July 3. AT the ICFAI Business School, an affiliate of the ICFAI University, a concerted effort is on for faculty development.

According to Prof T.R. Venkatesh, Dean, ICFAI Business School, Bangalore, “We are very clear that we are not a teaching shop or tutorials giving out lessons in management.”

ICFAI teachers are as much involved in knowledge creation as in knowledge dissemination, he adds. This would mean writing research articles and case studies, pursuing doctorates, developing and conducting management development programmes for the industry and providing consultancy services for corporates.

Prof Venkatesh rues that most business schools are very keen on setting up infrastructure and the hardware rather than look at the software or the intellectual value of the school.

In pursuit of this endeavour, ICFAI Business School started the Institute of Management Teachers last year. This institute has been set up to hone the skills of fresh post-graduates who have a flair for teaching and research. “Currently the first batch has completed the first year of the three-year course and these 20 teachers will be absorbed by us,” says Prof Venkatesh. Talking about the distinct features of its MBA programme, the Dean elaborates on the way it is structured. This programme follows a term structure and each term lasts for 13 weeks.

In the last term of the first year, the students are expected to spend four months in the industry. “Each student is assigned a faculty guide and an employer guide and his performance is assessed by both of them.”

In the last term of the second year, the student goes through a similar, though more rigorous exercise. He or she has to spend five days a week for four months in an organisation like an employee. “This gives our students a complete picture of how it’s going to be like when they actually get on to a job,” asserts the Dean.

An indirect benefit of this exercise is that the faculty is in touch with the industry continuously mentoring his ward. “The teachers know exactly what’s happening in the industry at that point in time.”

The employers get a better perspective of the students and can decide whether they want to take them on as permanent employees. “It is a well-informed choice for the student and the employer alike and hence the anxiety is reduced,” he says.

Symbiosis, the Pune-based educational group is organising a `Free postgraduate seminar’ at Loyola College, Chennai, on October 23, Sunday.

Professors, academicians, counselors, regular experienced faculty from Symbiosis institutions will help students choose from a pool of multi-stream career options such as Agribusiness, Computer Science, Geoinformatics, International Business, Information Technology, Management, Mass Communication, Operations Management & Telecom Management.

Hi-tech campus

The 34-year-old group has a family of 33 academic institutions spread across nine campuses in and around Pune, comprising over 45,000 Indian and international students. The campuses boast of cutting-edge technological facilities such as Wi-fi and broadband connectivity, modern computer labs and libraries with extensive educative learning resources.

To cope with highly demanding academic requirements, students participate in extra-curricular activities such as live-industry projects, seminars, and events.

Other institutions

SIBM: Symbiosis Institute of Business Management is synonymous with management education that is rated among the finest in the country by both students and corporates. The institute offers a platform to students, encouraging conceptual understanding and providing the right focus, based on industry needs.

SICSR: SICSR is committed to creating top-class IT professionals. It strives to give up to date inputs through its industry-endorsed syllabus and focuses on knowledge creation and propagation through its degree programmes.

SIMC: SIMC as an institute has positioned itself as a leading integrated mass communication centre, providing the industry with skilled and trained media professionals, adept in all fields of communication.

Established in 1990, SIMC provides a comprehensive and critical education in media and communication studies.

The Institute prepares its students to handle a convergence of technologies, specialize in the new generation mediums, and emerge as capable and competent media and communications professionals.