Vijaya Sherry Chand

Professor Vijaya Sherry Chand as dean for alumni and external relations. An IIMA alumnus, Prof Chand joined the institute as faculty member in 1997, and is with the institute’s Ravi J Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation (RJMC). Prof Chand replaces Prof Atanu Ghosh, who recently went back to his parent organization, the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, after heading the department for four years.

After graduating from IIMA in 1982, Prof Chand worked for 11 years in the non-governmental development sector. He joined the RJMC as fellow in 1993 and got a PhD in education on the educational philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi in 1997.

His areas of specialisation are management of basic education, social entrepreneurship, non-profit sector and sustainable development. He has worked in planning and implementing developmental programmes for socio-economically marginalised communities like dalits and tribals.

Talking to DNA, Prof Chand said the institute is working towards strengthening its relationship with the alumni by way of maintaining continuity with the policies that have been put into place recently. “We intend to tap into all the resources that the alumni can contribute — their intellectual capital, the lessons they have learned through experience and their assessments of contemporary management situations,” he said. To do so, the institute proposes to make reforms and initiate an alumni-triggered case development exercise, as well as rework the electronic interface like the alumni website to cultivate a more interactive and useful platform over the next three months.

Prof Chand said more than 65 agreements that the institute inked with partners across the world provides a sound and adequate platform for exchange of students. “We are trying to accommodate requests for shorter duration study programmes for foreign students,” he added.