Further, it named a board to advise the university on strategies for expanding and enhancing Duke's presence in India. Duke's Fuqua School of Business is ranked amongst the top 10 business schools in the US by Business Week magazine.
Fuqua's plans are unique among business schools, extending beyond the limited, casual affiliations that traditionally define international academic programs, Fuqua Dean Blair Sheppard said in New Delhi on October 14. Each of Fuqua's new regional engagements will feature open enrollment executive education, at least two research centers, Duke faculty or joint faculty appointments, service-based activities focused on local needs, an MBA offering (with the exception of Johannesburg), a Duke Corporate Education presence and involvement of other parts of Duke University.
Beyond New Delhi, Fuqua's global expansion initiative will include new Fuqua programs in Shanghai, China; London, UK; Dubai, UAE; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Duke Corporate Education already collaborates with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad to provide custom corporate education programs.
The advisory board, consisting of graduates of Duke University & Fuqua's MBA programs, will also assist Duke in forging new partnerships in the country.
The board will be chaired by Malvinder Singh, CEO and Managing Director of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Other board members include, Dr. Amit Mitra of FICCI; Suhail Nathani, Partner, Economics Law Practice; Timothy Kasbe, Chief Information Officer, Reliance; Sanjith Shetty, Vice Chairman, Soham Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.; Devinjit Singh, Managing Director-Asia, Carlyle Group; Shivinder Singh, CEO and Managing Director, Fortis Healthcare Limited; Vikrampati Singhania, Deputy Managing Director, J.K. Organization; and Bharat Tandon, President and CEO, SABIC India Pvt. Ltd.
"Fuqua has made a commitment to becoming the world's first legitimately global business school," Dean Sheppard said. "From the very start, our expansion plans have included India, one of the world's most quickly emerging and rapidly evolving economic and cultural centers. Utilizing our strong alumni network in India is vital to our goal of delivering The Duke MBA experience to tomorrow's global business leaders."
Duke President Richard H. Brodhead noted the importance of India in Duke's future plans. "I don't think anyone would dispute that with India's size, economic and political strength, and its vast pool of talented students and academics, it is a place from which we can learn a great deal," Brodhead said.
Duke has a long association with India, with nearly 300 Indian-born undergraduate and graduate students currently attending the university. The Duke Center for International Development designs and delivers customized educational and training programs for government agencies in India. In May 2008, Duke's Talent Identification Program (TIP) offered a three-week residential pilot program on the campus of IIMA for academically gifted Indian students; the program will be repeated next year at IIMA and in New Delhi.
Malvinder Singh, CEO and MD, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd who is also the Chair for the newly formed Duke India Alumni advisory Board, Duke University, said, "I am delighted to see the vision of a world class University, such as Duke, take shape here in India. Being an alumnus, I can say with confidence that I gained enormously from its open, multidisciplinary, multicultural, education format and the top class intellectual input and rigor that Duke provides."
Fuqua's new global initiative begins in August 2009 with students entering The Duke MBA – Cross Continent program, which targets high-potential junior and middle managers. Fuqua launched its Cross Continent program in 2000, building on the strengths of its well-regarded Duke MBA – Global Executive.
