USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett, USC Viterbi School of Engineering Dean Yannis C. Yortsos and USC Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Anthony Bailey traveled to India this week, meeting with partner institutions as well as USC alumni and parents.

During the visit, Garrett signed a Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of USC with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), initiating opportunities for collaborative research and exchange programs between the institutions.

“The Tata Institute of Social Sciences is a unique institution which focuses on policy solutions to social challenges based on robust interdisciplinary social science research,” Bailey said. “We at USC are looking forward to growing our existing ties to TISS in research and exchange.”

The agreement marks the latest milestone between USC and India, which includes a 2011 trip hosted by USC Trustee Ratan N. Tata. On that occasion, USC President C. L. Max Nikias led a delegation of faculty, administrators and trustees to Mumbai, New Delhi, Agra and Bangalore, where they met with key partners in higher education, business and government, and with members of the Trojan Family in India.

In October, Tata was inducted to the National Academy of Engineering, considered to be one of the highest professional distinctions in engineering. He joined 37 other USC faculty members and trustees who are part of the academy.

Garrett and the delegation also visited with the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Veecon and the Indian Institutes of Technology, which have current partnerships with USC Viterbi.

The delegation also visited the United States-India Educational Foundation, which provides USC students with awards and support for ongoing teaching and research in India.

Garrett met with several USC alumni and USC parents during the week, and USC Viterbi hosted events in Mumbai and Delhi.

For 12 consecutive years, USC has accounted for more international students than any other American institutions of higher education, with nearly 10,000 representing 115 countries. USC’s current Indian student population includes 141 undergraduate students and 1,426 graduate-level students.

USC has been operating two offices in India since 2011 — one in Mumbai and another in Bangalore.

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