In an effort to expand interest among prospective international students and examine possible partnerships with institutions in India, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Maria Laskaris and Assistant Provost for Administration Laura Hercod visited secondary schools in India from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, according to Justin Anderson, director of media relations for the College.
The trip was part of a larger trade mission led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., intended to promote American exports to India, Anderson said.
During the trade mission, Laskaris and Hercod visited "key" secondary schools and met with embassy officials in Mumbai and Delhi, the two most populous cities in India, according to a statement from Shaheen's press office.
"I am confident these meetings serve as a valuable resource as Dartmouth advises prospective international undergraduates," Shaheen said in the statement.
Shaheen, a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, initially planned to attend the trade mission but could not because she had to perform Senate duties, according to Faryl Ury, Shaheen's press secretary.
Anderson said the trade mission was "valuable" because it provided a basis for future partnerships with Indian educational institutions, which could include sharing faculty members or providing support and ideas for Indian educational infrastructure.
"Educational infrastructure in India is growing and expanding, and it would be an interesting opportunity for us to be involved in that process," he said.
The trade mission also allowed College representatives to speak to Indian students who might want to attend Dartmouth, Anderson said.
"We're interested in cultivating pools of international students who are interested in coming to Dartmouth from all over," he said. "Any opportunity [when Laskaris] can meet with schools that are interested in sending more students to Dartmouth is a great opportunity."
Dartmouth participated in the trade mission with six other New Hampshire businesses and institutions, according to a press release from Shaheen's office. Dartmouth and the University of New Hampshire were the only higher educational institutions to participate, Anderson said.
The itinerary for the trade mission was coordinated through New Hampshire's branch of the U.S. Commercial Service. used the government-provided Gold Key Matching Service to connect each American business or institution to related enterprises in India, according to branch director Justin Oslowski.
"The itinerary was very tailored to each client on the trade mission," Oslowski said. "For Dartmouth, we arranged appointments with schools in India with students that would look at Dartmouth for higher education."
Oslowski said trade missions provide companies with opportunities to expand their business outside the United States, especially in an "important developing office" like India. Companies could have better used revenue from India during the 2008 recession, as India continued to grow economically during that time, he said.
"Growing our exports is key to growing jobs, and India represents an enormous and largely untapped competitive opportunity for New Hampshire businesses and workers," Shaheen said in the statement.
India has the second largest population and the fourth largest economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of $1.5 trillion, but is not among the top 20 markets for New Hampshire products, the press release said.
The trade mission also intended to "strengthen the bonds between the U.S. and India," Oslowski said.
"[The trade mission] was a good cultural thing to do," Oslowski said. "We wanted to build relationships and develop connections with India,"
The 10-month long preparation for the trip involved an application process in early July, matching each business with respective Indian establishments and meeting with various Indian organizations such as the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, according to Oslowski.
New Hampshire companies Firebrand International, Globaphone, GT Advanced Technologies, Optical Alchemy and Segway also participated in the trade mission, according to Oslowski.
Laskaris and Hercod could not be reached for comment by press time.
