&lt;p&gt;Fairfax, Va. &amp;ndash; George Mason University was chosen by the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iie.org/&quot;&gt;Institute of International Education &lt;/a&gt;(IIE) to participate in the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iie.org/en/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Press-Center/Press-Releases/2011/2011-07-18-International-Academic-Partnership-Program-India-2012-US-Schools&quot;&gt;2012 India Initiative of the International Academic Partnership Program&lt;/a&gt; (IAPP). Mason was one of 11 colleges and universities throughout the United States chosen to participate in the program.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The program will be housed in &lt;a href=&quot;http://masonglobal.gmu.edu/&quot;&gt;Mason&amp;rsquo;s Office of Global and International Strategies&lt;/a&gt;, which helps the university attain its strategic goals in international education and expand its reputation as a global university.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Established in 2009 with funding from the Department of Education, the IAPP is run by the IIE Center for International Partnerships in Higher Education. The program aims to establish a toolkit of best practices that will help increase the number of partnerships between institutions of higher education in the United States and India.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;ldquo;George Mason University is delighted to participate in a project that should enhance interactions with India and South Asia through higher education,&amp;rdquo; says Mason Provost Peter Stearns.&quot;We greatly value the growing numbers of South Asian students and faculty on our campus and are eager to develop further collaborations. Concurrently, we will be expanding the educational programs concerning India on our own campus.&amp;rdquo;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Throughout the next year, program staff at each of the 11 institutions will participate in a series of training activities arranged by IIE to help them implement and sustain partnerships with institutions in India, culminating with a study tour of the country in early 2012 to meet with potential partner campuses. Each institution will form a campus-wide task force to work on prospective partnerships, conduct an institution-wide inventory of activities pertaining to India and develop a strategic plan focused on partnership with India. Partnership activities may include joint programs, student exchanges or faculty linkages for collaborative research and teaching.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Other institutions chosen to participate in the program include Fort Hays State University; Northern Illinois University; Queens College of The City University of New York; Rollins College; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Suffolk University; Thomas College; University of Kentucky; University of Oregon; and University of Montana.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The IIE is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. As an independent, nonprofit organization, IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundation and corporations. IIE also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;About George Mason University&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country. Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University-Where Innovation Is Tradition.&lt;/p&gt;