The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 24, 2022
Jindal Global Business School (JGBS), of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), has expanded its international partnership portfolio by signing 11 new Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with prestigious business schools and universities in five countries spanning four continents.
The new international collaborations include top business schools such as the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, US, the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, US and the University of Queensland Business School, Australia.
As part of its global ambition and a commitment to provide global education, exposure, and experience to its students, JGBS has expanded its reach to institutions in Vietnam, in addition to its numerous collaborations in Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The new partner institutions are: Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, United States; Kelley School of Business, Indiana University-Bloomington, United States; Florida State University, United States of America; Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University, United States; University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom; The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom; Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom; The University of Queensland, Australia; Faculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University, Australia; Bond University, Australia; Frankfurt School of Finance and Economics, Germany; and FPT University, Vietnam;
The new MoUs create a range of opportunities for JGBS students. JGBS has partnered with one of the globe’s most recognised business schools, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, to add strong value as an elite study abroad component to its 1-year Global MBA in Business Analytics. The Thunderbird School of Global Management’s Master of Global Management (MGM) dual degree programme brings JGBS students one step closer to living and working for up to 3 years in the United States through the USA’s Optional Practical Training program. Study abroad and student exchange programmes with Florida State University and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in the United States offer learning experiences in a global setting.
Through the difficult months of the pandemic, JGBS persevered and remained committed to providing international exposure to its students. A list of curated partners was created who were able to offer long-term and short-term mobility options, keeping in mind the health and safety concerns with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 200 students have explored exchange and study abroad options through partnership arrangements since 2020, many of whom have pursued advanced degree programmes in top institutions in Australia, the UK, and the US. It is worth noting that since its inception in 2010, JGBS has established international collaborations with over 72 business schools and universities in 24 different countries.
Professor C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor of OP Jindal Global University, explained that “These partnerships are developed to enable the students of JGBS to enrol in international business and management education programmes with our partner institutions. The vision of JGU since our inception has been to constantly provide quality global education experiences for our students so that we produce globally oriented business professionals. The institutional opportunities created by JGBS have provided students with strong levels of global exposure through exchange programmes, immersion programmes, dual degree programmes, and short-term study abroad programmes. Additionally, JGBS has exploited the potential of blended learning and hybrid education to help our students continue to reap the benefits of international collaboration through various technological platforms.”
Professor Mayank Dhaundiyal, Dean, JGBS, observed that “as the country’s top global business school, JGBS is committed to providing world-class international mobility options to the students of JGBS. The students of JGBS have access to more than 70 partner business schools and universities located in five continents, providing them with an unparalleled network for international mobility. Today’s supply chains frequently span multiple continents and countries, necessitating the presence of business professionals who are well travelled and capable of fostering synergies between diverse business teams operating in disparate geographies. Our international student mobility programmes assist our management students in preparing for these critical and rewarding positions. “
JGBS explored and developed unique pedagogical options with select partners such as Monash University and Singapore Management University to bring global classrooms to student homes by organising “first of its kind” collaboratively taught online short-term immersions in niche areas of business-like social enterprise and sustainable business and management. More than 100 students from JGBS and partner institutions combined have benefited from the various online programmes and have had the opportunity to build a community through virtual platforms. All these collaborations have resulted in deeper relationships between the institutions in the form of joint research and advanced degree programmes.
Ambassador Prof. Mohan Kumar, Dean, Office of International Affairs and Global Initiatives (IAGI), observed, “These international collaborations enhance student experiences and learning–professionally and personally–especially during this post-COVID-19 moment we seem to be entering. JGU carefully selects the leading international partners who can provide the global knowledge, social and cultural intelligence, and capacity-building opportunities to drive our students’ careers further. “
Prof. Laknath Jayasinghe, Vice Dean (Internationalization and Mobility), JGBS, added, “The need of the hour is to develop global business leaders who are imbued with a sense of social purpose in a sustainable and post-COVID-19 world. Going forward, business school students’ skills, capabilities, and knowledge will be built upon a mix of traditional and digital learning frameworks that permit global engagement, experience, and exposure. These new collaborations enhance the opportunity to develop such capabilities and prepare our students to leverage transnational employment and business opportunities.”
JGBS is committed to providing a diverse range of international perspectives and cultivating cultural awareness through international mobility in order to provide students with a truly global education. This includes opportunities for research and internships in cutting-edge fields such as business analytics, deep learning algorithms, cyber security, and digital marketing. Negotiations to expand student and faculty mobility continue with new partners in Columbia, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
JGBS is also exploring other novel collaborations, such as short-term study tours and collaborative student immersions, for its students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate dual degree programmes. As travel restrictions ease globally, JGBS is optimistic about further increasing its overall student mobility numbers.
