EDINBURGH (SCOTLAND): For the first time
ever, the Indian Institute of Technology
Delhi has decided to adopt the style of Ivy
League universities to tap wealthy alumni
for donations.
The institute, which has consistently been
India's top ranked entry in most of the
recent world university rankings, is in the
process of recruiting its first development
officer whose only mandate will be to liaise
with the illustrious alumni for raising
funds.
In an exclusive interview to Times of India,
IIT Delhi director Professor R K
Shevgaonkar said at present, alumni
donations to their alma mater is abysmally
low.
Professor Shevgaonkar said at the opening
of the Edinburgh India Institute that IIT
Delhi is in the process of finalizing a vision
document that will inform alumni exactly
where they can help donate in the form of
increasing teaching facilities, housing
quarters, hostel accommodation and fund
scholarships.
The revelation comes just a day after British
universities announced that it had received
a record number of donations from its
wealthy alumni last year, leading to a 23%
increase in cash income for universities
across UK. Universities in the UK were
given a record amount in philanthropic
donations last year — £774 million in
2011-12, up 14% on the year before. Of this,
a total of £ 659.8 million was given in cash
donations in 2012-13, excluding pledges and
gifts in kind. The funds raised include
donations, pledges, legacies and gifts in
kind.
UK universities had just over 9.3 million
contactable alumni in 2012-13. Of them,
174,000 made a gift.
Professor Shevgaonkar told TOI "We at
present have a dean of alumni and
international relations whose job is to co-
ordinate events. However we are setting up
a fund raising cell that will be manned by a
special officer whose only job will be to tap
wealthy alumni and inform them exactly
where they can put in their money. At
present in its 52 year old history, IIT Delhi
has over 40,000 alumni, majority of whom
have done very well for themselves".
IIT Delhi at present provides 1100 masters
degrees, 2oo PhDs and 700 B Techs a year.
Professor Shevgaonkar added that tapping
alumni can easily generate "a few hundred
crores a year".
He said "At present we get about Rs 200
crores from the government a year to run
the institute. We need double of that. Help
from alumni will ensure we can provide
many more scholarships and expand our
infrastructure. The vision document will
tell them exactly where they can donate. We
can name parts of the institute set up with
their money after the alumni themselves.
The development officer will be hired in the
next few weeks". Professor Shevgaonkar
however lamented that "If you look at
colleges and universities in the US and UK,
they raise millions of dollars every year
from donations from their alumni. In India
unfortunately, the culture of philanthropy
in education is almost non-existent."
Interestingly, UK puts in a great deal of
effort and invests a lot of money in fund
raising from alumni.
The latest data shows that UK universities
invested £33 million in alumni relations
last year.
The universities with fundraising
programmes employed 1,198 full time
equivalent (FTE) staff who worked mainly
on fundraising in 2012-13 and an additional
604 staff who worked mainly on alumni
relations.
The largest individual cash gifts were
received by universities of Oxford,
Cambridge, King's College London,
Nottingham Trent and London Business
School.
Dr Shevgaonkar also wants to introduce a
sense of mentor ship among IIT Delhi's
alumni. The illustrious list includes the RBI
Governor Dr Raghuram Rajan, co-founder
of Sun Microsystems Vinod Khosla, novelist
Chetan Bhagat, former chairman of Unilever
Manvinder Singh Banga, ITC chairman Y C
Deveshwar and the first female IPS officer
of India Kiran Bedi.
"I want more alumni to come and interact
with students. The alumni should inspire
the present IITians to soar with their
dreams and make them happen. Most of the
alumni have great success stories to them.
They should tell the students to look big.
The culture of mentorship in India at
present is not very strong".
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