The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) hosted a delegation from India that consisted of senior leadership from India’s Navy and Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Aug. 5. The visit opened doors for the possibility of more NPS international students, as well as building relations by showing what NPS has to offer.
Indian Navy Vice Adm. Gurtej Pabby, Chief of Material; Indian Navy Rear Adm. Rajaram Swaminathan, Assistant Chief of Material; Dr. Siddalingappa Guruprasad, Director General of DRDO; and several members of DRDO comprised the delegation that toured several NPS research labs and facilities, as well as spoke with NPS leadership.
“We discussed opportunities for more students from India to come here for a graduate-level education,” said Al Scott, Director of the International Graduate Programs Office.
“The timing of their visit was great,” said Dr. Jeff Paduan, NPS Dean of Research. “A group from the Navy International Programs Office (NIPO) was here recently and they are really reaching out to NPS and working with us to facilitate international collaboration. We’re learning what the next step is and NIPO is ready to help us get the necessary sharing agreements.”
Working with foreign countries is nothing new for NPS. The school has working relationships with over 40 countries with approximately 150 international students every year. Working with India will help further develop ties with a nation that currently does not have any students attending the university, although Indian students have attended NPS in the past.
“I think they left very impressed of NPS’ capabilities,” stated Scott. “They had good insight into what we do, and a much better feeling for all of the different research activities and academic programs we have here.
“They left indicating a desire to increase our interaction both from a research standpoint and with educational initiatives, bringing students in for potential exchange opportunities,” he continued.
The potential partnership could be very beneficial for NPS, India, and all the students and faculty involved.
“The end goal is to maintain relevant education programs for our U.S. officers,” said Paduan, stressing the value added by international perspectives in the NPS classroom. “It’s another opportunity that we provide for the NPS students to participate in something unique and important.”