Campus Diary

IIM, BANGALORE
A Fee Hand At Last

The great IIM tug-o-war with the central government over fee-setting autonomy seems to have receded way into the fading vestiges of memory. In early 2004, you'd remember, the previous regime's Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry tried to force the IIMs to slash their annual tuition fee for the post-grad business diploma from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 30,000.

The move was met with fierce resistance, especially from IIM Bangalore. Now, in an autonomous move that betrays a hint of triumphalism, IIM-B has announced an actual fee hike of 10 per cent "" to Rs 1.65 lakh.

Considering the easy availability of loans to anyone who gets through to the IIMs, the head-spinning starting salary offers made on campus, and the very feel of wealth in an IIM "admission letter", the hike should not be worrisome. So long as the Ministry lets B schools make their own decisions.

WHARTON, PHILADELPHIA
After Davos Man

The 2005 Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) is all set for 18 November, 2005, at the Park Hyatt, Philadelphia, to be hosted by the University of Pennsylvania's famous Wharton School.

The theme: "India's Mantra for Success". The forum is an annual feature that shot into Indian attention because of the enthusiasm shown for it by the Ambani family. This time round, the gathering shall be addressed by such Indian luminaries as HDFC's Deepak Parekh and the Congress party's Jairam Ramesh, apart from such international opinion-setters as Merrill Lynch's Ahmass Fakahany and Warburg Pincus' Charles Kaye.

Also on the schedule: roundtable discussions on "Government policy: catalyst or barrier" and the rather more cheerful sounding topic of "Investing in India".