MBA school plans more global tie-ups
Encouraged by the positive response from students, after a tie-up with two foreign universities, one of the US and the other China, the Mysore-based SDM Institute for Management Development (SDM-IMD) is on the lookout for more tie-ups.
An arm of the Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Educational Trust, SDM-IMD signed two agreements recently, with the Shanghai University, Shanghai, China and Mays Business School, Texas A & M University, USA. It also had an association with the University of Minnesota, Duluth Campus.
Under the exchange programme with these two universities, SDM-IMD students get an opportunity to spend a semester in a foreign university and their counterparts come to Mysore for a similar study.
The agreement signed with Mays Business School for student and faculty exchange programme in October last provides for four students from SDM-IMD to spend a semester and attend courses at the Texas A&M University. An equal number of MBA students from Mays would study a semester in SDM-IMD’s award-winning campus in Mysore. Instead of four exchange students, Texas University could send 20 students for a short visit.
The agreement envisions undergraduate students from Mays attending a five-week summer programme focused on conducting business in India, at SDM-IMD, during May-June. The exchange also aims at promoting exchange of faculty for teaching and collaborative research programmes.
Earlier this year, the institute had signed a similar agreement with the Global Management Education Institute of Shanghai University. Two SDM-IMD students have already spent a semester in Shanghai between September and November. Shanghai University has indicated of sending students to SDM-IMD in the next academic year.
SDM-IMD director Ramesh Venkateswaran told Business Standard that students are selected based on their academic performance and on how they would fit into an international environment. “The initial response has been favourable and students are excited with this opportunity,” he remarked.
There is no tuition fee charged to the student for enrolling at the partner institute. He however bears expenses towards travel, stay and living. The institute could help them through soft loans to take advantage of this opportunity.
“Opportunity to spend a semester in a foreign university gives our students an international orientation to their MBA programme and widens their horizon and perspective for their qualification. They also get to see international faculty, interact with students from different countries and have an exposure to different teaching styles across the globe. When we get exchange students in turn our students get to interact with international peers and that is a good learning process for our students.”
“Such tie-ups definitely have a positive effect on all stake holders - Students and recruiters. General response has been positive as recruiters see SDM-IMD as a progressive institute offering courses relevant to today’s context,” Venkateswaran said underlining the benefits of the tie-ups.
He expected that the tie-ups would have a positive effect on the number of applications it received.
“We are on the look out for more meaningful associations. We are talking to some institutions,” Venkateswaran added.