HBS announced its decision yesterday to appoint Anjali Raina to serve as Executive Director of its India Research Center (IRC) in Mumbai, India (see AScribe Newswire article). The IRC was established in 2006 to support the school’s efforts to research economy and business related matters in India and South Asia generally.

Also in recent news, the 12th annual Wharton India Economic Forum concluded successfully last Saturday, 3.22.08. The event, organized around the theme “India ¦ Imagine” drew a diverse array of business professionals and luminaries, including the former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who delivered the closing speech.

The push to establish a presence in Asia (including India) is not exclusive to Harvard. INSEAD and Chicago GSB both have campuses in Singapore. Other business schools have established programs dedicated to Asian studies, such as Haas, which launched its Asia Business Center this year. For more on the rise of Asian business schools, check out this CNN article discussing global program rankings.

Happy bunny’s MBA Quest offers up a rant this week on Money vs. Reputation, asking who would choose a $100,000 debt over a free ride at a good school?

Marquis’ Weblog… shares a link to an MBA Action Plan created by a friend to help incoming MBA students maximize their business school experience.

Darden One Day at a Time muses over the most memorable highlights from the recruiting season.

What a great school, Angel Angie in London says of LBS, after receiving a lengthy welcome message from the finance professor of an upcoming summer course.

To MBA or Not to MBA reveals what he learned in the process of IM recruiting in this 10-point recruiting recap.

London Business School has partnered with Goldman Sachs to establish a new scholarship for full-time MBA students. Created to highlight the company’s commitment to diversity, the Goldman Sachs International Scholarship will award the first £20,000 scholarship to a deserving MBA candidate starting the program in Autumn 2008. The scholarship selection process will take into consideration financial need along with academic merit.

A statement issued by LBS last week says “Goldman Sachs is delighted to be working with London Business School to launch a new scholarship award. This scholarship will be directed at international students who are considering studying for the MBA. We hope the Goldman Sachs Scholarship will strengthen our global reach and continue to demonstrate our commitment to diversity.”

More information about the Goldman Sachs International Scholarship can be found on the MBA scholarships pages of the London Business School website.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been appointed the Howland Distinguished Fellow for the 2008-2009 academic year, where he will lead a seminar on faith and globalization to be jointly coordinated by the Yale School of Management and the Yale Divinity School. The course in which he will participate with Yale faculty will examine issues of faith and globalization. In addition, Blair will participate in a number of events around the campus. His efforts at Yale relate to the work of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation that he will be launching later this year. (more…)