The University of Akron is in preliminary discussions with the University of Mumbai to serve as a home for the Indian school’s first U.S. campus.
“I’m excited about exploring the prospects,” UA President Matthew Wilson said Thursday.
Mumbai officials have been in the United States scouting potential locations and met over the weekend with UA leaders.
The meeting stemmed from several Mumbai students spending time in the U.S. last year studying the presidential election process and working with UA’s Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.
A Mumbai campus in Akron would build on that relationship.
The Times of India newspaper reported this week that Mumbai officials have identified potential campus sites in New York City and Houston, but if neither of those work out, there’s an option to set up a facility in Akron.
“We are creating history,” Mumbai Vice Chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh told the newspaper. “A physical campus of Mumbai University in America is not far away.”
The University of Mumbai was founded in 1857 as the University of Bombay. It was one of the first three universities to open in India.
The new campus would focus on programs such as international politics, leadership and life coaching, the Times of India said.
Wilson said it was too early to identify a specific site on campus or talk about how many students it would involve.
“It could be a great partnership just based on what I’ve seen,” he added. “Personally, I feel that there’s a lot of opportunity to collaborate.”
Wilson plans to visit Mumbai over the next several months to continue the discussions.
Universities and colleges around the country have been trying to boost the number of international students as a way to increase enrollments.
UA has 1,367 international students, including 227 from India.
Wilson has plenty of international collegiate experience in Asia. He taught in Japan and South Korea.
In 2015 while serving as head of the UA School of Law, he also launched an Asia study abroad program and signed deals with schools in Kyung Hee University in South Korea and Nagoya University in Japan.
City of Akron spokeswoman Ellen Lander Nischt said the city was unaware of the Mumbai discussions.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ .