19, Jan 2012

MBA students from India can apply for a new scholarship now available at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. A $1 million gift from the Tobaccowala Foundation of India has led to the institution of the scholarship, in memory of Akhtarali H. Tobaccowala — the 1952 graduate of Chicago Booth who was a director of Tata Group, chairman of Voltas Ltd. (a unit of Tata), and founder of Impact India. Students who receive the scholarship will be designated Akhtarali H. Tobaccowala Fellows.

The scholarships are available in Booth’s full-time MBA program to students whose primary home is in India at the time of receiving the scholarship. Prospective students can apply at www.chicagobooth.edu. According to the school, 83 students from India are enrolled in the program for the 2011–12 school year. Since 2001, 527 students from India have attended the program. “India sends the most students to Chicago Booth of any country other than the US,” said Sunil Kumar, the George Pratt Shultz Professor of Operations Management.

“My sister Moeena Iyer and I are delighted to make this gift in memory of our father so more students from India can learn from the world-class Chicago Booth faculty,” said Rishad Tobaccowala, who received his MBA from Booth in 1982. “Our father believed strongly in the power of education and we feel the same way,” said Tobaccowala, chief innovation and strategy officer for VivaKi, the digital media unit of Publicis Groupe. “Scholarship support is important in our efforts to continue attracting the best and brightest students,” said Sunil Kumar. “For that reason, we have as one of our goals to increase such support for students. We are very grateful to the Tobaccowala Foundation for its generous gift.”