[Assam] Part1--Harvard Grad. ceremony: Shock & style; Michael Porter & Mumbai; IITs not enough

[umesh sharma]

Hi,

 

I graduated yesterday at about 1:30 pm, after touching the feet of the Dean Lagemann and Professor Reimers (our IEP program director) and a hug from Professor Kay Merseth and a friendly wave from Professor Vicci Jacobs and Dr. Nancy Ninheus-the outgoing student affairs director. I could not seek blessings from two other professors on the platform (Prof. Tivnan of Stats and Prof Schwartz of Ed. Policy) due to space and time constraints.

 

Other students were just shaking the hand of the dean or one or two other professors.

 

I decided to show the Indian style Guru-student engagement in front of everyone, when the Dean forgot to mention our international  program in her intro. Speech, while mentioning other programs for teachers, principlas, school leaders , ed. Policy etc. Earlier, I had hoped to seek blessings from the professors and the Dean in a more private manner. What better way to attract the attention of everyone to our program than an international style greeting?!!.

 

The Dean did give awards to our HGSE librarian (�the best library at Harvard� ) and to the Student Union leader Cheng Zhu (from China) for her efforts in getting in more international students. She was instrumental in our fin. Aid meet with the Dean�s team as well. I had done a bit for her election, by being perhaps the only person openly campaigning for any candidate. I was new then.

 

Even Univ President Summers forgot to mention that our School of Education has a good number of international students �when he narrated that one third of all graduate students at Harvard are international �in law, business, government policy, public health etc. Perhaps we don�t have so many here. Also countries like Mexico have got [partnerships with KSG govt school to fully fund any Mexican students getting admitted to their PhD program and that other countries and schools at Harvard should do the same. Our IEP student- team had recommended the same to our GSE�s Dean�sTeam just a few days ago.

He did mention that in Bombay (Mumbai) Harvard will shortly open a research centre. Similar to the one in San Tiago , Chile. Later more centers will come up in Hong Kong , Singapore, Sydney etc �where the undergraduate (college) students can also go to learn about those countries.

 John F. Kennedy had gone on such a program to UK in 1938,to learn about British response to Nazi rule �which helped later in shaping the policy for Vietnam etc (if I remember Summers correctly). India can also benefit by taking up a popular course being taught by Michael Porter (Micro-economics and competitiveness of nations) at the Harvard Business School and also at KSG �which is now being simultaneously taught in 56 countries �with suitable adaptation to local context.

 

My graduation ceremony could never have been so smooth (with a storm raging in my stomach despite repeated visits to the toilets) without the support of my student-mentor and dear friend and Teacher � Dr Erin Murphy Graham (she graduated with us �as did her husband in eco.-now both going to UC , Berkeley to teach there) who insisted on

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