Q&A: Sunil Kumar, Dean, Chicago Booth School of Business

'India centre will make our ties stronger'

This year, University of Chicago will join the ranks of a dozen international universities which have firmed up plans to set up centres in India. Sunil Kumar, who took over as the dean of Chicago Booth School of Business last month, tells Kalpana Pathak how the school plans to leverage the India centre and the school's alumni base in India. Excerpts:

What is your agenda for this trip? Does the school have any India plans?
This is a get-to-know-each-other-trip. I am meeting a lot of alumni as part of the trip. Also, the University of Chicago is evaluating a plan to open an India centre in New Delhi. There is a faculty committee which studied various locations in India and decided on New Delhi. Right now we are evaluating a location for the centre. It would be a broad based centre which will serve various aspects of the university. The centre would facilitate research, student exchange programmes, teaching facility and conducting of executive education, among others. As of now we do not plan to offer degree programmes in India. However, as and when India allows the same, we may re-evaluate our strategy.

Over a dozen international universities have already firmed up their India plans Aren’t you late in the Indian market?
We have not come to India now. We have always been strong here. The fact is we had not established a presence here. I don't think we are behind anyone in this aspect. Of all our foreign students on campus, India forms the largest group. Our admissions and career services officials travel to India regularly to forge tie-ups. They meet alumni and prospective students here and explore employment and internship opportunities in India.

Does your school plan to impart executive education in India?
We are talking to Indian companies regarding executive education programmes but have not firmed up anything yet. However, as a strategy we do not run such programmes in partnership with other B-schools. We believe in flying down our own faculty members to the location where we offer the programmes. It’s an easy way for us to ensure that everybody gets high quality education and the unique Chicago flavour.

Your school has been slipping in the FT rankings. Is that a concern?
FT uses salary credentials as one of the key criterias. But for us, the more important question is how to do we use these rankings as they provide external and subjective evaluation of our programmes. What matters to us is a student chosing our institute when he has offers from other B-schools as well. We care about how well our students do in placements. What matters to us is, if students get the job they want(ed).

Recession made American and European B-schools look at India. Do you think this could change as these economies begin to recover?
I am speculating here. I do not know what they would do but I can tell you what we would do. Our strategy is about creating and disseminating knowledge. So if a programme allows us to have an impact on a market segment, where the school thinks it can benefit from, we would think of it. The economics matter, but they are secondary. Short economic condition would not be sufficient to re-evaluate our strategy.