WILKES-BARRE, PA. (March 10, 2009) – Graduate students in India can now earn a Wilkes University MBA through a unique new program that allows them to complete one year in their home country and one at Wilkes.

One+OneMBA:India offers MBA candidates a more affordable way to earn a U.S. degree than attending a program requiring two years abroad. Rather than open a campus in India, Wilkes collaborates with Punjabi School of Management Studies at Punjabi University to provide the India portion of the program.

Thirty-four first-year Wilkes students began studying business administration on Punjabi University’s campus in Patiala, India, in fall 2008. This fall, those students will come to the Wilkes campus for their second year of study. While other U.S. universities are offering programs in India, Wilkes One+One program is unique in offering a year in each country.

The city of Patiala lies in northwest India. Jay S. Sidhu, a 1973 graduate of Wilkes’ MBA program and president of the Wilkes board of trustees, is a native of Patiala and encouraged the collaboration. The Reading, Pa., businessman’s generosity launched the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership at Wilkes University in 2004.

Punjab School of Management Studies faculty teach courses for Wilkes. They consult with Wilkes professor Wagiha Taylor and assistant professors Jennifer Edmonds, Dean Frear and Nandita Das. Wilkes faculty and staff traveled to India several times since the collaboration began in 2006. Three Punjabi faculty teaching Wilkes courses visited Wilkes-Barre in January.

While Punjab School of Management offers its own MBA, many Indian students desire the prestige of a U.S. degree, said Paul Browne, dean of Wilkes University’s Sidhu School of Business and Leadership. “The U.S. MBA improves career prospects among Indians interested in working for international firms or for Indian firms that aspire to do business internationally. Completing one year in their home country significantly lowers their costs while providing a yearlong experience in American  society, culture and business practices.”

Wilkes’ American MBA students gain the option to study in Patiala, as well. “The program works both ways,” noted Anthony L. Liuzzo, director of the Wilkes MBA program and a professor of business and economics. “The opportunity for cross-cultural learning will enrich the experience of both American and Indian students. It should also make them more marketable in a global economy.”

Short-term exchanges between Wilkes and Punjabi University began two years ago, when a contingent of Punjabi University MBA students arrived in Wilkes-Barre for an intensive three-week course with U.S. students. A group of Wilkes students and faculty toured India in fall 2007. That exchange continues this year, with 18 Punjabi students studying on the Wilkes campus until March 14.

Wilkes University is a premier institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence through mentoring in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. Founded in 1933, the university provides its students with the experience, mentoring and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as personal growth. Providing a sense of values and civic responsibility, Wilkes encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continuously changing world.

Punjabi University was founded in 1962 with the main objective of furthering the cause of Punjabi language, art and literature. It is the largest university in the state. Its School of Management Studies was established in 1969. Flair for innovation and capacity for adaptation to the emerging corporate scenario have been the forte of the school.