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The article discusses difficulties facing efforts by U.S. colleges and universities to develop campuses and partnerships in India. Topics include problems with recruiting graduate students from India, comparisons of higher education in China to that in India, and government restrictions on foreign universities. Also addressed are the impact of bureaucratic regulations on foreign academics, the balance between teaching and research involved in faculty exchanges, and the involvement of the firm Sannam S4 in interpreting Indian culture and regulations for U.S. universities.

The article discusses conditions for high school graduates in India who want to enroll in college, noting that Indian universities do not have enough capacity for all who want to attend. This situation encourages undergraduates to consider studying abroad in places such as the U.S., Australia, Canada, Britain and Singapore. It focuses on Shri Ram, an elite high school in New Delhi, which has begun offering the International Baccalaureate to help students who want to study abroad. Stiff competition among U.S. institutions for Indian students is noted. A college fair attracted personnel from Colorado State University, University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse, the Lone Star College system, and Angelo State University. Some schools employ independent agents in India.

The article discusses how American colleges and universities are being impacted by global economic downturns, particularly in countries such as India and China. According to the article, the number of foreign college students from China and India who pursue degrees at U.S. colleges may decrease due to slow economic growth in said countries. Other topics explored include foreign college student recruitment, the expanding, and less-expensive, higher education market in Malaysia and Europe, and the values placed on a college degree by Chinese and Indian cultures.

The article discusses data from research regarding U.S. college student participation in foreign study during the 2009-2010 academic year. It examines the impact of the U.S. economic recession on student participation in semester-long and short-term foreign study, discusses the rise in popularity of faculty-led overseas programs in countries such as India and China, and profiles a study abroad academic minor for engineering students at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The article discusses the efforts of India's education minister, Kapil Sibal, to improve Indian higher education by partnering with American universities. To do so he is building 14 innovation universities and hopes as well to expand vocational education and community colleges. Sibal spent a week in the U.S. in October 2009, visiting the presidents of Harvard and Boston Universities and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, as well as the presidents of Yale, Georgetown and Duke Universities. He met with Education Secretary Arne Duncan. His vision is that of equal partnerships in which American universities open campuses in India which are designed to meet India's needs. It is seen as an opportunity for innovation by all sides.

The article discusses fears felt by academics after the publisher of the book "The Hindus: An Alternative History" by University of Chicago professor Wendy Doniger withdrew all remaining copies after protests from some Hindus. Topics discussed include the rise of Hindu nationalism in India, protests against the book "Kali's Child: The Mystical and the Erotic in the Life and Teachings of Ramakrishna" by Jeffrey J. Kripal, and the possible impact on graduate students supervised by Doniger.

The article discusses how a lawsuit filed by the U.S. attorney for Northern California against the online Tri-Valley University may have an impact on foreign relations between the U.S. and India. It presents concerns by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding the validity of visas which were issued to students at the university and examines the Indian government's criticism of U.S. officials over the issuing of ankle bracelets to Indian students studying at the school.

The article discusses the effect of the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 on international college student enrollments in the U.S. The expectation was that shrinking budgets and lower financial aid packages would create a downward trend in international enrollments. This has not been the case as of 2009, but concerns persist for future years. The exception is enrollment from India, which sends the largest number of students to the U.S. Student visa numbers from India are 31 percent lower for 2009-2010 than for the previous year. An adviser is quoted saying Indian students are staying away from the U.S. because the job market is not good. The pattern for Indian students has been to study in the U.S. and get a job and stay. Lower financial aid packages exacerbates the problem.

The author reports on changes that may be made to the higher education system in India by Kapil Sibal, the minister in charge of higher education in India. Actions that Sibal has taken during his first month in office are mentioned, including taking steps to expand educational opportunities between the U.S. and India. The author states that Sibal has promised to work on legislation that would allow foreign universities to open campuses in India.

The article reports on the impact of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India on U.S. students studying abroad in India. The article suggests that U.S. colleges such as Champlain College have taken safety measures such as temporarily closing their Indian campuses. However, the article also suggests that U.S. universities are increasing their engagement and focus on India, and the amount of U.S. students studying there is on the rise.

The article discusses an initiative by Yale University to expand its educational offerings related to India. The university will use endowment funds to recruit faculty trained in disciplines related to India, change its curriculum to include Indian subjects and increase student exchange and recruiting programs based in India as part of the Yale India Initiative. The university will also offer language courses in Hindi, Sanskit and Tamil and expand internship programs and outreach efforts. University president Richard Levin notes how India's economic and political growth inspired the change in the college's curriculum.

The article reports on an endowment by the Tata Trusts, a philanthropic group managed by industrialist Ratan Tata, to Cornell University to promote the recruiting of Indian students and fund research projects conducted in cooperation with Indian colleges. Tata, an alumni of the school, made the donation to fund a scholarship program for Indian students. The author discusses donations to international programs at other universities, such as Spelman College, which have increased as a reaction to globalization. David J. Skorton, president of Cornell University, comments that a trip to India to promote academic cooperation inspired the donation and notes that the donation will contribute to research on improving Indian food systems.