'Global alliances high on our agenda'

In Conversation

The 25-year-old Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, has made its presence felt in management education. Business Standard caught up with B S Sahay, its Director, to understand how he plans to make the institute take bigger strides. Excerpts:

What are your plans for the year ahead?
International collaborations with world class Business schools across the globe is high on our agenda. We have already entered into collaborative arrangements for students and faculty exchange, research, etc., with some universities in Europe, the US, China and South East Asian countries. We are planning to increase our faculty strength to 70, which will not only contribute to quality inputs in the classrooms but also generate the necessary threshold for quality research and management development programmes (MDPs). We want to focus on innovative MDPs besides quality and innovative teaching. Organising international conferences and building a strong industry interface are some of the other priority areas.

But even while IMT has made a mark in its graduate programmes, your institution seems to lag in the field of executive education.
IMT is known for its academic excellence, research and we have introduced MDPs in a big way. Our programmes range from the public sector to private sector, from government to universities. Just for the record, we conduct regular programmes with companies like NTPC, Moser Baer, and New Delhi Power Distribution.

Is there a problem in getting good faculty? If yes, how do you hire and retain good staff members?
Yes, hiring, developing and retaining good faculty is a big challenge for all business schools. In my opinion, besides giving high salaries, a good academic environment, infrastructure support and providing growth opportunities help in retaining faculty members. We provide financial support to our faculty members to present their papers in international and national conferences.

How important are ratings and rankings for you?
Ratings and rankings have a significance for every business school including all its stakeholders "� potential students, parents, industry, faculty members, alumni and society at large, as they provide an unbiased and objective overview of the various business schools. The ranking inputs help in identifying strengths and weaknesses and areas of further improvement.

How much does the institution invest in the IT infrastructure? What significant changes have you brought into the institution ever since you have joined?
In the last two years, IMT has spent more than Rs 3 crores in upgrading the IT infrastructure. The campus is completely WiFi-enabled with 24-hour Internet facilities. We have leveraged IT in all our academic processes including admissions, class delivery and exam results.

What are the different revenue streams for IMT and what is the ratio?
IMT is one of the best paymasters today. To maintain a large campus, the cost of operations obviously becomes very high. Unlike government-aided institutions, where you get grants, we have to earn every single penny. We have to be on our toes to deliver high quality education and enlarge the scope of revenue generation not only through tuition fees, but also through innovative MDPs, research grants, etc. Ideally speaking, the revenue model should be in the ratio of 60:40 (60 per cent from tuition fees and 40 per cent from MDPs and research). We are moving in that direction.