IIM RANCHI
Focus is on spiritual well being
Three Hs form the core of IIM-Ranchi, Jharkhand, that was established in 2010 — hard work, holistic development of the individual and harmonious co-existence. Prof MJ Xavier, director, says, “When I took over IIM-Ra, I devised a mission statement to attain thought leadership through an erudite fusion of Western processes and technologies with the wisdom of the East.” This was the eighth IIM to be opened in the country and the professor feels that an IIM in Jharkhand, will surely help develop the state.
Programmes offered
They offer a PG diploma programme, which has been taken up by more than 100 students. An 18-month part-time postgraduate executive programme was started in September 2010 with 60 students. In 2012, a two-year full-time postgraduate diploma in human resource management and a fellow programme in management was initiated. The fellow programme is for students who wish to do research and work in R&D centres, government offices or even teach. The interested need to display a strong academic background. “We have tweaked the curriculum. Emphasis is laid on inner development so that students have a holistic idea of spiritual realms, which will act as an anchor in times of difficulty,” explains Prof Xavier about the new compulsory modules they have incorporated.
Indian culture, yoga and meditation, Indian ethos, rural immersion and a year-long social project with NGOs are part of the curriculum.
Facilities
They have smart classrooms and a business lab, which was set up in collaboration with IBM. However, faculty crunch dogs IIM-Ra — there are only 13 full-time professors. “We need to pay a better salary to get the best faculty and offer good working conditions to retain these members. Apart from permanent faculty, we also have professors from abroad. We have set up an e-learning platform for flexibility in teaching,” says the professor.
Placements
More than 70 offers were made last year for a batch of 67 students. Citibank, HSBC, Ocwen Financial Services, ICICI Bank, YES Bank, HDFC Bank, ING Vysya Bank, ICRA, UAE Exchange and RBI are some of the prominent recruiters at the institute.
“We prepare students for the future with an attempt at fusion of the East and West. We have also identified that business analytics and neuro management will play a key role in the future and that will be our thrust areas,” reveals Prof Xavier on the institute’s future plans. A 18-month part time postgraduate programme in energy management will be launched in January 2013, in collaboration with Houston University, USA, and students will get to spend four weeks at the university.
IIM TIRUCHY
Interactive sessions and projects make students industry-ready
The year-old IIM-Tiruchy, Tamil Nadu, has high aspirations for a holistic development of students through classroom learning and adequate industry exposure. Prof Prafulla Agnihotri, director of IIM-T, feels that there is a need for capacity expansion to provide quality education. “More than three lakh students take up CAT, but there were only six IIMs to accommodate these students. To fill this demand and supply gap, new IIMs were set up,” he says. The institute is now ready to launch new courses as the first year went in planning and setting up the institute. “It was a rare opportunity to be a part of the team which would build a world-class institute and I decided to grab it,” he says talking about his appointment as the director.
Programmes offered
It currently offers a two-year full-time PG programme in management and has also recently launched the fellowship programme. “Our curriculum is the same as other IIMs, but we concentrate more on practical application. Industrial projects, assignments, interactive sessions and similar initiatives help students become industry-ready,” he says. More than 100 students are studying in the first year and 80 students are in their second year. Even though this institute is housed in the NIT-Tiruchy campus, IIM-T students have some exclusive facilities — Rs 1 crore invested in a library called Learning Resource Centre, which is open 24 hours and accommodates all the required database and journals.
Future plans
Faculty crunch was not experienced as the director explains, “The name of the institute has attracted good faculty members from across the nation. We have 15 permanent faculty and will be recruiting five more members by the end of this year.” He is also proud of having a full-time French professor.
The institute is planning to start programmes in business analytics, manufacturing management and a joint PhD and research programmes with five universities abroad.
IIM ROHTAK
Lessons are planned keeping the students in mind
Pursuing an aim to be in the forefront of knowledge creation, IIM-Rohtak, Haryana, opened up to great expectations in 2010. Establishing the brand identity and recruiting quality faculty was a challenge for this new institute. “IIM-Ro is at present the only IIM in the National Capital Region of India and it was a very wise decision to set up an IIM at Rohtak,” says Prof P Rameshan, director who is currently on leave from IIM Kozhikode. As of now, it is functioning from Maharishi Dayanand University in Rohtak and offers postgraduate programme in management (PGPM) and management development programmes (MDPs). Once they shift to a new campus, which is currently being built in an area of 200 acres in another part of the city, there are plans to expand its programmes. The governments are also supporting the institute and received `14 crore last year as funds.
Programmes offered
While fee for the PGPM course is Rs 4,50,000 per year, MDPs range from Rs 20-30,000. Designed by IIM-Ro faculty, MDPs on marketing, human resource management, operations, finance, accounting, etc, cater to management professionals who do not have an access to full-time courses. “Business ethics and socio-economic transformation of India are the two new subjects that were added into the PGPM programme. We are also planning to start an executive PGP and FPM programmes in the coming year,” says Prof Rameshan.
Campus facilities
With more than 120 students in each of its batches, the institute offers good facilities. An ATM will be added to the Wi-Fi campus, library with digital resources, well-equipped computer centre and sports centre. Unlike other IIMs, IIM-Ro does not schedule classes on Sundays and it is set aside for ‘rejuvenation’. The classes are planned in such a way that they do not extend late into the night. Both these measures help students to learn better, he feels.
Faculty
Since it is located in NCR, IIM-Ro has not faced any faculty crunch. “We are recruiting faculty on a continuous and intensive basis. The good work environment with research focus is attracting quality faculty,” he explains. They have 17 full-time faculty members and only candidates with research credentials are recruited. IIM-Ro boasts of having the highest number of faculty members among the new IIMs.
Placements
Internships form an integral part of the PGP programme. There is even a possibility of having joint programmes with Kelley School of Business, USA, as an MoU has been signed recently. Placements have not been a problem, as IIM-Ro was the second to declare 100 per cent placement after IIM Calcutta in 2011. Ernst &Young, Cognizant, HDFC and RBI are some of the companies that come for recruitment.
IIM RAIPUR
The future of this institute lies in research and global reach
The aim of IIM Raipur, Chattisgarh, is to be globally-known and cater to quality research. “I was the director of MDI Gurgaon and Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, before being appointed as the director of IIM-Rp. When I came here I realised it has great potential. Out of the six new IIMs, three are in the newly carved states of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. This decision of the government has to be appreciated,” feels Prof BS Sahay, director of IIM-Rp.
Programmes offered
The institute, which was established in 2010, offers a postgraduate programme in management, fellow programme in management and a PG programme in management for working executives (PGPWE). “The number of programmes offered is not important, only the quality matters. With just three programmes, we can ensure that students excel in their area of expertise,” explains Prof Sahay. IIM-Rp charges a total fee of Rs 9.66 lakh including lodging expenses for PGP and Rs 6.46 lakh for 18-months PGPWE. The executive education programme is considered unique as it offers in-company programmes and management development programmes. The in-company programmes are tailor-made for the management staff at the senior level of different companies.
Faculty at IIM
While there is no dearth of applications, it is hard to hard to find quality teachers. “Out of the 100 applications we receive, only five-10 are good and experienced. To ensure quality, we cannot make compromises in choosing the right faculty.” The doctoral programmes also equip students with good exposure for the future, if they are willing to teach. Professors are also sent to Harvard for training. “To apply at any IIM, a professor should have sound knowledge of the industry and must have published different research papers in reputed publications,” explains the prof. With the increase in the number of students this year from 48 to 115, there is also a need for increase in faculty members (only 10 full-time faculty members at present).
Research plans
Research sets this IIM apart. Huge investments are being made and the institute wants to promote different thrust areas. Faculty members will be awarded `5 lakh each for pursuing research and they will also get a chance to present their paper at an international conference. A leadership summit is slated for 2013 — others will then witness the state’s potential, feels Prof Sahay. A new campus is being constructed in Naya Raipur. Four research centres have been proposed to be set up in a few years. As of now, a Centre for Resource Management and a Centre for innovation and entrepreneurship are in progress.
IIM UDAIPUR
The best is yet to come
The education sector has changed, fees have increased, many different courses and programmes have started and this country needs a large number of managerial talent, thus the need for more management institutes, opines Prof Janat Shah, director of IIM Udaipur. “The major challenge when we set up this institute was getting faculty. But now, things are progressing and we have good support from both the State and Central government,” he says of the institute, which was set up in July 2011 .
Innovative methods of teaching and inculcating knowledge is what makes IIM-U move forward. The professor explains that taking MBA into global and rural immersion would help students develop their abilities. He argues that taking an institute to world class level is not a sprint, but a marathon that can take 20 years. “We are going to make sure we make a change in this region and launch a centre for development of the society,” says the professor on IIM-U’s future vision.
Programmes
The two-year full-time PGP is the flagship programme of the institute. Social entrepreneurship is also included in the programme as IIM-U has partnered with Sewa Mandir to address issues of the rural community with management techniques. “The curriculum is the same, but we want students to have a global mindset and also be rooted in their country. Team work is encouraged and mentorship is provided at each level,” explains the professor. In partnership with Duke University, USA, and several NGOs, IIM-U will offer a 10-week intensive programme in which 10 international and Indian PG students will participate. Joint research programmes have also been proposed.
Future plans
Centres of excellence will be established for regional development and moulding responsible students. An MoU has been signed with Purdue University in USA for a 15-month global supply chain management programme, that will have students study in both the countries and get a dual degree. The fee for this course will be `5 lakh, with living expenses at IIM-U extra. Purdue University will cost over $20,000 (over `11 lakh). With a capacity to accommodate 120 students, they currently have 102 students. “The focus is now on research and excellence. We are investing in a faculty development and lab facilities,” he informs.
