ISB plans to set up second campus; to go global

Source: Business Line

The Indian School of Business (ISB) will be setting up another campus in India besides actively exploring the feasibility of going to foreign shores.

“There has been a consensus in our board that an additional campus in India is highly required keeping in view the growing image of the school,” Prof. M. Rammohan Rao, Dean, ISB, told Business Line here.

The school, however, has not zeroed in on any location for the proposed campus and was currently weighing various options.

Further, the school is also mulling launching a campus abroad as well. “All these goals and strategies to be adopted are being hammered as part of Vision 2030 on which we are working for the last six months,” the Dean said.

To cater to the growing demand from the corporate world, the school will also ramp up its class strength from the current 425 to 560 from 2009-10. “We are constructing another student’s village to support the increased numbers,” Mr Rao said.

Consequently, the permanent faculty would also be doubled to 45. “In addition to doubling, we will be introducing special incentives/programmes to attract talented faculty and retain them,” he said. As of now, ISB has seen only two faculty quitting from a team of 22 in the last three years.

To increase its focus on research, the six-year-old school would introduce pre-doctoral course from the next academic year.

“It would be a two-year foundation course in methodology and one’s basic area of interest/research. After completion the students would be sent to the New York University and other universities with which we have tie-ups for doctoral programmes,” the ISB Chief said.

A dedicated centre of leadership innovation would be launched next month.

“This will also take up extensive research on best management practices and on what takes to be a successful global leader.

“We are trying to synthesise some of the management/leadership principles enunciated in Indian economy, philosophy and culture with the current corporate needs,” he added.

On the funding requirements for the expansion, the board members are ready to extend significant funding. “There are many options and the exercise is on,” he said.