Dean David M. Van Slyke met with alumni, partners and dignitaries including India's minister of education, Shri Dharmendra Predhan, during a recent visit that celebrated the Maxwell School's centennial and its 70-plus year partnership with the country. 

Dean Van Slyke was in India along with Maxwell’s Director of Accelerated Learning and Global Engagement Dan Nelson to celebrate the Maxwell School’s centennial and to highlight the global impact of the school’s students, faculty and alumni. The school’s relationship with India began more than 70 years ago. That history started soon after India’s independence, grew stronger in the second half of the last century, and has recently focused on Maxwell’s educational expertise in public administration and international affairs. Over the decades, Maxwell has hosted thousands of Indian students, citizens and civil servants.  

The meeting with Minister of Education Pradhan was made possible by the long relationship between Maxwell and India, and it represented the hope for even more collaboration and partnership with the world’s largest democracy and most populous country.

“Meeting with Minister of Education Pradhan was truly an honor, and it put an exclamation point on what was a wonderfully productive visit where we spent time with our global partners and accomplished alumni,” said Van Slyke. “I look forward to our continued partnership with India and its people.” 

Van Slyke also met with Surendra Nath Tripathi, the director general of the Indian Institute for Public Administration, founded upon the recommendation of and in consultation with former Maxwell dean, Paul Appleby.  Van Slyke spoke with faculty, civil servants and military personnel at IIPA, among others, on how governments manage complex partnerships with industry.

Maxwell's longstanding position to invest in the development and raise awareness of good governance initiatives around the globe is a hallmark of the school and was facilitated through meetings with Dr. R Balasubramaniam at the Government of India's Capacity Building Commission.  

Dean Van Slyke also served as the keynote speaker at the International Conference on Public Policy & Management hosted by the Centre for Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. The interdisciplinary conference drew scholars representing diverse perspectives on public policy issues and provided a forum for showcasing the latest developments in policy research and practice.

The visit to India culminated with a centennial gathering at the Delhi Gymkhana Club. There, Van Slyke and Nelson joined over 80 Maxwell alumni, partners and dignitaries to celebrate the global impact of Maxwell and the school’s special relationship with India.

By Cort Ruddy