MSU's Asian Studies Center will bring the chairman of the University Grants Commission in India to campus this week.

Professor Arun Nigavekar will hold a lecture, "Higher Education in India: Emerging New Scenarios" at 5 p.m. today in Room 303 of the International Center. A discussion about the future challenges facing India's higher education system will follow at 6 p.m.

While on campus, Nigavekar will participate in a full day of scheduled meetings with MSU officials to discuss intellectual property rights and create a link between the two educational systems.

"The undergraduates in India as a whole have a new identity, a new image that produces knowledge creatively," Nigavekar said. "We have started using information communication technology in a very innovative way to enhance access, as well as to make education more relevant in a knowledge-linked economy and compete at the global level."

The University Grants Commission is the second largest educational system in the world and is responsible for determining and maintaining standards in teaching and research in India.