The signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding took place at the CAAD campus, Chennai between Lincoln University College, Malaysia and CAAD-Chennai Academy of Architecture & Design, Chennai on the 25th March, 2017, opening doors for international and cross-cultural educational exchanges for the students andfaculty. The educational institutions were represented by Prof. Dr. Amiya Bhaumik, Vice-Chancellor of Lincoln University College and Prof. Vinodh Vijayakumar, Director of CAAD-Chennai Academy of Architecture and Design.Honourable Vice-Chancellor of the Lincoln University College, Malaysia Prof. Dr. Amiya Bhaumik received a warm welcome from the students, faculty members and the entire CAAD team as he reached the CAAD Campus at Thumbakkam on the 25th March 2017. Prof. Dr. Anup K. Gogna, the Strategic Advisor for International Collaborations formally introduced Prof. Dr. Amiya to the faculty members at the faculty lounge. Prof. Dr. Amiya shared his experiences of nurturing institutions and congratulated the staff team for their significant role in setting the academic standards at CAAD. Following the meeting, Prof. Vinodh Vijayakumar guided Prof. Amiya through the CAAD campus and explained the unique facilities and how the spaces are consciously designed to take part in the architecture pedagogy at CAAD.
The entire CAAD fraternity along with the members in the delegation assembled at the Rajamannaraiah Hall for the signing ceremony. The Chairperson of CAAD Smt. Roopa Rajendran, and Prof. Dr. V. R. Rajendran addressed the gathering through video conferencing setup and wished the event a grand success. Prof. Gogna in his speech reiterated the importance of global exposure of the students and its pertinence to the field of architecture. Prof. Vinodh Vijayakumar enumerated the pedagogical approach of CAAD which stands at par with international standards and the additional exposure the students gain not only in academics but as an overall personal development also. Prof. Amiya Bhaumik assured that this collaboration will add value in the way the courses are packaged and delivered at CAAD.
The Memorandum of Understanding will create opportunities for academic and educational cooperation between the two institutions. It will further enable exchange of students and staff for collaborative research projects and sharing of specialist resources for expert lectures. The MOU opens a wide area of collaborative study programmes and award certificates, diplomas and degrees for programs launched by the two institutions.
The heads of both the institutions addressed the students and faculty about the importance of ambition and constant effort in their academic pursuits and shared their best wishes and vision towards creating wider portals of learning at the institutions. The programme concluded ceremoniously with the National Anthem of both the countries. The gathering adjourned for a grand lunch organized at the CAAD dining hall.
CAAD has lined many such collaborations and discussions are in the pipeline with reputed universities and institutions around the world to provide the best learning exposure to its students and career opportunities to the faculty.
