“Our Students Learn To See Things From Different Perspectives”

Teaching, training, research and consultancy are the four pillars of a holistic B-school and IIM Nagpur, an eight-year-old institute that is the 14th IIM to be set up has done remarkably on all these fronts. The institute has earned its reputation as the fastest-growing B-school. 

To begin with, we have built world-class infrastructure, with an inspiring ecosystem. From honouring the legacy of great leaders like APJ Abdul Kalam, Baba Amte and JRD Tata to providing all modern amenities, we have it all on the campus. While developing the campus, we built the infrastructure and developed horticulture simultaneously. 

We have also recruited best of the best faculty. We went for hiring associate professors and professors. They would be the best faculty from all B-schools, rather than faculty from the best B-schools. There is a distinct difference between the two, as the best institutes do not always have the best faculty. 

The institute, in order to attract cream students, offers 20 full scholarships (except mess fee). Of these, 10 are for high scorers in CAT and 10 for deserving-cum-needy students. A Nagpur-based company has come forward to offer a scholarship.

New-age programmes

We are also focusing on our executive education, and among all the second and new generation IIMs, totalling 15, we lead in terms of revenue generation, having earned Rs 30 crore. We became pioneers in starting a programme in cyber security and data science, and blockchain programme. Besides, we have launched senior management programmes in project management, supply chain management, logistics management and marketing analytics. These programmes not only generated revenue for the institute but also created a huge alumni base. The first batch got completed and the programmes are being repeated, indicating that we are on the right track.

We have also forged bonds with organisations like Indian Oil Corporation, Larsen & Toubro, HPCL, Coal India, Bosch India and Maharashtra Forest Development Corporation for consultancy work. Executive education and consultancy are extremely important for a B-school because the knowledge that we generate as part of both these engagements is pumped back into the MBA programme. The insights gained from these activities reflect current trends, unlike knowledge gained from a textbook which would be three years old. 

Holistic approach

At the same time, we have revised our curriculum keeping the National Education Policy in mind. We called over 16 academicians and industry leaders for their advice.  

In a new course that we have launched, i.e professional management practice, we involve students to identify some important leadership traits, the areas where they are strong and weak, respectively. And we have identified 50-odd mentors from the industry to help students improve upon the areas of weakness. The students are also sent for ‘Bharat Darshan’, which is essentially rural immersion. To become a great decision-maker, they need to know the rural reality too. 

From this year we are introducing new courses like ‘science of happiness’ and ‘changemasters of India’. We also teach ‘Indian ethos and business ethics’ and ‘life management’ which is taken by Gauranga Das. 

Another element we have introduced is ‘human library’. We invite industry leaders who have authored books to the campus for a reading and interaction session with students.

All these courses enable a holistic growth, and students learn to see things from different perspectives. 

Locational advantage

The zero-milestone location of Nagpur is a factor that has helped the institute’s growth. Being the centre-point of India, Nagpur is extremely well-connected. It’s the diamond crossing of India in the railway network. And the institute is 9 km away from the airport, without any signal. 

The entire area is called ‘multi-product special economic zone (SEZ)’, where units of leading companies in heavy machinery, aviation spare parts, food processing and others are located. So IIM Nagpur is located in the heart of business.  

Engaging With Government

We are also doing advocacy with the government and have a Chief Minister Fellowship with the Government of Maharashtra. We identify young minds, train them, and they are then placed in various ministries of the state government, working in public policy. 

The Ministry of Skill and Entrepreneurship Development, Government of India, came up with Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship as part of ‘Sankalp’ project, wherein the ministry identified nine IIMs, including IIM Nagpur. We were given the responsibility of Maharashtra and Sikkim and we successfully completed that two-year programme on October 31. 

We have been given funding of Rs 10 crore by the Government of India for Atal Innovation Centre, and Startup India seed fund and a ‘fellowship of entrepreneurship in residence’ from the Department of Science and Technology, GOI.

We have been recognised as a centre of excellence by the Government of Maharashtra for agricultural marketing as part of a project with the Asian Development Bank. As part of this project, we train the farmers, producer organisations and technical partners in marketing of agri-produce. 

International Exposure

Another initiative of ours is ‘international week’. During December, to coincide with the Christmas holidays, we invite faculty from international universities who are visiting India to take a credit course. This helps students in cross-cultural understanding. We also have international tie-ups with eight universities across the globe, including a dual degree arrangement with the University of Lille, France. We provide students the opportunity to go for immersion programmes in countries like Singapore, Japan, Korea and the UAE. 

--As told to Meha Mathur