Contributed AGREEMENT — The Rev. Emmanuel P.J.; the Rev. Augustine George, CMI; and the Rev. Dave Pivonka, TOR, take part in May 6 signing ceremony that established collaborative educational opportunities among Kristu Jayanti College of India and Franciscan University of Steubenville.

STEUBENVILLE — Franciscan University of Steubenville is expanding international educational opportunities for its students to include two colleges in India.

Memorandums of understanding were signed by the Rev. Dave Pivonka, TOR, president of Franciscan University, and representatives of Rajagiri College of Social Sciences and Kristu Jayanti College in separate ceremonies held this spring in Steubenville.

The agreements build pathways among the colleges and university in student exchanges, resident scholar placements and other collaborative opportunities.

Both India colleges were established by the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, the first indigenous religious congregation for men in the Syrian Catholic tradition in India.

Established in 1999, Kristu Jayanti College is known for its computer science programs and research centers in biotechnology, commerce, psychology and management.

Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, founded in 1955, is one of India’s leading schools in the fields of management and social work, with a focus on outreaches to the poor. It also offers one of the leading engineering programs in India.

Speaking at the ceremony for Kristu Jayanti College, Pivonka said the opportunity for Franciscan students to develop relations with students from other countries can be an incalculable part of the educational experience, that “expands the body of Christ and opens the minds and hearts of our students.”

The Rev. Augustine George, CMI, president of Kristu Jayanti College, envisions student exchanges that could last for a month, a semester or even longer. On the faculty side, there could be livestreamed classroom interactions, faculty exchanges for a semester and joint collaboration among professors from both institutions focused on research by faculty and students.

Binoy Joseph, who teaches in the Rajagiri School of Management, said this is his school’s first collaboration with a Catholic college, and expressed his appreciation for “the overarching Catholic values found in various courses and programs in Steubenville.”

This summer, Pivonka and other representatives from Franciscan University will visit both colleges to begin to put in motion the collaborative ideas expressed in the memorandums of understanding.

For information on Franciscan University’s outreaches, visit the Global Academic Partnerships webpage.