IIM-Ahmedabad logs out of second-campus plan

Plans classroom, accommodation expansion within existing campus

The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, (IIM-A), has dropped its plans for a second campus and instead looking at restoring and adding capacity within the campus at a cost of over Rs 75 crore, even as it also looks to enhance online offerings in future. 

The premier B-school had been exploring possibilities of a second campus within or outside the country while trying to add more classrooms and residential facilities within its existing 100-acre campus and having forayed into online short- and long-term executive education.

Moreover, it is looking to set up couple of small engagement centres in metros like Delhi and Mumbai, which could house a small classroom for running short-term executive education programmes, apart from providing incubation facilities to local start-ups.

“We are not thinking of a second campus. It is very difficult to replicate the culture and the environment. There is probably only one B-school globally which has done well with multiple campuses. Our IIM-A is spread across 100 acres and therefore, geography is not an issue," Ashish Nanda, director of IIM-A, told Business Standard.

“Rather, what we are planning to do is have engagement centres such as in Mumbai and Delhi. It will be a place where one classroom can conduct an executive education programme, apart from providing some support to entrepreneurs through incubation facilities and gathering place for alumni and local people.”

Over the next 25 years, IIM-A is looking to double its classroom capacity as well as faculty and residential facilities. Of these, the institute would look to build new classroom capacities and dormitories, apart from a new building for a School of Public Policy as well as sports and recreation facilities.

The premier B-school is also partnering with service providers such as Hughes Global Education and NIIT for blended learning. 

For short and long-term online education, two-year e-postgraduate programme in management was launched recently for working executives and entrepreneurs. The programme will be done through multiple tech-enabled classrooms across major cities on an interactive onsite platform through partnership with online learning solutions provider Hughes Global Education.