University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel talking to Indian educators in Ann Arbor.

ANN ARBOR—About 30 Indian educators are spending a week at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business as part of a new Leadership for Academicians program.

The LEAP program, launched by the India Ministry of Human Resource Development, provides a three-week training program for upcoming academic leaders. The collaboration between U-M’s Ross Business School and the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee is the first one in a series.

The educators, who come from 15 states across India, spent the first two weeks in India as part of the new executive education program. They are attending the final week at U-M’s Ann Arbor campus to cover areas critical for the development of academic leadership in India.

The Indian participants of LEAP program with University of Michigan President Mark Schlisseland Dean of Ross School of Business Scott DeRue.

“Hearing how an higher education institution works in the U.S. has been eye-opening,” said Bhupendra Gandhi, a professor at IIT-Roorkee. “We are looking forward to adapting them in the Indian context.”

At U-M, the Indian educators participated in several workshops and lectures about best practices in academic governance, technology disruption, student engagement and innovation in teaching techniques.

“We are pleased to be selected as a partner in this important leadership development program in higher education in India,” said M.S. Krishnan, associate dean for executive programs at the Ross School. “We look forward to collaborating and shaping the academic leadership across institutions in India.”

As part of the training, the participants met with several senior U-M leaders, including President Mark Schlissel, Provost Martin Philbert, Ross School Dean Scott DeRue and Alec Gallimore, dean of the College of Engineering.

“I teach C.K Prahalad’s work to my students,” said Lalitha Ramakrishnan, a professor at Pondicherry University. “To walk the halls where he once taught is awe inspiring.”