B-School Buzz: Construction Delays at Harvard, Princeton; Alternative Internships; No Jobs for India's MBAs

Stacy Blackman's Weekly Roundup of B-School Intelligence
Feeble economy could shelve new construction at major universities -- Design projects at MIT Sloan, Harvard, and Princeton are under the microscope, and many planned university expansions may be delayed, trimmed or possibly scrapped due to cutbacks during these hard economic times. Analysts from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) say schools will most likely favor renovation and expansion over new construction. (BusinessWeek.com)

Summer internships beyond the boardroom -- Rather than the usual path of investment bank or consulting firm, a growing number of MBAs have decided to spend their summers working with non-profits, NGOs or social entrepreneurs. What's the upside? "You have the international experience that people crave and the emerging markets experience that's increasingly important to the whole sustainability agenda," says Gib Bulloch, director of Accenture Development Partnerships. (FT.com)

Making the case for gender balance and the economic power of women --The website WOMEN-omics.com has launched this week and provides exclusive global reporting on women's growing economic impact on companies and countries. A one-stop Web portal, the site is designed for corporate leaders, top executives, policymakers, journalists, researchers, business schools, and women in the workplace.

Job prospects evaporate overnight for MBAs in India -- Just two years ago, students entering India's top MBA programs saw limitless potential upon graduation. After enjoying double-digit growth for the past three years, India's trillion-dollar economy, Asia's third-largest, is feeling the heat of the global economic crisis. "Anybody denying it is just trying to bury his head in the sand," says Sudip Bandyopadhyay, chief executive officer of financial services firm Reliance Money. (Reuters India)

Real-world experience with Stern's endowment fund -- MBA candidates at New York University's Stern School of Business vie for 50 spots in a year-long course where students manage a portion of the university's endowment. The Michael Price Student Investment Fund (MPSIF) offers students valuable experience in money management, which gives them a leg up when it comes time to line up summer internships and jobs after graduation. (FT.com)

Corporate philathropy--a supposed act of selflessness? -- David Booth's recent $300 million endowment to Chicago University's business school has Ross MBA Andrew Noh questioning what he calls an insatiable craving for attention and recognition that gets tied up with supposed acts of selflessness.