SPJIMR welcomes PGDM Class of 2019
June 20, 2017
SPJIMR (S P Jain Institute of Management & Research) on Monday (June 19, 2017) inaugurated the most diverse batch yet of its largest programme, the two year, full-time MBA-equivalent Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). The formal batch inaugural and orientation ceremony began with a traditional prayer and offered students an overview of the ethos, the heritage and values that have seen SPJIMR stand apart as a top ranked institute in the country.
The batch joins campus at a time when SPJIMR is fast upgrading its infrastructure, expanding its offerings to new segments and increasing international collaborations.
The 37th batch, which will be known as the SPJIMR PGDM Class of 2019, has a total of 243 participants. It is one of the most diverse batches of the PGDM, with 41 per cent women participants. The batch has 26 per cent non-engineers coming from various streams and professions. This year, the batch has a total of five international students who are nationals of Australia and Nepal.
Said Dean Dr. Ranjan Banerjee, “We are high on diversity and what is important is that this is a part of our normal process of improvement. It is not being done through any form of quotas but it is being done by processes which look not only at academics but holistically at the overall personality and attitude of the candidate.”
“Because of this, the ratio within our student population more approximates the talent in the overall population. This is in evidence with this batch. The number of non-engineers has gone up. We have sportspersons, musicians and people from various diverse backgrounds who are also good academically,” the Dean added.
The PGDM Programme Chair Dr. Vasant Sivaraman said: “In a changing world that sees an uncertain future, adaptability along with specialised skills that participants achieve in an MBA are a key to success. The knowledge, skills and attitude that is part of the SPJIMR way offer participants the path to sustainable growth, success and fulfilment.”
Over the past several months, the SPJIMR faculty undertook a review of the programme by drawing upon insights from multiple stakeholders. As an outcome of this exercise, the programme architecture has been refreshed; some of this new direction is being launched with the Class of 2019.
This will be the first time students will receive a Kindle e-book reader with their prescribed books pre-loaded. SPJIMR has set up a special arrangement with Amazon and with the book publishers to offer as many books as possible to students in the digital format.
As part of PGDM’s Global Fast Track (GFT) initiative, participants will visit a global B-School in the second year for advanced courses in their area of specialisation. The partner B-Schools include Cornell University (Johnson School of Management) for finance and marketing management, Michigan State University (Eli Broad College of Business) for operations and supply chain management and Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper School of Business) for Information management.