Six distinguished professors of business management from a disparate mix of American universities, headed by Chennai-based Dr. Sankaran P. Raghunathan, have joined forces to promote the National Management School (NMS) Chennai — the southern port citys newest high-end B-school. Formally inaugurated on February 5, NMS is the precursor of a chain of 25 B-schools proposed to be established across the country over the next 15 years by the learned professors.Promoted at a capital cost of Rs.9 crore in collaboration with the J. Mack Robinson College of Business (RCB) of Georgia State University, (USA), NMS, due to become operational in June, offers a two-year postgraduate management diploma co-signed by Raghunathan, dean of NMS and H. Fenwick Huss, dean of RCB. This partnership agreement will enable NMS to access 270 professors of Georgia State University. In addition, over 60 professors from other US universities, several of them holding chair professorships, have been enlisted as visiting faculty to support four permanent faculty based in Chennai. No pains have been spared to build a global talent pool for the ambitious countrywide chain of NMS B-schools. Its seven-member academic advisory council is led by Dr. Jagdish N. Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Chair of marketing at Emory University. In addition a seven-member business advisory group led by the legendary Dr. V. Krishnamurthy, former chairman of SAIL, BHEL, founder chairman of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd and currently chairman of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, will infuse industry experience. Our objective is to introduce best American business practices including business ethics to our students, and develop them into global industry leaders. Our mission is to equip students with academic knowledge, industry experience and exposure to international business cultures, to give them a competitive edge in todays complex international industry environment, says Raghunathan, an alumnus of Madras University, XLRI Jamshedpur and Temple University, Philadelphia, who conceptualised the NMS B-school chain project last year. Currently, he is feverishly engaged in getting the NMS campus, located in a 50,000 sq. ft leased building in Ambattur, Chennai, up and ready for the first batch of 120 students in June 2009, followed by 60 students each in October and January 2010. Indias newest B-school plans to admit students ranked in the top 10 percentile in the CAT/XAT or GMT exams. The fee for NMS two-year postgrad diploma programme is set at Rs.9 lakh, with provision for financial assistance to needy students. NMS will offer students the best business library in Chennai — open to corporate membership — for which we have budgeted Rs.3 crore. Moreover, interaction with our CXO (chief executive officers) panel will boost their recruitment prospects, and our visiting faculty can handpick promising students for doctoral programmes in the US with full financial assistance. The best response to the global economic meltdown is upgradation of academic curriculums to create new knowledge through intensified research. Thats the mission of NMS B-school which will set new benchmarks in business management education in India, says Raghunathan. Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)
