Education, Careers & Professional News
IIMs relax cut-offs to admit OBC students
Unlike the IIT that admitted OBC students on merit , the IIM were forced to relax entry norms for OBC candidates . While the relaxation of cut-offs was insignificant in some cases, some other B-campuses had to compromise on merit to allow these students in.
For instance, if the cut-off for the general category students after the common admission test (CAT) stood at 38% at IIM-Calcutta , it stood at 35 for OBC students. This, despite the fact that the B-school , which has a total student intake of 318, merely admitted 3% OBC candidates (see box). Again scores dipped further for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, which stood at 21% and 19.32% respectively. Worse, despite these relaxed cut-offs , the institute could not fill all the seats reserved for SC and ST students. Reservation for SC candidates stands at 15% and 7.5% seats need to be filled with ST students.
At IIM-Indore , 1,700 candidates were interviewed for 307 seats on the campus. While a minuscule number of OBC students got in through the general category merit list, IIM-Indore admissions chairperson Neeraj Dwivedi said, “We needed to go a few steps below the last general category students to take in OBC candidates . However, the relaxation had to be provided only at the initial screening stage, ie, after the CAT.'’ The scene was similar at IIM-Lucknow that interviewed 100 OBC students following which it admitted 23 of them. “But we had to provide some relaxation in marks, by about 4-5 % points,'’ said director Devi Singh.
The OBC story has played out rather differently at the management campuses. All the OBC candidates figured in the general category merit list of the IITs. In fact, each of the old seven IITs implemented 7% reservation and the six new campuses rolled out 27% reservation for OBCs. Among the IIMs, Kozhikode is the only one that tried to do that. Admissions officials said that offer letters were handed out to 65 OBC students ; 55 of them decided to join. “We have lowered our entry criteria a little. Also, we have accommodated two students in a room instead of one. But we decided to implement the quota as much as possible because we have an unblemished placement record for SC/ ST students. So we are sure of handling the OBC quota students as well,'’ said a senior faculty member of the institute.
What worries most institute officials is that as the quota increases over the years, merit will be ignored. “Most IIMs are already finding it difficult to fill the reserved category seats. With OBC quota going up and general category seats remaining intact, intake for SC and ST will also have to correspondingly swell. How are we going to keep merit as our priority?'’ asked senior faculty at IIM-Bangalore .
More : timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Karnataka ready to go back to B-school
Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa wants to school his ministers before they well and truly begin to rule.
With development high on its agenda, the newly-formed Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state has decided to rope in the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) to give lessons in public policy to ministers and bureaucrats.
While this would be a unique experience for the powers that be, this is also the first time that the IIM-B would design such courses.
The decision was taken at a meeting between the institute and Yeddyurappa last week.
“The chief minister liked the idea and immediately agreed to facilitate it. Now, we are discussing how to develop the course and expect to finalise it by month-end,” chairman of centre for public policy (CPP) Gopal Naik said.
The ministers will learn to understand various issues and form public policies to tackle them through the short-term courses ranging from two days to a week. The courses will include workshops and seminars.
The CPP at IIM has a two-year post-graduate programme and short-term courses for IAS, IFS, IRS and ICS officers where the babus learn to identify issues and design and implement policies.
More : dnaindia.com
Marjorie Deane Financial Journalism Foundation
The Marjorie Deane Financial Journalism Foundation aims to promote the understanding of financial markets and institutions, and in particular to foster excellence in financial journalism. Applications are invited for studentships at a prominent British university or business school leading to a masters degree in finance or economics. A successful candidate, who must have been accepted for such course, will have some or all of his/her fees paid and will also receive a contribution towards living expenses.
Requirements: Students who have been accepted on a United Kingdom postgraduate course in econom¬ics or a similar subject; People who are unemployed or have been made redundant, and who wish to obtain vocational training in financial journalism. Applicants are not confined to people living in the United Kingdom and there are no restrictions regarding age, sex, etc. Preference will be given to applicants who can write well and who will produce a piece of research (probably based on their dissertation) that is suitable for publication.
To apply: Send a CV, a proposed research topic and proof of entry to a masters degree programme. Elana Herron, The Economist, 26 Lion Square, London, WC1R4HQ.
Submission: May 9,2008.
ISB, is launching what it claims to be the first-ever Pre-Doctoral Programme in India
Pre-Doctoral Course
The Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, is launching what it claims to be the first-ever Pre-Doctoral Programme in India. The programme offers training and relevant exposure to those aspiring to get admitted into a PhD programme in leading B-Schools around the world. It costs approximately Rs 5,00,000 per-person per-year. However, the ISB will absorb the costs and offer it free of cost to participants.
TI, IIT-Kgp in medical tech pact
Texas Instruments (TI), the global information technology company, has signed a four-year collaborative agreement with the School of Medical Science and Technology of Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP), to develop semiconductor technologies that will help improve the quality, comfort and accessibility of healthcare in India.
This is TI’s first partnership with an IIT on research projects devoted to medical electronics innovation. The project is a part of TI’s recent announcement to spend $15 million towards funding research work in the field of medical technology.
According to Ajoy Kumar Ray, head of school of medical science and technology at IIT-KGP, “In India alone, about 800,000 patients undergo coronary bypass surgery every year, while one in every 12 women develops breast cancer. Also, oral leukoplakia and oral sub-mucous fibrosis have been widely prevalent in India and are a cause of concern to scientists in the country. The TI-IT KGP technology partnership will enable devices that could help address some of these pressing healthcare issues.”
The research team will develop semiconductors for medical equipment for cancer and cardiac-related treatment. TI’s was supporting this research to help develop new semiconductor technologies for personal medical devices, implantables, medical imaging, wireless healthcare systems and bio-sensor technology.
The IIT-KGP research collaboration reflected TI’s keenness to develop the next generation of innovators.
The outcome of the research would be intellectual property of TI, which will use the technology globally, said Bishwadip Mitra, managing director of TI India Ltd.
Other research focus areas would be detection technology for cancer and heart problems by use of imaging technology and micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) based biosensor technology.
“The research will be essentially on TI platform, as the company has an arsenal of about 17,000 analog chips, which can be used for imaging techniques,” Mitra said.
The collaborative research with IIT-KGP, which would involve 15-20 researchers, would be divided into three groups — biological research team, image processing team, and doctors, said Mitra.
This apart, specialists from TI would also work with the IIT researchers, and the research would be reviewed every six months, Ray added.
TI works with medical device customers across the globe to make quality healthcare more accessible to consumers.
More : business-standard.com
Top B-schools to join IIMs’ fee-hike trek
Got your sights set on management education? Here’s a news flash: It’s just got that much more expensive! Now that the IIM fee-hike jig is done, other major B-schools like MDI, Gurgaon; TAPMI, Manipal; SP Jain and Goa Institute of Management are going the same way as well. End result: Students pay more, wherever they go.
TA Pai Management Institute, Manipal, for instance, has decided to effect a 50% increase in fees for its two-year management course from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6 lakh (all-inclusive, without food) from the 2008-09 session. “This decision has been taken partly to recover some of the costs incurred by us to set up the new campus. This may even go up to Rs 6.5 lakh from next year,” TAPMI director D Nagabrahmam said.
Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, too is raising its fees: from approximately Rs 6 lakh to around Rs 7.92 lakh for its two-year flagship programme. In fact, MDI director SK Basu said that the institute was planning to increase fees across courses so as to not put the burden on just a particular set of students.
“We have even increased the intake from 300 to 360, with AICTE approval. As a self-sufficient institute, which gets no government grants, this has been done to offset costs, including that of our planned expansion,” said Mr Basu.
More : economictimes.indiatimes.com
Intaglio, IIM Calcutta launched; Several New Initiatives Announced
Intaglio, the Annual International Business School Meet of IIM Calcutta announced the launch of the 2007-08 meet scheduled to be held from 4th - 6th January, 2008, with several new ground-shaking initiatives lined up. The Aditya Birla Group will be the Title Partners of Intaglio 2007-08, which is widely recognized as the Largest Business School Meet in India.
Over the years, Intaglio has evolved into one of the few business meets of international standard, attracting participation from the best schools around the world. With some of the largest exclusive events, encompassing all the facets of management, from Finance to Marketing, Strategy to Systems and Operations, Intaglio is widely recognized as the best business meet in the country. As a testimonial to its best practices and highly professional execution, Intaglio achieved the distinction of becoming the first event of its kind in the country to be ISO 9001:2000 certified.
Intaglio has witnessed some of the finest minds – thought leaders and visionaries in their fields of work – mesmerize participants with their insights into issues of national and international relevance. In the past Intaglio has been graced by some leading luminaries including Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Mr. Azim Premji, Professor Mohanbir Shawney, Mr. Omkar Goswami, Mr. Manoj Kohli and Mr. Sunil Alagh among others. This year, Intaglio is expecting confirmations from several celebrated speakers from across the world soon.
More : indiaprwire.com
Couple give IIT-K Rs 9 cr for B-school
Two alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology, Rajendra Singh and his wife Neera, have donated Rs 9 crore to their alma mater — the highest amount ever donated to the institution by an individual.
The money is meant for setting up of an elite management school inside the institute. Singh said this would promote entrepreneurship, so that management graduates can go ahead and give jobs to others. It is also learnt that graduates with innovative ideas will be financially supported to establish businesses. Neera Singh, who is from Lucknow, hopes this management school will boost the spirit of business among skilled youth.
Originally from Jhunjhunu from Rajasthan, Rajendra Singh completed his BTech in Electrical Engineering from the institute in 1975. His wife Neera did her BTech in Chemical Engineering and graduated in 1981. Rajendra Singh at present is Chairman of the Board of Directors of two telecom companies in America — LCC International and Telecom Ventures, LLC.
More : expressindia.com
B-school hosts deans from SAARC
Hyderabad’s Indian School of Business (ISB) with help from the Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia (AMDISA) held a meeting of B-school Deans from the SAARC region. The meeting was organised to discuss ‘ strategies and challenges before management institute South Asia and share best practices to reach global standards. Some of the points discussed at the gathering was AMDISA’s South Asian Accreditation system which, the members agreed, suits the region’s clime. An important point of deliberation was the need for both quantity and quality in the number of management graduates in the seven member countries. Another discussion was on developing individual competitive space rather than use a common yardstick for accreditation.
Minister to speak at French B-school
Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath is going to visit the ESCP-EAP campus in Paris during an official trip to France. At the B-school, the minister will speak on the reforms by Indian government, international commerce and globalisation.
PSB in association with Doctoral-level programmed for executives
Doctoral-level programmed for executives
New Delhi-based Pearl School of Business (PSB) in association with Thailands Asian Institute of Technologys School of Management has announced admission to the first doctoral-level programme for executives in India. Scheduled to start in January 2008, the weekend PSB Doctor of Business Administration is open to MBAs or Executive MBAs from recognised institutions, with at least 10 years work experience. The application deadline is November 26.
B-school starts free e-learning portal, OPENCIM
B-school starts free e-learning portal
Grenoble Ecole de Management has become the first French management school to offer free access to its classes via an e-learning portal, OPENCIM (Open Courseware in Management). The B-school now delivers several free online distance-learning classes including in management, consumer behaviour, and decision-making and would gradually increase the number of modules throughout the year. So far, over 1,000 students, most of them from francophone African countries, have already subscribed to OPENCIM
Centre for Financial Planning ISBF held a seminar on becoming a world class financial planner
New certificate programme
Centre for Financial Planning -Indian School of Business and Finance (ISBF) held a seminar on becoming a world class financial planner. Industry representatives like Gurjeet Singh Sohi, Vice President, Deutsche Bank and Devinder Singh CFP, Chief Manager, UTI Mutual Fund, New Delhi, spoke on the occasion.
ISB has announced scholarships offered to the previous class
Mba Scholarships
The Indian School of Business (ISB) has announced a range of scholarships amounting to Rs 3.3 crores for all students of the class of 2009, representing a 55% increase over the scholarships offered to the previous class. M Rammohan Rao, dean, ISB, said, No deserving student has ever been turned away from the ISB for want of financial support. This additional funding will allow us to reach out to an even wider talent pool. The scholarships are both merit and need based and will be given to outstanding students, selected on the basis of exceptional academic and professional performance, as well as personal qualities such as leadership, integrity, and community service. In an attempt to attract students from various professional, ethnic, and gender backgrounds, several scholarships will be awarded to students who come from small towns in India, women students, and international students. 60% of the scholarships will be awarded by the ISB while private companies such as Citigroup, Novartis, Sierra Atlantic, Ambit Finance, and others, will award the remaining 40%.
ISB, has announced a range of scholarships worth a total of Rs. 3.3 crores for students selected
ISB hikes scholarships
The Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, has announced a range of scholarships worth a total of Rs. 3.3 crores for students selected for the class of 2009. The total scholarship amount is a 55 per cent hike over the financial help offered to the previous class. The scholarships both merit and need based are for outstanding students with exceptional academic and professional performance, as well as personal qualities such as leadership, integrity, and community service.
HBS in conjunction with the HBS, IRC has announced plans to offer its first executive education programme in India
Executive Programme
The Harvard Business School (HBS) in conjunction with the HBS India Research Centre (IRC) has announced plans to offer its first executive education programme in India. The first of its kind, Building a Global Enterprise in India will be taught by HBS senior faculty and is specially designed for senior executives from India. The programme is based on 10 years of extensive research in India and uses cases tailored to the specific needs of companies operating in India and incorporates examples from companies in the region that have addressed similar challenges facing Indian companies today.
It will run from February 10-15, 2008, and will take place at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. Applications are due by January 14,2008.
Air Deccan is the story of New India, stated G R Gopinath, managing director
The story of Air Deccan is the story of New India, stated G R Gopinath, managing director. Air Deccan, while talking to students at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad. He was at ISB recently to talk about his entrepreneurial venture of integrating the aspirations and resources of the other India and translating the dream of a common Indian to fly, into a reality. Today Air Deccan has 45 aircrafts flying 350 flights every day. It also claims to have the largest route network in the country covering 66 cities.
USDLA Launches National Distance Learning Week to Increase the Awareness of Distance Learning
The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) will hold the 2007 National Distance Learning Week (NDLW), November 12 -16, 2007. NDLW is an initiative that will generate broader awareness and appreciation for distance learning within the areas of pre-k-12 education, higher and continuing education, home schooling, as well as business, corporate, military, government, and telehealth markets. Since 1987, USDLA has been the worlds premier distance learning association.
Distance learning programs are invaluable because they provide a segment of our population with critical literacy and job-related skills as well as the means to take their careers to the next level, said Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee. It is important that people have a greater awareness and appreciation for distance learning.
The appointed 15 member USDLA national committee for NDLW is made up of representatives from various constituencies, including university and K-12 educators, corporations, military and government representatives, home schooling administrators, and media professionals. These members were chosen for their dedicated work in their professions and the field of distance learning. The committee members will work to promote the awareness of distance learning within their organizations and communities.
More : emediawire.com
Japan Scholarship Programme graduate degree fellowship provides support for graduate
Japan scholarship
The Asian Development Bank -Government of Japan Scholarship Programme graduate degree fellowship provides support for graduate (post-baccalaureate) studies (up to 24 months scholarship) in approved fields of study at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), and for participation in educational activities at the East-West Center (EWC). Areas of study funded are architecture, business administration, economics, geography, international management-School of Business, Law (LLM degree-1 year), natural resources and environmental mangement, ocean and resource engineering, oceanography, pacific island studies, public administration, sociology, tropical plant and soil science and urban and regional planning.
Requirements: Two years work experience at the time of application; a full four year Bachelors degree at the time of application or an equivalent (three- year Bachelors degree plus a years Masters degree or a two-year Bachelors degree plus a two years Masters degree, subject to review). Minimum acceptable scores, 550 for TOEFL, and 6.0 for IELTS.GMAT scores for business administration and international management, GRE if required by Department of Study.
To apply: Printout the ADB application as well as the ADB application information and instructions, and University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) application, Complete both applications, sign and date all application pages where required, attach your support documents, and mail to the East-West Center (Award Services Office, Attn: ADB Scholarships, John A Burns Hall, Room 2066, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96848-1601,USA). Essays, CVs,and writing samples can be sent as email attachments. Applications must bear the original signature of the applicant and Letters of Reference must bear the original signature of the referee. Complete the LLM application available on the UHM application and mail it along with the completed ADB application.
Submission: November 1, 2007 (postmark deadline).
Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia was Forbes rankings, in the list of the 2007 Top U.S
Darden in top four
While in 2005, the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia was ranked eight in the Forbes rankings, in the 2007 in the list of the 2007 Top U.S. Business Schools rankings Darden will be in fourth place. The fourth position will be valid for the next two years as Forbes comes out with the list every other year.