A Tryst With Excellence

by Dr. Suhas Sukhatme _______________________________________________________________

A summary of the slide presentation given by Dr. Sukhatme's during the IIT Bombay Heritage Fund roadshow held in September-October 1999.

LOOKING BACK - LOOKING FORWARD

“The education we seek to provide, although eminently practical in its aims, has no affinity with that instruction in mere empirical routine which has sometimes been vaunted as the proper education for those who are to engage in industries. We believe, on the contrary, that the most truly practical education, even in an industrial point of view, is one founded on a thorough knowledge of scientific laws and principles, and one which unites with habits of close observation and exact reasoning, a large general cultivation”

William Barton Rogers
Founder of M.I.T.

Academic Programmes

• Existing programmes - Our basic strength
• Review of common core courses in UG programme
• New programmes and Schools

1. Five year dual degree
2. M.Sc. in Applied Statistics & Informatics
3. Master of Management
4. M.Tech. in Information Technology

• Programme with German Universities for M.Tech. students
• Increase in enrolment
• Tuition fees
• Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)
• Our ranking

Tuition Fees per Year for B Tech Degree

• 1958 - 1992 : Rs. 200
• 1992 - 1997 : Rs. 1,000
• 1997 : Rs.12,000
• 1998  : Rs.17,000
• 1999 : Rs.22,000
• 2000 : Rs.27,000

Tuition fee today covers only about 20% of the cost of education. Many students get waivers and scholarships.

Sponsored Research

• Growth over the years

• Technology Development Missions

• Food Process Engineering
• Integrated Design and Competitive Manufacturing
• Partnership with industry

• Establishment of new Centres for research and new facilities

• Centre for Aerospace Systems Design and Engineering
• Centre for Formal Design and Verification of Software
• Partnership with national scientific agencies

• Industrial Research and Consultancy

• Growth over the years
• Number of projects every year - approximately 1000
• A beginning made with international projects
• Technology transfers
• Patents

Institute Programmes

• Foundation Day
• Convocation
• Teacher’s Day
• Alumni Day
• Institute Lectures

Our Students

Today’s undergraduate student - a profile

• Strengths

• Has the ability to look at problems from a fundamental view point
• Strong in applying mathematical techniques

• Weaknesses

• Lacking in creativity and in engineering design skills
• Not many want to be entrepreneurs

• New extra-curricular activities

• Techfest
• Cross Roads
• Yantriki

The Faculty

• Strength - more or less constant - around 360
• New additions
• Student-faculty ratio
• Attracting outstanding faculty
• Need to provide more incentives

Funding

• Earlier method of funding (till 1993) by the Ministry of Human Resource Development

• The new method of funding

• Block grant
• Force majeure
• Creation of an endowment fund
• Matching grants for savings

Resources Development

• Creation of the post of Dean (Resource Development)
• Setting up structures and processes for receiving and handling donations
• Alumni Office
• Budgetting

Our Alumni

• About 22,000 students have obtained their degrees from IIT/B so far
• About 6000 are abroad
• Made a name for themselves and for their alma mater
• Strengthening links with our alumni

• Alumni Day
• Distinguished Alumnus Award
• Distinguished Service Award

• IIT-B Alumni Association - including The Mumbai Chapter
• IIT Bombay Heritage Fund - a magnificent alumni effort

• Alumni contributions
• What alumni can do further
• The need for a cooperative effort by the IITs

Looking Forward

• Growth in the areas of biosciences, bioengineering and biotechnology

• Centres/Schools in specialized areas or interdisciplinary areas (Examples: Energy Systems Engineering, Food Process Engineering, Mechatronics, Nano-Technology, Membrane Technology, Opto-electronics)
  
• Contributing to the economic development process

  The Institute as a nucleus for a new Route 128 or a new Silicon Valley

• An international character - more exchange programmes - more foreign students - Office of International Relations

• Distance education programmes
  - Reaching out to larger numbers
  - PG diploma seems most appropriate

• Increase in student enrolment
  - Around 5000 (residential)
  - UG : PG ratio 1 : 1

• Student mix
  - 20 to 30% women
  - 10% foreign students

• Faculty strength
  - Around 550
  

Concluding Remarks

I dream of an IIT which never forgets that it has a tryst with excellence