COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 13, 2006) – A Tennessee Tech University College of Business professor is taking a winter trip that’s farther than just over the river and through the woods.

Ramachandran Natarajan will be spending three weeks in India over the university’s winter break in order to recruit students from his native country to TTU’s MBA program.

“Out of approximately 150 students enrolled in our MBA program right now, only one is from India, and he discovered the program randomly,” said Natarajan, who is known to his students simply as ‘Dr. Nat.’

“TTU’s engineering program, however, is well known at many schools in India,” he said. “By setting up information sessions at some of those same schools, we’d be following a more systematic approach in recruiting more Indian students to our MBA program.”

Natarajan will conduct a total of 13 presentations in three different Indian cities in the southern region — Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai — from Jan. 1-12.

“As with any relationship, it will take time to establish,” he said. “Our initial goal is to try to attract four or five good, highly qualified Indian students to our program and to grow from there.

“I believe we can provide the financial assistance and have the program flexibility for such students,” he said.

Because of features such as the distance MBA program that makes course material available online and on CD-ROM and the Plus One program that allows undergraduates to take modules of courses that count toward earning an MBA, in fact, Indian students who want to enroll at TTU may complete much of the course work without having to leave their country.

“Those features are especially attractive to companies that may want to sponsor an employee for the MBA program,” Natarajan said.

Attracting greater numbers of Indian students to the MBA program might also provide wider opportunities for the university’s world cultures and business program and study abroad programs.

“Business schools in the United Kingdom and Australia are actively recruiting and are popular with Indian students. In order for us to compete, our search for talented students has to be on a global level,” Natarajan said.

--Tracey LeFevre
This information posted 19 December 2006