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Elon University moves to strengthen academic ties with India
The collaboration with the University of Madras is expected to enhance academic opportunities and global engagement.
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Bhavana P - Tue, 15, Apr 2025
- 15:47 EDT
- 34
Professors Amy Allocco and Brian Pennington (left) with assistant professor S. Sasikala and assistant professor James Ponniah of the University of Madras. / Elon University
Elon University’s Center for the Study of Religion, Culture, and Society has signed a new academic agreement with the University of Madras in India to support student and faculty exchange, collaborative research, and global learning.
The five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU), builds on a previous partnership that ran from 2017 to 2020 but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was coordinated by professor Brian Pennington of Elon and assistant professor James Ponniah of Madras.
Also read: UH partners with Delhi Technological University
The new MOU supports Elon’s Multifaith Strategic Plan, which promotes understanding across diverse religious and spiritual traditions through dialogue, education, and community engagement. It also aligns with the Boldly Elon strategic plan, the university’s 10-year roadmap for innovation and growth, particularly its goals to enhance global learning, academic excellence, and inclusive leadership.
Notably, the University of Madras has played a key role in Elon’s global programs. Its faculty have contributed to Elon’s Winter Term course “India’s Identities,” advised on the Periclean Scholars’ Sri Lanka initiative, and supported Fulbright research by Elon students and faculty. Professors Pennington and Amy Allocco have worked closely with Madras faculty and students through lectures, mentoring, and Ph.D. thesis reviews.
To celebrate the renewed partnership, both institutions co-hosted a conference in Chennai titled “Religion and Cities.” The event explored how religion and urban life shape each other and featured presenters from India, the United States, and Canada. Elon faculty including Allocco, Pennington, and assistant professor Waseem bin Kasim participated.
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