At the end of June, members of the senior academic leadership team at St. Francis College (SFC) traveled to Hyderabad, in south-central India, to recruit students for SFC’s hybrid graduate degree program in management and accounting, which combines both online and in-person coursework.

The group consisted of Dr. Gale Gibson-Gayle, Assistant Vice-President of Academic Affairs for Online Learning and Program Development and Dean of Graduate Education and Professional Studies; Dr. Timothy J. Houlihan, Director of International Study and Professor of History; and Dr. James Baker, International Student Advisor and the Designated School Official (DSO) during the 10-day visit. They were invited to India by Dr. Anil Palla, founder of University Hub, to speak to prospective students about SFC’s degree offerings. University Hub assists individuals wishing to study at American colleges and universities.

Hyderabad is the capital of India's Telangana state and a major technology hub. While there, the SFC team visited several feeder colleges that have sent students to SFC to pursue an M.S. in Management and Accountancy, including the Sree Dattha Institute of Engineering and Science and Guru Nanak University. The trio from SFC led information sessions for a total of around 600 students. They also conducted on-spot admissions events at the Aditya Trade Center, the Platinum Hotel and the University Hub office in Ameerpet. At these events, SFC conditionally accepted several students, each of whom will receive a $6,800 scholarship toward their SFC tuition.

Pawan A. Srivastava, CEO of University Hub, said: “University Hub is very excited to have this exclusive partnership with St. Francis College and bring SFC’s graduate STEM programs to our students and network partners worldwide. This is an excellent opportunity for our international students to experience studying in the Big Apple and build their international careers.”

During their stay in India, the SFC team participated in a press conference, held at the Westin Hyderabad Mindspace Hotel, that was covered by at least five local newspapers, including the widely read Deccan Chronicle, as well as by India News 24x7 and HYBIZ-TV.

Dr. Gayle, the project manager for the University Hub partnership, expressed “an enormous ‘thank you’ to Rob Oliva and the entire Enrollment Management team at SFC for their assistance in preparation for the visit and their support of this initiative.”