Announcing SAGE (SouthAsia-IEN Academy for Global Engagement)

Connecting the world and South Asia through our colleges and universities

The South Asia International Education Network (South Asia-IEN) brings together leaders, practitioners, scholars, and entrepreneurs in the global higher education space whose origins and/or work touch upon the countries of South Asia.

ABOUT SOUTHASIA-IEN

ABOUT

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South Asians constitute one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in the U.S. and our presence in the U.S. higher education landscape has increased in both visibility and impact:

A growing number of leaders at U.S. colleges and universities and at higher education nonprofits and companies are of South Asian origin
The countries, cultures, and sociopolitical issues of South Asia are well-established in U.S. academia; and
The flows of students and scholars between the US and South Asian countries have been a strong foundation for educational and cultural diplomacy since the early 1900s, and also constitute a critical source of global talent for the U.S.

To date no South Asia-focused organization or network has tapped into the collective professional power of these groups.

South Asia-IEN helps fill this gap and is not limited to those of South Asian heritage. Rather, we aim to be inclusive, recognizing the wide and deep historical, geographical, and cultural connections between the countries of South Asia; across the widespread South Asian diaspora; and the extensive engagement in South Asia by a large number of scholars and practitioners who themselves may or may not be of South Asian heritage.

WHAT WE OFFER

What We Offer

Peer-to-Peer Networking

A platform to connect professionals, scholars, and leaders across US higher education, nonprofits, and business with each other to share knowledge; explore collaborations and partnerships; and develop professionally.

Higher Education Partnerships

Create a clear pathway to build linkages between the U.S. and South Asian countries, especially at a time when many South Asian countries’ higher education sector is seeing rapid growth and a new openness to global engagement.

Educational Diplomacy

Engage the diplomatic sector and serve as a resource to countries’ embassies and consulates in the U.S. on educational and cultural exchanges and diplomacy. Advocate for the inclusion of higher education mobility in discussions of diplomacy and foreign affairs.

Mentoring & Professional Development

Mentor the next generation of international education professionals with ties to South Asia; increasing the representation of South Asians in leadership roles in international education; and serving first- and second-generation South Asians in the diaspora.

Introducing SAGE:
SouthAsia-IEN Academy for Global Engagement

SAGE

The SouthAsia-IEN Academy for Global Engagement (SAGE) is the professional development and capacity-building arm of SouthAsia-IEN and helps build bridges between global higher education institutions and South Asia through training, professional development, and bespoke advisory services. SAGE empowers university leaders, faculty, and international education professionals with the knowledge, skills, and global perspectives needed to strengthen institutional capacity and advance cross-border collaboration that yields impact. Drawing on global expertise and regional insights, SAGE’s programs are grounded in research yet are practice-oriented. SAGE is launching with three integrated and complementary offerings:

Focused on global higher education sectors and South Asia, high-impact and flexible online learning experiences led by experts and designed for professionals seeking to deepen their global engagements. Offerings include targeted workshops and certificate programs for higher education leaders, international office staff, and faculty.

In-person, transformative leadership and exchange programs, including short-term exchanges, leadership institutes, impact fellowships, and delegation visits for higher education leaders from around the world and South Asia, aimed at fostering sustainable institutional partnerships, including engagement with key government and public-private agencies, and the diplomatic sector.

Premier institutional advisory and bespoke services focused on unique problems and solutions. SAGE Connect's bespoke solutions will equip higher education institutions with strategic knowledge, practical tools, and sustainable frameworks that ensure long-term impact, growth, and return on investment.Through customized consulting and training, we aim to help global and South Asian institutions enhance their international engagement and build internal capacity.

Launching soon...

SAGE Leadership Immersion Series (India Edition): An in-person transformative leadership immersion program and strategic partnership initiative driving U.S.-India higher education collaboration through deep and sustained engagement and a strong return on investment for participants. (Tentative travel dates for India: March 2026)

SAGE Impact Lab: A high-impact online learning experience designed to equip U.S. and Indian institutions to build essential knowledge, strengthen institutional capacity, with deep understanding, practical insights and a solid foundation for advancing meaningful engagement and long-term collaboration.

(Tentative start: April 2026)

Let's Go...Express Your Interest Here!

Who We Are

WHO WE ARE

Our co-founders bring to SouthAsia-IEN a combined expertise of 50+ years in international higher education in academic and nonprofit settings in the U.S.; a deep passion for and commitment to connecting the U.S. and South Asian diaspora through higher education; and their lived experiences as international student alumni and proud Indian American immigrants.

Co-Founder

Rajika Bhandari, Ph.D.

Dr. Rajika Bhandari is an international higher education expert, a scholar-practitioner, and the author of the award-winning book, America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility. With 25+ years of experience in the nonprofit and higher education sectors, including Indo-U.S. exchanges, she now offers data-driven guidance on international engagement strategy to nonprofits, multilateral organizations, and higher education institutions globally through her firm, Rajika Bhandari Advisors.

She currently also serves as a Senior Advisor to the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. She previously led the IC3 Institute as its President and CEO, and spent over a decade at the Institute of International Education (IIE) where she led IIE’s research, evaluation and thought leadership portfolio, including the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, an essential resource for understanding international student flows and U.S. study abroad. Dr. Bhandari is a widely published author and a keynote speaker on international education issues, global talent, and Asian American identity. She also hosts the World Wise podcast on the intersections of education, culture, and (im)migration. Educated at the University of Delhi, India, and North Carolina State University in the U.S., Dr. Bhandari knows first-hand the experience of academic mobility and migration. She was appointed to the prestigious National Academy for International Education in 2024 and in 2025 received NAFSA's inaugural John and Anne Hudzik Prize for Sustained Leadership in Higher Education Internationalization. Learn more about her work at: www.rajikabhandari.com.

Co-Founder

Uttiyo Raychaudhuri, Ph.D.

Dr. Uttiyo Raychaudhuri is the Vice Provost for Internationalization at the University of Denver and faculty in the Department of Geography and Environment. He served before this at Cornell University as the first Executive Director in the Office of Global Learning. Prior to that, he worked at Clemson University and the University of Georgia. His leadership has been recognized twice (2012 & 2014) with the Institute of International Education’s Andrew Heiskell Award for Best Practices and Innovation in International Education.

Raychaudhuri has served as an elected member to the Forum on Education Abroad Council for two terms. Through his work, he has successfully advocated for high-impact, evidence-based academic and global engagement as a key foundation of the universities strategic plan. Through his research work and presentations, Raychaudhuri has actively promoted global engagement and international education to advance and advocate the cause of global citizenry including key notions of sustainability and ‘dignity for life’ by nurturing love and respect for the peoples and environments of our world.

News

News & Updates

Since our founding, SouthAsia-IEN has been an active voice in key global conversations about international education. From major media outlets to international conferences and podcasts, our perspectives on mobility, equity, and collaboration have reached audiences around the world.

P3.EDU Innovation and Public-Private Partnership in Higher Education conference, Georgia Tech University, Atlanta, Nov. 2025. SouthAsia-IEN was represented on a panel on Global Recruitment: India and China.

Bhandari, R. (2025). Leveraging the Power of the Indian Diaspora: US–India Higher Education Relations. International Higher Education.

Hopkins–India Conference May 2025 — SouthAsia-IEN was proud to lead a panel on U.S.-India higher education internationalization at a pivotal conference hosted by the Johns Hopkins Gupta-Klinsky India Institute, where scholars, practitioners, and policymakers explored the evolving landscape of U.S.–India higher education partnerships.

Rajika Bhandari: Internationalization of higher education. Interview in the Gupta-Klinsky Institute's newsletter, May 2025

In the press: International Enrollment's Precarious Moment, Inside Higher Education, March 19 2025.

In the press: The First U.S. Campus in India is Finally Opening, Inside Higher Education, May 8, 2025.

In the press: $100,000 H-1B Fee Under Trump Hits Harvard, Stanford Already Facing Funding Freeze, The Economic Times, Sep. 26, 2025.

In the press: A New Era in International Enrollment, Inside Higher Education, Nov. 18, 2024.

How can universities deepen their ties with India? Keystone Education Group, Sep. 25, 2024.

What should you be doing to recruit students from India? Keystone Higher Ed Chats Podcast, July 31, 2024.

In the press: Modi’s US visit pushes HE, technology collaboration. University World News, June 27, 2023.

CONTACT

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South Asia International Education Network