Penn Global provides strategic direction for the University of Pennsylvania’s global endeavors, with a focus on the efficient investment of university resources for global activities. Penn Global collaborates with Schools and Centers across the University to catalyze interdisciplinary collaborations and integrate knowledge that addresses key global issues. The office also partners with leaders from across Penn and around the world to develop innovative global strategies, initiatives, and programs. As stated in University’s Strategic Framework for Global Initiatives, 2018-2023, efforts to deepen and expand Penn’s engagement in India are a priority. Complementing the years of work carried out by faculty and peers across campus – including the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) and the University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India (UPIASI) – the University established the Penn India Research and Engagement Fund and launched the annual Penn India Research Symposium to further galvanize engagement, and support new and mounting efforts positioned to contribute to emerging debates in the country and region. The Penn India Policy Forum represents an important next step to grow Penn’s footprint in India.
Founded in 1992, the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) at the University of Pennsylvania is the first research institution in the United States dedicated to the study of contemporary India. A national resource, it fills an urgent need for objective knowledge of India’s politics and society, rapidly changing economy, and transformation as an ancient civilization and emerging major power. CASI’s goals are to nurture a new generation of students’ and scholars’ interest in contemporary India through interactions with Visiting Scholars and opportunities to work and conduct research in India; and to provide a forum for dialogue on contemporary India among the academic, business, and foreign policy communities by hosting seminars, workshops, and conferences, as well as through our online scholarly publication, India in Transition.
The University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India (UPIASI) is the arm, in India, of Penn’s Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI). UPIASI has, over 1997-2018, developed a strong research program and academic presence of its own, and is increasingly playing a nodal role for a number of Penn-related initiatives in India. It has undertaken over a dozen multi-year, internationally collaborative research projects in two broad clusters – Governance and International Relations – focused on contemporary India. UPIASI is currently broadening its role from being a research centre to working with a number of Penn schools and departments, including the School of Arts and Sciences, Penn Global, the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, South Asia Center, The Lauder Institute, Penn Alumni Relations, and Penn’s Alumni Interview Program. UPIASI also works closely with alumni groups in India, including the five Penn Clubs and the four Alumni Interview Committees.
