There is an unprecedented attack on premium US universities from Washington — fund-cuts to crackdowns on student visas.
The student community of any university must show diversity. This is necessary for academic excellence and innovation. Academic leadership must be neutral, and allows the student community to feel safe. Different people have different views. The diversity is not a luxury, but a necessity. It fosters excellence in research and teaching. At London School of Business (LBS), 90 per cent of faculty are international. LBS cannot compromise on its capacity to bring people from around the world.
In a global company, you have to deal with people with different cultures and different sectors. The UK government supports LBS. Indian students constitute the biggest group in LBS. It accounts for 20 per cent of the student body.
Freedom of speech is sacrosanct. The students could hail from countries not aligned with each other. Maybe, some of these countries are not at peace with each other. They may not recognize each other’s borders. They may have different values. They are brought together and get an opportunity to work together. LBS has been doing this for a number of years.
If universities do not bring the best faculty and students from around the world, they undermine their capacity to excel in innovation, education and research.
IIMs in India have now started accepting foreign students. It already welcomes foreign trained faculty. It has improved its rankings of excellent institutions in the world.
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