The Chair of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which administers the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), and Dean of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, William Boulding , spoke to BusinessLine on steps taken for international students to be able to work for three years under the work visa and the role technology plays in management. Below are the excerpts:
You have recently become the chair of GMAC. What will be your focus area?
The important mission of the organisation would be that no talent should go undiscovered. As a chair, the aim is to focus on what steps can be taken so that students can study at the school and country of their choice, depending on the their ability because, right now, we are living in a world where barriers are being put in terms of student mobility.
Indian students have suffered because of the current situation in the US... Your thoughts?
There are two sides to the coin. In our last graduation class at the Fuqua School of Business in Duke University, there were 30 Indian students, of whom 29 were employed in the US and one took a job in Germany.
However, as per the survey conducted by GMAC in 2018, many international students did not send their GMAT test score to the US because they were uncertain about the work opportunities and concerned about their personal safety. So, there is certainly a sense that the situation in US is not as good as it was in the past.
Would you elaborate on the STEM designation programme being offered at Fuqua School of Business?
Fuqua offers two programmes that have STEM designation — the traditional MBA programme and a new data analytics focused programme. These programmes are recognised by the US federal government for their focus on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Also, this designation allows international students to stay and work in the US for up to three years on the student visa.
What do you think has been the role of technology in management?
People who are going to business school need to be familiar with technology. However, it is not technology that is a limiting factor when it comes to innovation but leadership capability. So, we are trying to prepare students who not only understand technology but also see the value of technology and understand its limits at the same time.