From integrating green thinking into the curriculum to undertaking rainwater harvesting, and setting up a climate-friendly campus, Universal Business School promises to do it all
From integrating green thinking into the curriculum to undertaking rainwater harvesting, and setting up a climate-friendly campus, Universal Business School promises to do it all
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Business schools in India are waking up to the world's newfound enthusiasm in preserving the environment, but one upcoming B-school is gearing up to become a pioneer in eco-friendly MBA programmes.
Universal Business School (UBS) is slated to open in January 2011 in a valley in Karjat, 91 km from Mumbai. Its MBA programmes will strive to emphasise the drastic way the world has shifted, away from industrial standards and toward a more eco-conscious lifestyle.
"Business programmes serve an important role in emphasising this shift because the MBA students of today will face the responsibility of tackling environmental disruptions as business leaders tomorrow, with global warming becoming more noticeable," said UBS co-founder Tarun Anand, who is also managing director and head of South Asia, Thomson Reuters.u00a0
Founder Gurdip Anand is former director (Blue Star) and CEO (Thakral Group) while co-founder Babulal Varma has served as managing director on Omkar Developers and Realtors, since its inception.
Students of UBS will also be expected to work on social projects locally and with corporates within a corporate social responsibility (CSR) course; 50 per cent of the marks will be assigned to the project, which will be mentored by expert professors from TERI (The Energy and Research Institute), Delhi.
UBS has been designed by American architects Perkins Eastman International, who designed Columbia Business School, Cornell University and NYU Stern Business School. "The swanky academic building with modern amphitheatre classrooms is taking shape as we speak," said Tarun.
The main academic centre on campus has been designed such that natural breeze flows in a 'tunnel effect' for
natural cooling of the common areas. The walls will be double walls with a gap in-between for better cooling. Even the glass panels will be double so as to bring in the light, but filter out the heat, thereby saving electricity.
There will be two bunds and mini lakes where rainwater will be harvested. These are expected to help raise the water table in surrounding areas.
Fast Fact
PadmaShri Dr Pritam Singh, ex-Director IIM Lucknow and MDI Gurgaon, is on the board of governors of UBS
Debuts In: January 2011