For a combined six weeks, more than 100 students from one of India’s top business schools called the Eli Broad College of Business home, studying under a Spartan guise.

For the seventh year, Broad hosted students from Mumbai’s SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), who traveled to East Lansing to fulfill their international immersion requirement.

“Every year, the partnership between SP Jain and the Broad College deepens, as our faculty develops strong relationships with one another. These immersion programs at Broad have become a fundamental part of our flagship master’s programs, exposing our students to both leading-edge thinking in the supply chain and a ‘living in America’ experience. We hope over the coming years to develop even more strong ties between our two institutions,” said Prem Chandrani, international programs director at SPJIMR.

SPJIMR students on a field trip

SPJIMR students stepped outside of the classroom for site visits and experiential learning exercises.

The two groups of students who completed the immersion program at Broad are pursuing PGDM and PGPM degrees, the equivalent to an MBA. The first cohort came in late June and the second in July. Each underwent different curriculum and experiential learning exercises during their time at Broad:

PGDM Operations in Supply Chain cohort:

  • Curriculum focus included innovation and analytics in the supply chain and ways to create sustainability in the supply chain
  • Featured live team-based case projects and presentations alongside corporate partner Kelly Services
  • Included 65 students who have up to five years managerial experience, mainly in large Indian businesses, along with one faculty member (Prof. Nilendra Pawer)

PGPM Integrated Supply Chain Management cohort:

  • Curriculum focused on product and process innovation, sourcing and procurement, supplier relations, integrated sales and operations planning, logistics channels, and globalization
  • Site visits include Meijer distribution center and the Henry Ford Automotive plant and museum
  • Included 44 students who have up to 12 years of middle- or senior-management experience, predominantly in Indian businesses or consultancies, and one SP Jain faculty member (Dr. Sajeev George)
All of the SPJIMR students pose for a picture in a classroom on MSU's campus

Over 100 students total traveled from Mumbai to East Lansing for the immersion program.

“These programs advance our reputation internationally and in the Indian sub-continent, and have developed a positive brand presence with more than 500 alumni who have attended these programs over the years,” said Keith Niblett, assistant director of international relationships and Executive Development Programs at the Broad College.

Looking forward, Niblett notes that the Broad-SPJIMR partnership is transforming into something greater than classroom curriculum. “Collaboration between our faculties strengthens and deepens each year, and will lead to great benefits in research and presentation opportunities in India,” he said. “The research-focused programs working with Kelly Services senior executives, suppliers, and their current data sets has also enabled a close trusting relationship to be formed with our business college, SPJIMR, and Kelly Services, both in the USA and India.”