With over 500 universities, 3000 management institutes, nearly 8000 engineering colleges and plethora of others. The Indian higher education system has not made a mark for itself in the International arena. Whereas the best K-12 schools in India are largely in the non-government sector, the higher ranked institutions of higher education are in the government sector. Perhaps, the advent of non-government players in the higher education system of India is a relatively recent phenomenon. The sector continues to be dominated by the IITs/IIMs/AIIMS etc. which were set up in the early post independent era. This is not to deny a place of pride to BITS Pilani, Manipal University, ISB Hyderabad, NMIMS, Symbiosis, Nirma University, Amity Noida, CMC Vellore and other such excellent non-government institutions, but their number is pitifully low. On the other hand, 17 of the top 20 US Universities are privately owned. India continues to be a net exporter of students to USA, Europe, Australia etc. This is partially due to the socio-economic patterns and partially due to the paucity of good educational systems in India. As a matter of fact, many institutions are not able to fill the available seats.

Fortunately, with the advent of the net and the availability of electronic resources, campus size and physical infrastructure are not the critical issues any longer. As a matter of fact, research suggests that infrastructure and excellence are very poorly correlated. The single most important factor responsible for excellence of an institution is leadership- personal, institutional and academic leadership. That academic leadership cannot happen without good governenance is obvious which suggests that the role of the owners (trustees) is critical.

Young institutions face a number of challenges. Some of these are:-

1. How do we attract, motivate and retain good faculty?
2. How do we attract the best students?
3. What are the resources required and how soon can the institutions becomes profitable?
4. Should we develop international linkages and if so, how?
5. Within the statutory framework how we do deliver relevant education?
6. How we do inculcate values in our students?
7. How do we manage the external interface and brand ourselves?
8. How do we build a strong and supportive alumni base?

This four day workshop looks at these issues and attempts to answer some of the above questions. The recipe for each institution shall be unique; however the workshop aims at enabling the participants to draw a route map for their institutions, capitalizing on their unique strengths and opportunities. Within the time constraints, the workshop shall suggest guidelines for developing a roadmap which may be subsequently extended into a full-fledged business plan.