Independent India faced a shortage of managers to handle various government establishments and industries. The Planning Commission, in cahoots with MIT Sloan School of Management, USA, established an Indian brand that we are proud of. The Indian Institute of Management at Kolkata – then Calcutta — was the first of the 13 public, autonomous institutes of management education and research in India. Established in 1961, it is under the purview of the union ministry of human resource development and is overseen by IIM’s board of governors. IIM-C moved to its current location in Joka on the outskirts of Kolkata in 1975, and is a pleasant reprieve from the chaos that the city of joy is.
Campus
The 52-year-old institution is fully residential — around 1,000 people stay on campus — and is designed around seven lakes on 135 acres — a perfect example of peaceful co-existence with nature. The infrastructural requirements have changed over time due to increasing student numbers. Nevertheless, IIM-C can boast of state-of-the-art classrooms, research labs, guest houses, an auditorium that can house 750 people, an amphitheatre, football ground, gym, sports facilities, swimming pool, coffee shops, ATMs, library, family quarters for staff members, a medical unit and a Kendriya Vidyalaya School for wards of staff members, etc. They are also planning to build a 200-room hotel on its premises.
Academics
Their most popular offering is the postgraduate programme (PGP) in two main areas: postgraduate diploma in management (PGDM), which is a two-year full-time MBA and a postgraduate diploma in computer-aided management (PGDCM), an IT-oriented MBA. A one-year postgraduate programme for executives (PGPEX) is offered for those with five years of work experience. PGPEX-Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing has been modelled after MIT. The latter is jointly carried out with IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Madras for cutting-edge knowledge in manufacturing technology.
IIM-C has 15 online courses. Twenty per cent of their overall revenue comes from online programmes, says Prof Anindya Sen, dean, academics. “The batch strength here for PGP, PGDM and PGDCM courses is 462, while the faculty strength is 90. The aim is to bring up the latter to 104 in the next couple of years. IIM-C is also a member of CEMS, an elite club of 28 management institutes in the world and we are the only member from India. We offer a CEMS-MIM (master’s in management) programme, a one-year course which can be taken up simultaneously with the two- year PGP at IIM-C. Qualifying students have to spend one term in any of the CEMS member schools abroad before returning to IIM-C for the final term, which gives great exposure,” he says.
As part of their internationalisation efforts, IIM-C offers a dual degree programme with ESCP, Europe, where students can pursue three terms each in Kolkata and in Europe and get both degrees/diplomas. Students also stand the chance to get placed in partner institutes. The selection process uses CAT/GMAT scores. Students have elective courses along with their regular papers, interaction with top-level executives, faculty exchanges — all activities that add to the experience that IIM-C is.
The student exchange programme needs to be highlighted. With an extensive network of school affiliations, IIM-C students have the opportunity to study in foreign institutes like Asian Institute of Technology, Asian Institute of Management, Cardiff University, Copenhagen Business School, City University of New York, IE Business School, ESCP Europe, ESSEC, European Business School, Louvain School of Management, National University of Singapore, etc.
Research
The fellow programme in management (FPM) is a doctoral programme for those interested in research or teaching in management. The coursework and thesis that are a part of this programme can be pursued in various areas of management — economics, finance, HRM, public policy and management, sociology, strategic management, management information systems, marketing, operations management, regional development, etc. Shreyasi Chakravorty, 30, who is pursuing FPM in HRM, is studying gender diversity. “While the campus is quite far from the city, the pros of pursuing research here are the resources available at our disposal and the exposure of the faculty members,” she says. This MBA grad of IIM-T, Nagpur, receives a stipend too. She also managed to stump the writer by disclosing that her monthly hostel fee is `500.
A big budget is set aside for internally-funded research and long-term interdisciplinary projects. Various centres for research have been set up in this regard like the Corporate Governance Centre, Management Centre for Human Values to integrate Western and Indian management philosophies and the more recent Case Research Centre. The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is also underway. Through, The Initiatives for Country Action (INCA) students offer consultancy services to NGOs. These students also have a dedicated faculty member as mentor to help out NGOs with management and financial issues of their establishments. Other centres of excellence include the Financial Research and Trading Lab, Centre for Development and Environment Policy, Pervasive Information Systems Group and the High Performance Research Group.
We took a walk around a large library, which was deserted. The librarian was quick to assure that this was because their virtual collection had expanded considerably. Students can access journals and books from anywhere and students can study in a three-storey structure from 9am-6am. It houses over one lakh physical books, collections of studies and reports from MHRD, access to online journals and e-books.
QS ranked IIM-C ninth in the Global 200 Business Schools Report in the Asia-Pacific region for 2012. Prof Sen says, “Ratings from abroad don’t necessarily understand the Indian context. We don’t always agree with the rankings and the methodology used. That said, we are working on many parameters and you can question these aggregates.”
Executive education
Management Development Programmes at IIM-C were designed to offer executives an edge by providing insights and skill-training. “Corporate houses and non-profit organisations interact with us for tailor-made programmes and training modules that can meet specific needs, with a focus on their own environment and priorities. Long duration management programmes are offered in marketing, supply chain management, strategic management, software development management, applied finance, business management, international business management, financial risk and investment management, global economics, HRM, and corporate regulations,” says Prof Sen. They also offer executive programme for management officials. IIM-C also runs an incubation centre where students get expert advice for their startups.
Scholarships
Need-based financial assistance to the tune of `5 crore is being offered to deserving candidates for the 2013-14 academic year.
Life at IIM-C
The environment on campus is certainly quiet, but students and faculty know how to spice up their routines with a game of tennis or volleyball, running/jogging across the beautiful campus, catching up in canteens, or engaging in the activities of their many clubs — OutTh!nk for those interested in puzzles, quiz club, adventure club, Cinema Paradiso for movie enthusiasts, dance club called Choreo, DramCell for dramatics, Persona, their literary cell, etc. What was particularly interesting to note, be it in class, or out of it, is the casual camaraderie among students and professors. “We treat each student as an adult. There is no hand-holding or babysitting. We encourage a friendly atmosphere that fosters learning and questions,” says Saibal Chattopadhyay, director, IIM-C. An interesting initiative to be launched is kayaking on their lakes.
Students have an online magazine called the Joka Times, and host a variety of workshops and summits on campus. Intaglio is one of the biggest B-school meets in India. The Great Innovation Challenge, Olympus, their leadership hunt and Wizards of Biz are a few other events. An interesting event by the dramatics club is the annual play, where students direct and professors act. Their cultural fest is called Carpe Diem, which witnesses heavy participation from institutes across India. Sachin Gupta, second-year PGDM student joined IIM-C after working for three years. He says, “The course accommodates all. Most of the activities on campus are student-run. As far as academics go, students’ views are frequently sought to improvise course structure and policies. Students can also place requests for faculties from outside.”
Engaging with alumni
Their alumni members are a proud lot who constantly interact with their alma mater. Some popular people are Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo, Ramachandra Guha, noted historian and author, and Amish Tripathi, author. Alumni chapters have been set up across the world. Events like Reminiscence and Nostalgia bring them together. The alumni members help with donations, placements, workshops and industry interactions. Corporate lessons are a big way of giving back to their alma mater, they believe. For more, visit www.iimcal.ac.in.
— preethi@newindianexpress.com