IIM Tiruchirappalli faces leadership crisis

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Tiruchirappalli has been without a full-time director since February 2016. At present the term of director Prafulla Agnihotri came to an end.  According to a Economic times report Agnihotri has  been on an extension as the new director is yet to be appointed. The HRD ministry had revealed that about 13 IIMs do not have a full time director and facing faculty crunch which include Rohtak, Raipur, Udaipur and Tiruchirappalli.  At present six of the new IIMs in Amritsar, Sirmaur, Bodh Gaya, Sambalpur, Nagpur and Vishakhapatnam have started their operations without a director. As per the official website of IIM Trichy, the institute has thirty five faculty members who are well qualified and have got their fellowships/Ph.Ds from IIMs or IITs or other reputed schools.
The other new IIMs are also facing some issues. The top IIM officials have been quoted as saying  that the new IIMs are facing major challenges such as stricter control, remote location, disincentives to research, poor salaries. It has also been acknowledged that newer IIMs do not have monetary independence. The new IIMs are also operating from temporary campus which poses a problem for the students. One of the other factors which is proving to be difficult for the IIMs is that connectivity to certain IIMs like the one located in Kashipur in Uttarakhand.  These IIMs are also finding it difficult to get qualified faculty and companies for placements due to connectivity issues.  ALSO READ: CAT 2016: List of Important Group Discussion Topics for IIMs
The new IIMs will urgently need to address issues which are hampering them from becoming world class institutes. The steps which can be taken to attract aspirants and experienced faculty could be looking into the issues of connectivity, convincing top recruiters, be research focused and create their own identity and brand. Presently, the preferred IIMs for toppers include IIM Bangalore, IIM-Ahemdabad, IIM Kolkata, IIM Lucknow and IIM Indore