Y-Point Fall 1998

Editorial

Tryst with Excellence

by Ram V. Kelkar (B. Tech. (EE) 80 / H2)

The basic premise of the IIT Bombay Heritage Fund is now well established following the financial success of the fundraising efforts in 1998. Yet as we look forward to 1999 and beyond, I am increasingly of the opinion that the strategic objective of the Heritage Fund is not merely to raise money for IIT. Dollars without direction are just that ... what we need is a goal, an objective, which is to build, maintain and enhance the pre-eminence of IIT Bombay as a world-class institution.

In that context, I found Director Sukhatme's comments during the foundation ceremonies of the School of Information Technology very apt - "IIT has a tryst with excellence," he said, and "we are committed to give the best that we and the nation would be proud of". In an interview in the Fall '98 issue of Y-Point, Victor Menezes also said much the same, that "continuing to invest and produce world-class alumni is what it's all about".

How best can we consummate our "Tryst with Excellence" ? It will take a joint effort on the part of the IIT Bombay administration, the students and the alumni to establish the goals and priorities. The inputs to this master plan will have to come from a broad array of stakeholders rather than relying on a small group of central planners. We need to learn from world-class institutions such as MIT, Harvard and Wharton, some of which have made concerted efforts in recent years to focus on fundraising plans, not in isolation but in conjunction with significant investments in faculty, equipment and infrastructure.

One of the concerns I have is that we should not focus solely on the "hot" areas that are the current fashion. It is wonderful that IIT Bombay has or will soon have a School of Information Technology and a School of Management. Yet we should not forget that the most valuable thing we got at IIT was a balanced, broad-based curriculum. We gained analytical skills and the ability to solve any problem, and this has allowed IITians to succeed not only as computer scientists but also as management consultants, bankers and money managers. Another concern is that in focusing faculty efforts on raising money from industry and via consulting assignments, we risk losing our best teachers who are demotivated from doing what they do best - which is teach.

I believe that it is especially crucial that alumni voice their opinions and give their suggestions in this matter. Only after many years and decades in industry and academia does one truly get a perspective on what really matters, and one appreciates which part of our IIT educations made a difference to our lives and careers. Studying and competing with the best and the brightest, under demanding teachers and with the best course materials is what it is all about, and the challenge is in coming up with ideas on how to build and maintain such an institution.

We are in the process of planning a roadshow for Director Sukhatme and Prof. S.L.N. Murthy in Spring '99, and I invite alumni to write to us, to either the president[!]iitbombay.org or the with your ideas on what IIT Bombay should do in its journey to excellence. We will share your ideas with them so that when you meet them, you can hear their plans for 1999 and beyond.

I will end by appealing as usual to all of you to stop and think about how you can help the institution that has given so much to you ... even $100 from each of us per year could easily raise over $200-250,000 if we also ensure that our employers match the contributions. Please take a moment to send in your tax deductible contributions to the IIT Bombay Heritage Fund. All it takes is a check and a first-class stamp ... the address is Treasurer, IIT Bombay Heritage Fund, 10489 Rampart Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014.

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