With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the second wave in 2021, like most educational institutions, we, at Great Lakes Institute of Management, were forced to temporarily move all our classes online. The pandemic presented us with the unusual challenge of using digital methods to impart learning, motivate and prepare our students in the new academic year. Our solution to this was ‘Term Zero’, an online learning series designed to provide current and incoming students insights and perspectives from prominent educators, scholars and thought-leaders.
What we aim to achieve through Term Zero is – that we go beyond the usual offering, offer meaningful avenues for our students to engage with our faculty and each other, prepare them for the upcoming recruitment season and appreciate a variety of perspectives about how ‘management’ works in the real world through insights from industry stalwarts and academic luminaries. Term Zero is a four part series comprising SWIM (Successful Women in Management), Global Thought Leaders, CXO Interactions and going 'Beyond Business'.
SWIM Webinar Series
Every year, Great Lakes conducts the Successful Women In Management (SWIM) symposium on campus, inviting world renowned women who have been inspirational leaders in business and management to share their journey and learnings with the students. This year, the symposium was conducted as an online interaction with 3 women who have touched billions of lives worldwide through their contributions:
Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Executive Chairperson, Biocon Limited
Indra Nooyi
Former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
Dr Preetha Reddy
Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited
Global Thought Leader Series
The Global Thought Leader Series enabled Great Lakers to interact with some of the most prominent thought leaders – people who have left a lasting impression on the society with their immense contribution towards industrial developments, teaching and research around the world. Following are the 14 stalwarts who have inspired and taught Great Lakers this year:
Dr Srikant Datar
Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Business Administration, Faculty chair of the Harvard Innovation Labs and Dean, Harvard Business School
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Dr Madhav Rajan
Dean and George Pratt Shultz Professor of Accounting, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago
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Dr Hayagreeva Rao
Atholl McBean Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources, Stanford GSB
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Dr Dipak Chand Jain
Co-President at CEIBS and Former Dean at INSEAD & Kellogg School of Management
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Dr Aswath Damodaran
Kerschner Family Chair in Finance Education and Professor of Finance at New York University Stern School of Business, Stern NYU
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Dr V. G. Narayanan
Thomas D. Casserly Jr. Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
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Dr Shyam Sunder
James L. Frank Professor of Accounting, Economics, and Finance, Yale School of Management
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Dr John F. O. Bilson
Dean and Endowed Chair Professor of Finance, Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology
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Dr V. “Seenu” Srinivasan
Adams Distinguished Professor of Management Emeritus, Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), Stanford University, USA
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Vijay Govindarajan
Coxe Distinguished Professor,
Tuck School of Business &
NY Times Bestselling Author
Dr Sam Pitroda
Chairman, The Pitroda Group LLC and Pioneer of the Telecom Revolution in India
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Dr Sudhakar Balachandran
Director, MBA Program – University of Illinois, Chicago
Dr Wayne Winston
Professor Emeritus of Decision Sciences,
Kelley School of Business,
Indiana University
CXO Interaction Series
Interacting with the who’s who of the industry is a vital and inseparable part of an MBA program. In addition to its rigorous schedule of industry lectures throughout the academic year, Great Lakes invited these 7 top-notch CXOs to share their experiences and wisdom with Great Lakers during Term Zero, setting the context for the MBA life ahead:
N. Srinivasan
Vice Chairman & Managing Director, India Cements
Beyond Business
Achievers are made of hard work, perseverance and determination. These achievers then become a beacon of inspiration to people all around. This year, Great Lakes was proud to host two stalwarts who have proved their mettle in their areas of expertise and inspired millions.
R. Madhavan
Actor, Writer and Film Producer
Rahul Dravid
Former Indian Cricketer &
Captain of the Indian National Team
