“Had I still been a student, with what I hear of the percentages required for admissions in top professional colleges, I wouldn’t have got admission now,” said Ashish Nanda, Director-designate of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) on Friday.
In a rare interaction with the media even before the new Director takes charge of the prestigious business school, Prof Nanda, an alumni of IIM-A which he will head from September 2, said he would strive to make it one of the top B-schools in the world. He is on the campus since August 15 to acquaint himself with the staff, faculty and students, and, of course, issues.
“I wanted to give back to the institute and the society. My family and even my Harvard Law School dean supported the idea. My mother, who passed away on August 5, was equally excited,” he said while reminiscing about his 1981-83 batch years.
Unlike the IIMs, where most students come from engineering background, the Harvard students come from diverse fields, although both the schools get the best students from their catchment areas. The IIMs should also have more diversity of students in terms of geography and academics and network more with alumni for holistic development, besides focusing more on research, he said.
Replying to a question, Prof Nanda observed that some thought the IIM-A was a “hidden jewel” which should have global standing to match top B-schools. He replied in the affirmative when asked if it should interact and engage more with the society around in a positive manner, even becoming voice of the people on issues like the Food Security Bill.
Prof Nanda, a Robert Braucher Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School, is a gold medalist both from the IIT-Delhi in electrical engineering and the IIM-A. He has taught both at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School and was a Faculty Director of Executive Education and Research Director at Program on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School.