M.C. Madhavan

M.C. Madhavan

SDSU is offering a unique opportunity for students to earn three units while visiting and experiencing India through the university’s study abroad program during the winter break from Dec. 29 to Jan. 17.

The “India – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” program is led by the distinguished Dr. M.C. Madhavan, professor of Economics and Asian Studies Emeritus at SDSU, together with prominent academicians, industrialist and senior government officials.  This is the sixth year of this successful program, which is offered through the SDSU College of Extended Studies study abroad program and is open to SDSU students, students at other universities, and the general public.

The program will be held in Kerala, Odisha (Orissa), Tamilnadu and Uttar Pradesh. Accommodations will be arranged in three- or four-star hotels. Participants will also have many opportunities to meet local students and enjoy hosted dinners with local VIPs.

Madhavan, who moved to the United States in 1960, was recently honored as a 2014 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Local Hero. The recipient of a remarkable five Fulbright Awards, he has also been honored with the Gandhi, King, Ikeda award and Peace Medal, the Honored American Award from Americans By Choice, and he was chosen SDSU’s most influential professor of Economics and Asian Studies.

“I wanted to do something that could help SDSU students understand and appreciate India better,” he told KPBS News. “Almost all the students have had memorable, fruitful experiences. Ryan Fowler, a Quest for the Best Award recipient in 2011, honored me as the person who made a significant contribution towards his achievement as an SDSU student. Another, Lashane Johnson, has received a Fulbright teaching award to go to India this year.”

Students participating in the coming study abroad program will be required to write a term paper on a subject related to India or India-United States relations and a daily journal.

For more information, visit www.neverstoplearning.net/studyabroad. There is a modest amount of scholarship support available by contacting Madhavan or Melissa Boathouse at (619) 594- 0931.