The Hindu Business Line : ICFAI varsity to raise branch strength to 8

The university now has six distant education branches in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur and Kozhikode, according to the Development Officer, Mr Renjith G. It has plans to open two more centres in Kannur and Kasaragode.

All over India, ICFAI had more than 100 such centres. This was likely to be expanded to 250 in the near future.

ICFAI University had also set up four national colleges in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Thrissur and Kozhikode. The ICFAI National Colleges provided MBA and MCA programmes in a campus format. The distant education centres had access to facilities, such as computer labs available only with the national colleges.

With a view to giving more value addition to distant learning programme students, ICFAI University had introduced soft skill development and computer training in a `distant education mode' for all major professional programmes.

Another major milestone in the growth plan of ICFAI University had been the launch of the MCA programme in the distant education mode.

ICFAI had now introduced IT & Systems as one of the electives in the MBA programme as well. Students would now have a choice of nine electives in the MBA curriculum.

Another major landmarkwas the grant of university status in Tripura. ICFAI had already been accorded university status in Chhattisgarh and Uttaranchal. The IBS (ICFAI Business School) started its operations in Kochi during this academic year.

This had made it the only State-based B-School, other than the Indian Institute of Management - Kozhikode (IIM - K), to be bracketed within the top 15 in the country.