In some respects, the different elements of a business school network—the faculty and staff, geographically dispersed alumni, local mentors, corporate partners, and friends of the school—are like spokes on a wheel. These resources branch out from a student to enrich his or her academic and professional life, helping things “roll” more smoothly. While each spoke can provide significant value on its own, when they work together, the results can be greater than the sum of the individual parts. Over the past 18 months, different elements of the Cox network have collaborated to enhance the school’s Office of Global Programs.
Since 2003, Cox Assistant Dean of Global Programs Linda Kao (BBA ’78) had entertained the idea of expanding the school’s international programs to India. But the idea didn’t find legs until early in 2005, when Kao began to orchestrate a collaborative effort aimed at achieving two objectives:
- Taking Cox full-time MBA students to India as a fourth destination for the pioneering American Airlines Global Leadership Program (AAGLP), and
- Forging a partnership with the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad that would allow Cox professional MBA students to participate in an intensive academic program at ISB over the summer.
Kao initially contacted Rakesh Mittal, the father of a first-year Cox MBA student. Mittal is vice chairman of Bharti/Airtel, India’s leading provider of telecommunications services, and serves on the SMU International Parents Board. He was interested in the idea and put Kao in touch with several of his business colleagues in India.
In her effort to identify companies that might be interested in hosting Cox MBAs on the AAGLP, Kao also tapped into several alumni, including Rosevinder (Rose) Kaur (MBA ’05), assistant brand manager at Frito Lay North America; Aakash Moondhra (MBA ’03), general manager of strategic planning and executive assistant to the founder, chairman, and managing director of the Bharti Group; and Arun Subramian (MBA ’01), strategic programs manager for Intel’s Emerging Markets Platforms Group.
Meanwhile, Cox Accounting Professor Hemang Desai, a native of Mumbai, India, contacted a former colleague at ISB to discuss the possibility of establishing the summer-study program for PMBA students. Desai’s contact was receptive to the idea, and he initiated discussions with administrators at ISB to explore the potential curriculum, logistics, and cost of the program.
By June 2005, Kao had piqued the interest of a number of companies. One month later, she and Desai were on the ground in India meeting with representatives of those companies. In August 2005, having secured a sufficient number of commitments, Kao announced India as a new AAGLP destination to the incoming class of full-time MBAs. For the next six months, Kao and her team finalized logistics for the trip, including hotel and flight arrangements as well as language and culture classes for the students and faculty who would travel to India.
Today, the school is poised to reap the rewards of this collaborative effort. In May, a group of 15 MBAs and two faculty members participating in the AAGLP will visit several companies and dignitaries in Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai, including Infosys, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, Bharti/Airtel, Maruti (India’s largest car manufacturer), Governor of Maharashtra Somanahally Malliah Krishna (SMU LL.M., Comparative and International Law ’59) and the former Honorable Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mani Shankar Aiyar, whose nephew, Kartik Pashupati, is an assistant professor of advertising at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts and helped arrange the visit with his uncle.
In July, the school will launch a pilot program allowing Cox PMBAs to travel to India for 10 days of intensive study that will take place primarily at ISB in Hyderabad.
“Cox’s MBA Global Programs would not be as diverse or as valuable without the help of so many members of the school’s network,” Kao commented. “Our many connections around the world allow us to tap into the highest levels of political and business leadership. The result for our students is an educational experience that’s unmatched by any other school.”
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