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MDI to target undergrads

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S Lakshmi Chopra Mumbai
Last Updated : Feb 14 2013 | 7:42 PM IST
Once shadowed by Delhi University's Faculty of Management Studies, Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, today stands bold as it climbs up the list of top B-schools in the country and prepares itself to 'leap forward' with its newly-appointed director Sujit K Basu who took over the chair last week.
 
"Having made a mark in management education, I think the time has come for us expand ourselves and get into providing under-graduate courses as well which will only felicitate in getting quality students for our own post-graduate courses," Basu told Business Standard in his first interview to the media.
 
Though Basu admitted that to provide under-graduate courses, the institute would require more physical space, he said the institute would not rule out the possibility of expanding its base to other locations in the Northern and Eastern regions of the country. However, the plans are yet to be finalised and discussed with the Board of governors which he intends to do in the near future. Basu has taken over from Pritam Singh who will continue as the "professor of eminence" at the institute.
 
The institute is also looking at the possibility of tying up with universities in Japan, China and South Korea on collaborative offerings of programmes that would be specific to the Indian industry. Reluctant to divulge any further details of the plans, Basu said MDI may not look at Hong Kong absolutely, but look at Far East primarily the oil-producing countries and even some developing countries in Africa for similar collaborations.
 
According to Basu, the biggest challenge that he is faced with today at MDI is to "devise reasonable pay packages to be able to attract talent both in the form of students and faculty." At the moment, the institute is on a recruitment spree. From the current strength of 82, MDI plans to hit a century in the number of faculty by the end of this year.
 
"Immediately, we plan to go up to a hundred, but of course as the implementation of the quota system becomes mandatory for all institutes, the number will have to go up for MDI as well," added Basu. Though, he personally thought that it is not be a good idea to have any sort of "compulsion" on the intake of students. "As it is, the business of running a private management institute is very delicate in various aspects. For students intake should be left to the discretion of the institute (mainly faculty) rather than setting aside a special percentage for a set of students. As they say, 'may the best win'," he further added.
 
Another focus area for the institute as it is for other management institutes is to conduct research and develop the same as one of the main streams of revenues. Today, out of the institute's total earnings of Rs 34 crores, the research and consulting contributes a modest Rs 3 crore.

 
 

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