Queen's University signs agreement with Madras Christian College

Updated on: Friday, February 12, 2010

Chennai: Queen's University Belfast, a member of the Russell Group today signed a partnership agreement with Madras Christian College (MCC), Chennai.

The partnership with Queens University Belfast is MCCs first major partnership agreement with a leading UK university.

This newly formed partnership between Queens University & MCC will facilitate student exchanges and exploit learning opportunities in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at both institutions.

Currently four exchange students from Queens are studying at MCC in the fields of English, Politics, Anthropology and Geography and Paleoecology. The first reciprocal visit to Queen's by students from MCC will take place later this year.

The new partnership with MCC comes just weeks after Queen's University installed His Excellency Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary of the Commonwealth and former Indian High Commissioner to the UK as Chancellor. Late last year Queen's also celebrated a week-long festival of languages and culture in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata, when leading poets from the University joined together with their Indian counterparts including Ashoke Viswanathan; Jayanta Mahapatra; Sunil Gangopadhyay; Professor Nabaneeta Dev Sen; Srijato and Mamang Dai.

Principal of MCC, Professor Alexander Jesudasan joined Professor John Thompson, Head of Queen's School of English, to sign the new agreement at an event attended by Chris Gibson, the British Council's Director for South India. Funding to facilitate the new links was secured by the School of English at Queen's following receipt of a grant from Phase II of the Prime Minister's Initiative Scheme.

Speaking at the event, Professor Thompson said: Like Madras Christian College, Queen's University Belfast has been home to a vibrant and diverse academic tradition of excellence for many decades. Teaching links between the island of Ireland and Chennai have been ongoing since the arrival of missionaries in the 18th and 19th centuries. This exciting new partnership will now see a whole new generation of scholars exploiting vital learning and research opportunities in Chennai and Belfast; building on our shared histories and identities.

He further added, The signing of the agreement with MCC today sees a significant broadening and deepening of Queen's links with India, something that is of tremendous mutual benefit to the education sectors and economies of both India and Northern Ireland.

Professor Alexander Jesudasan added: We are delighted with our new academic partnership with Queen's University Belfast and look forward to seeing this relationship flourish in the future."

Queen's University signs agreement with Madras Christian College

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