Creating an Impactful IIM in the National Capital Region

How IIM-Rohtak plays a vital role in shaping management students’ career options?

With my continuous interactions with business corporations, government bodies, and policymakers, I understand that it is essential to create a learning environment that will have a unique ability to blend theory and practice in imparting management education. This blend is necessary for creating cutting edge professionals in business management. IIM Rohtak students are well prepared through this blended curriculum and its delivery to manage the current business environment that is characterized by VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). Specifically, we have also introduced simulation-based learning using live data to augment decision making in our students. Simulation allows the application of theoretical knowledge in business decision making, thereby immediately extending its relevance in practice.

Further, our faculty is trained at some of the best management international and domestic institution such as Louisiana Tech University, USA, Yuan Ze University Taiwan, IIM-Ahmedabad, IIM-Bangalore, IIM-Calcutta, IIT- Kharagpur, IIM-Indore, ISB, among others. We also have several adjunct faculty members coming from some of the best international universities situated in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Overall, at IIM Rohtak, we endeavour to provide the best learning experience to the students. We aim to deliver the nation with management experts who can serve as business leaders, managers, and policymakers and exhibit superior work ethics, high commitment to work, and a positive attitude.

Of late, students are seen in great numbers aspiring to compete for IIM-Rohtak. What do you think is the biggest strength of IIM-Rohtak?

I believe that the biggest strength of IIM Rohtak lies in its excellent student diversity. We have achieved excellent student diversity in terms of regional diversity, gender diversity, and academic diversity. The institute also has students coming from different economic backgrounds and age groups across various programmes at IIM Rohtak. One of the historic successes of IIM Rohtak is to have achieved the best gender diversity amongst any management education institution in the world. Currently, over 70% of the students in the flagship programme are females. Also, over 65% of the batch is non-engineers and come from diverse education backgrounds. In a diverse environment at IIM Rohtak, we aim to produce well-rounded future business leaders. Therefore, I can proudly say that the biggest strength of IIM Rohtak lies in its diversity. Increased diversity in the classroom adds to variety in perspectives, opinions, and ideas. It further leads to increased sharpness of solution presented and a better perspective to the business problems. It encourages creativity and innovation amongst the students through cross-gender and cross-cultural interactions. This makes students more informed and enhances their decision making skills.

If a woman is educated, the whole family gets educated. How is your esteemed institution promoting female students?

IIM Rohtak has created a benchmark for other management institutions in the country through its best ever gender diversity. From 9% female students in the MBA programme in 2017, we have been able to achieve the benchmark number of approx. 70% for 2 consecutive years in 2020 and 2021. Therefore, IIM Rohtak is now number one in the world in terms of women representation in its MBA program. IIM Rohtak has been able to achieve this exceptional success with its laborious and consistent efforts over several years.

We created a unique outreach program. Several interaction sessions in major cities and periodic online seminars were conducted to encourage women students to apply to IIM Rohtak. Further, we offered assistance to them in availing various state and central government scholarships. Next, we invited eligible women candidates along with their parents to visit the institute and interact with IIM Rohtak community members. These students were also provided AC 3 tier fare, local transportation, and campus stay facility for their visit. Finally, we were able to get four major banks that process a large number of education loans within 24 hours of application. Last year, more than 120 education loans were processed in 24 hours. You would already know the majority of the students who study at IIM Rohtak avail education loans facilitated by the institute’s support. Through our efforts we have been able to contribute to the ‘betibachao, betipadhao’ initiative of the government.

Initially IIMs had designed their courses primarily for students but these days many IIMs have initiated customised courses for professionals as per their needs. Have you introduced any such courses?

The industry today is constantly looking for committed professionals who can analyse problems and articulate solutions in the most efficient manner. IIM Rohtak at a very early stage, identified the scope of domain specific short and long duration executive education programmes for experienced professionals and introduced a variety of such programmes. This includes several long duration programmes in blended learning mode and short duration online Management Development Programmes.

Institute is already running two long duration diploma programmes namely, Executive PG Diploma for working executives and 2-year Executive PG Diploma in Sports Management for sports professionals. Addition to this, IIM Rohtak will introduce a two year PG programme in the blended learning mode in the academic year 2022 that will lead to award of Master of Management Studies on successful completion of the programme. Working professionals with 3 years of experience after graduation will be able to apply for this programme. Apart from long duration programmes, the institute also identified the requirement of need based specialised short duration programmes for working professionals and introduced a pool of eMDPs in the domain of HR Analytics, Data Analytics, Project Management and Analytic, Strategic Management, and Supply Chain Management among others. These programmes received an amazing response from the working professionals. Further, we have been able to regularly introduce a variety of new programmes every year. This year, executive Management Development Programmes like Lean and Operations Management, Product and Brand Management, and Strategic Digital Marketing and Analytics are being introduced.

Campus placement has always been a dream as well as a challenge for engineering or management students across all institutions. How is IIM-Rohtak grooming their students to get best placements in the corporate world?

The placement activities at IIM Rohtak have always been led by a student led “placement committee” which is facilitated by institute faculty and staff. The Placement Committee is actively involved in corporate engagement with prospective recruiters. The committee engages into multiple activities ranging from conducting Leadership Lecture Series, Management Summits in-station and out-of-station, providing live project, and case study/B Plan competition, and other opportunities to students for placement readiness. These activities help students be better prepared for the upcoming placement processes and understand dynamic industry requirements.

Many companies engage in corporate competitions for premier Business schools that provide placement opportunities to students. IIM Rohtak encourages participation of its students in these competitions and recently IIM Rohtak has seen considerable success in students being selected for pre-placement interviews and placement offers from top corporations. Last year, even during the pandemic situation, we attained over 17% increase in the average salary for our students. Additionally, placement committee worked really hard to bring nearly 35 new recruiters to campus.

Curriculum plays an important role in the career growth of every student. How well is your teaching faculties well equipped in imparting and enhancing their skills to get more knowledge about the industry?

The institute constantly engages with management thinkers, industry, policy makers, and experts in implementing the most optimal curriculum for its students. Faculty members regularly explore new trends or demands of the Industry, and ensure that the latest courses are added to the curriculum accordingly. They also offer new elective courses in our flagship MBA program every year to align the student preparation with industry requirements.

Faculty also collaborates with various companies and industry experts every year to write cases that elucidate unique business situations and dilemmas. Case writing and case based pedagogy helps students in contextualising knowledge and learning and also keeps faculty topical, relevant, as well as far-sighted. The institute also encourages 20% of the course content to be taught by the industry experts. This helps students relate the fundamental concept to the contextually relevant real world problems.

Where do you want to see IIM-Rohtak in the next 5 years?

IIM Rohtak has been allotted land in the heart of Gurgaon by the Government of Haryana. Therefore, developing a centre of excellence at Gurgaon campus will be the next major project. We plan to offer several non-residential courses in its Gurgaon campus. Also, we will expand our reach to offer more training and development programs for corporations and the government. We shall also start specific programs targeting the entrepreneurs and family business owners. Finally, IIM Rohtak’s presence in Gurgaon can help leverage our existing expertise and scholarship to contribute to the growth of this epicentre of business activities of the world.

We also target to achieve international standards in student-faculty ratio, research output, publications in quality journals, and placement of students. As part of social responsibility, institute has research center named “Council for Strategic Affairs”. This center aims to engage in activities and programmes that may contribute to innovation, incubation, and development of entrepreneurship. Additionally, the center will conduct and encourage research activities, training, capacity building, and dissemination of information having large social and technological impact pertaining to public policy, public systems, international affairs, international trade, and international relations. Center will produce research papers, white papers, and host academic events to deliberate and disseminate research. We are determined to actively participate in various critical policy-making studies and projects that may eventually benefit various sections of the society. To conclude, we hope to serve the nation by providing the opportunity of getting top-class management education to individuals from all spectrum of life.

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