American Sentinel CEO Tours India
Online university reaches out to India with an eye on the future.
Aurora, CO (PRWEB) June 18, 2008 – The information technology revolution over the past 20 years made the world a smaller place, creating the no-boundaries global economy that exists today. If American Sentinel University CEO Richard W. Oliver, Ph.D., is right, the current biotechnology age will completely remake the global economy yet again in ways the world can hardly imagine.
India Poised to Become Bio-Nano Hotbed
Oliver is the author of numerous books on business and technology, including two noted works on biotech and nanotech: The Coming Biotech Age: The Business of Bio-Materials (McGraw-Hill, 1999) and Biotech Age: The Business Of Biotech And How to Profit From It (McGraw-Hill, 2003).
He recently toured six colleges and universities in Northern India – including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Roorkee. India’s technological universities consistently rank alongside American institutions like MIT and Caltech. On his tour, Oliver presented his most recent bio-nano lecture to some of the most advanced learning centers in India.
“I believe India has everything necessary to create an advanced bio-nano economy, larger than its current information technology sector, and perhaps even eclipse the U.S. activity in this area,” said Oliver.
Fortune Telling of Telling Fortunes
When Oliver’s first biotech book appeared in 2000, the world was still coming to grips with the Internet economy, and biotech or nanotech got little attention. Now, a cursory online search will turn up a startling number of biotech and nanotech firms, and plenty of insiders talking about “bioterials,” a phrase Oliver coined by combining bio and new materials – or what is often referred to as nanotechnology.
“Since my last speaking tour of Indian universities and business groups, there has been a dramatic ramp-up of their bio-nano activities, particularly in the number of research centers and degree programs,” commented Oliver.
“Four years ago, their bio-nano programs were virtually non-existent, but now they are everywhere. With all the essential ingredients for success – a huge, diverse and English-speaking population, and a culture of openness and commitment to new technologies, India is poised to become a global leader in the bio-nano industry.”
Oliver’s ideas are far-reaching to say the least, and he envisions a future in which everything from the shirt on one’s back to the fuel in a car will be remade by biotechnology and nanotechnology. Seen from his perspective, this will yield some of the greatest business opportunities of all time. However, Oliver also recognizes the critics who would caution against a greater commitment to these new discoveries.
“Despite the concerns, we are going to see these things have amazing benefits on health and the environment,” explained Oliver. “This technology is inevitable. It’s the way a technology is used that determines its impact. Who can argue against technologies that will improve the lot of the Third World?”
In fact, if Oliver is right, biotech will remake the global economy into the kind of level playing field that will afford opportunity to everyone in every place in a way the world has never known.
“From my perspective,” he continued, “this will be the most important technological change ever. It will wipe out the distinctions between the first, second and third worlds.”
On With The Future
With this perspective, American Sentinel is creating closer ties with institutes in India and around the world, continuing its mission to remain at the cutting edge of online learning for students – and teachers – around the globe. Although American Sentinel does not currently offer a biotechnology program, university officials said one should be developed in the future.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, American Sentinel University offers 24 online degree programs (with no residency requirements) and more than 230 courses. The university has over 40 full-time and adjunct faculty, of which more than half hold a Ph.D.
Founded as a Vanderbilt University Technology Company, American Sentinel University delivers to its students the competitive advantages of unique online education programs focused on the needs of high-growth sectors. The university is accredited by the U.S. Secretary of Education-recognized Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council. For more information, visit American Sentinel University online at www.americansentinel.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jeffrey Caplan, Dean
Strategic Enrollment Management
Phone 615.690.1039
Mobile 615.482.1925
jeff.caplan@americansentinel.edu
