In a historic moment, Prof. Rohit Singh, Director of the Centre for Management Education at the All India Management Association (AIMA), and Dr R Premkumar, Registrar of SRM University-AP, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). This MoU aims to foster collaboration between the two institutions and introduce a part-time PhD programme for working professionals.
The signing ceremony was attended by distinguished personalities including Dr Ganesh Singh, Professor and Programme Director at the Centre for Management Education; Prof. Manoj K Arora, Vice Chancellor of SRM AP; Prof. Bharadwaj Sivakumaran, Dean of Paari School of Business; Prof. Ranjit Thapa, Dean of Research; Dr Vinayak Kalluri, Dean of Academic Affairs & Controller of Examinations; Dr Maheshwar Dwivedy, Associate Dean of Practice School & Associate Professor; Dr Mahesh Kumar Ravva, Assistant Dean of Research; Dr Satyanarayana Duvvuri, Professor of Practice; Dr CA Mahalakshmi Mudliar, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Management; Dr A Lakshmana Rao, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Commerce; and Dr Lalita Mohan Mohapatra, Assistant Professor, along with other faculty members and students.
To date, more than 250 working professionals have earned their PhDs through AIMA. The institution also boasts an illustrious alumni network employed in leading companies such as Samsung, Schneider Electric, Accenture, Amazon, and Tata.
In his address, Vice Chancellor Prof. Manoj K Arora underscored the importance of a supportive research environment and the critical role of the student-guide relationship. Prof. Arora also insisted that the faculty undergo a specialised programme on “how to effectively guide a PhD.” Dr Rohit Singh, Director of AIMA, elaborated on the strategic significance in the broader educational landscape, especially for working professionals.
Members of the academic leadership, faculty, and PhD scholars joined together to congratulate the varsity on its initiative to shake hands with AIMA.