.  

Home to more than 13,000 universities, the giant continent of Asia is witnessing a steady rise in centres of excellence in global higher education. Several universities in Asia have made a mark in elite global rankings of universities in the last few years demonstrating a commitment to multidisciplinary and international education that is best suited to address challenges of the twenty-first century. 

The three categories in which JGU has been short-listed collectively represent the most pressing areas in higher education in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that need to be addressed by all nations. As the world battles a public health crisis and looming economic turmoil, universities can pave the way for a collaborative and imaginative restructuring of the way we think as a society and as humanity. Institutions of higher education and learning that demonstrate a strong and decisive leadership and that are committed to holistic social change at a global scale will be the real change-makers. Within a decade of existence, JGU has not only managed to place India on the world map of global higher education, but it has evolved to become a highly sought after place for teaching, learning and research.  

These awards offer a major international platform to recognise outstanding leadership and institutional performance, and celebrate Asian higher education excellence in all of its diversity. The aim is to discover how the spirit of innovation continues today in research, education and collaborations with industry, and how it has been strengthened by scholars and students increasingly crossing national and disciplinary boundaries, as well as building links between industry and academia.  

Asian universities are vital in the rising socio-economic power and political influence of the Asian region in this century. They are in-charge of preserving the cultural heritage and knowledge systems that have existed in several Asian nations since times immemorial. They are at the vanguard of research-led social change into the most transformative ways that would change our world for good. 

Within a mere 10 years of its existence, JGU has made history by breaking into the QS World University Rankings 2020, and was the only Indian private university in the top 150 ‘young’ universities in the world in the QS Young University Rankings 2020 and the youngest University in the world to feature in both these rankings. In March 2020, Jindal Global Law School of JGU was ranked as the Number 1 Law School in India in the QS World University Rankings By Subject 2020 (Law), besides being ranked as one of the top 150 law schools in the world. In September 2019, JGU was selected as an ‘Institution of Eminence’ by the Government of India, making JGU one of only eight private universities in India to be awarded this coveted status. 

Also read: QS ranks Jindal Global Law School as No.1 in India