FAIRBORN — An agreement that promises to increase the flow of students to Wright State University from the Andhra Pradesh state in India has been reached.
A renewal to a memorandum of understanding between the two entities was signed Oct. 25 in the Wright Brothers Room of the Student Union by Wright State and Andhra Pradesh officials.
The original memorandum, which was signed last November, is an agreement to further develop partnerships in student exchanges, research, industrial training and other areas between Wright State and Andhra Pradesh.
The agreement includes a tuition reduction for new students from 15 approved Andhra Pradesh universities. Beginning fall semester 2018, Wright State will provide a 75 percent reduction of the out-of-state surcharge added to in-state tuition.
The students must meet admissions, academic and language requirements at Wright State.
Andhra Pradesh borders India’s southeastern coast. Its institutions of higher learning include colleges, universities and research institutes providing professional education in the arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, business and veterinary sciences.
The economy of Andhra Pradesh is mainly based on agriculture and software industries. It is home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, an ornate hilltop shrine to Hindu’s Vishnu that is visited by tens of millions of pilgrims annually.
The agreement is the first of its kind between Wright State and a government agency. The signing ceremony drew several Wright State deans and other top university educators and officials.
Wright State President Cheryl Schrader told the Andhra Pradesh delegation that Wright State and Ohio are pleased to enter into the partnership with Andhra Pradesh and that it will provide opportunities for growth and benefits for all parties.
Signing the documents for Wright State were Schrader; Thomas Sudkamp, provost; Walt Branson, chief business officer; and Bill Holmes, associate vice president of international affairs.
“There is a wonderful opportunity here to grow the knowledge economy in both places across the world,” Schrader said. “What better way to do it than to bring together the innovative minds of these two groups?”
Signing the documents for Andhra Pradesh were Ganta Srinivasa Rao, the minister for human resources development; Sri Aditya Nath Das, principal secretary for higher education; and Venkat Edara, advisor for higher education.
Rao is a businessman with degrees in commerce and law. He was first elected as a member of the Parliament, later as a member of the State Assembly and currently serves as the Cabinet member for human resources development, which covers primary, secondary, higher and technical education. Previously, Rao served as Cabinet member for infrastructure and investment, ports and natural gas.
