The incoming class of 2022 at MICA Ahmedabad has set a new gender diversity benchmark, Nearly 90 per cent of the Fellow Program in Management (FPM), almost 70 per cent of the Crafting Creative Communication (CCC), and almost 55 per cent of the flagship PGDM-C and PGDM are women at MICA, Ahmedabad, this year.
Gender-diverse B-school
“Admissions at MICA are purely based on merit. Our entrance test MICAT not only tests for analytical skills but also the creative skills of the students. Women are naturally creative. As a result, without any preference being granted to them, they stand out in our tests, leading to all three of our programs having a large number of women this year. We also have a substantial proportion of women faculty members — now nearly 50 per cent. Last year, we launched ‘MIVoice Matters,’ a conversational series where the women of MICA shared their experiences at the workplace and about issues such as work-life balance, etc. It was designed as a safe place, of, by and for women.” said Shailendra Raj Mehta, President and Director, MICA.
The new batch of PGP has a total of 119 women and 97 men. For the FPM doctoral program this year, there are seven women and one man and for CCC, out of 41 students, 27 are women and 14 are men.
For Deveshi Jaisalmeria, who hails from Jaipur, choosing MICA was mainly for its congenial environment. She says, “At MICA, we do not just study, but we learn. The faculty, as well as the students, are supportive and friendly. Here, ideas are not discarded. Instead, they are nurtured. In my opinion, this makes MICA unique.”
Safe campus
Dr. Preeti Shroff, Dean, MICA, shared her views, “We warmly welcome the new batch and are delighted to see the growing number of women represented across all programs at MICA. These qualified women professionals arrive from all over India and contribute to a women-friendly campus, caring community, and exciting academic learning culture. We encourage debates and discussions on issues faced by women in the workplace and society in India and around the world. What makes MICA a unique community is also the participation of men who understand, respect, and support their women fellow-students.”
MICA student Shrutika Chaudhary said, “MICA lets its students' spirits run free, there are no limitations set to our ideas and thoughts. At least in the three weeks so far, I have observed that we are always encouraged to question everything.”