“Development of a design attitude among students is the answer to the changing business needs and paradigms. We are not trying to teach our graduates how to be designers, but plan to introduce them to these approaches so they can be more open to discovering possibilities and making selections among various opportunities for growth” said Dr Ajeenkya D Y Patil, Chairman, Ajeenkya DY Patil University (ADYPU) in an interview. Excerpts:
What have you introduced to the management education field at the university?
An additional edge introduced by us in management education is to sensitise the students towards environmental and social issues. We want them to be responsible corporate citizens and rise above the KSA (Knowledge, Skills, and Attitude) dragnet. Workplaces and teams operate in a dynamic environment. Hence, in addition to environmental and social sensitisation, the students undergo a course on gender equality and sexual diversity, in tune with the dynamism in teams at the workplaces.
Students are tested on concepts not as sterile definitions, but their real-life applications. Hence our students have to undergo live projects in each of their courses where they learn the application of concepts to real business situations. Thus, the students validate the concepts.
Our distinct edge in academic delivery is that we align our academics with placements. The sole aim of the entire academic team is to make the students, industry-ready.
How are students going to get benefits of the curricula taught in management branches?
The curricula have been designed with careful thought of the present and future business functions and the requirement of trained manpower. As new businesses emerge and the nature of how people work changes, it ensures that it is in tune with the changing times and remains relevant. We believe in offering highly experiential programmes that focus on providing a unique learning experience to the students. Our programmes are designed with global viewpoints in mind. We strive to guide aspirants with emerging technologies along with traditional wisdom, and existing knowledge. The main crux of the curricula of management education is to remain relevant and always a step ahead of time.
In what ways is industry connected with the management school?
At ADYPU School of Management, our priority is to ensure that practise meets theory across all functional areas. Students get ample opportunities to engage with industry leaders throughout the year. Pune is home to a multitude of mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurial ventures and its proximity to Mumbai gives added leverage to the students to interact across various industry sectors. ADYPU School of Management has established close ties with many of them as well as with key companies from across India
These connections are not limited to internships and case discussions. The institution organises and moderates summits and panels that draw together experts, thinkers and practitioners from India and abroad. Students also benefit from intensive classroom mentoring programmes and industry visits carried out by ADYPU –School of Management throughout the year. As a mutual benefit to the industry, our School of Management provides theoretical grounding to industry’s experienced staff in the form of MDPs and other training programmes.
What is the research agenda of your college to meet the requirements of the business houses?
Development of a design attitude among students is the answer to the changing business needs and paradigms. We are not trying to teach our graduates how to be designers, but plan to introduce them to these approaches so they can be more open to discovering possibilities and making selections among various opportunities for growth.
Design approaches are oriented toward innovation, creating new possibilities to generate new value. We believe that if managers adopted a design attitude, the world of business would be different and better. Managers would approach problems with a sensibility that swept in the broadest array of influences to shape inspiring and energising designs for products, services and processes that are both profitable and satisfying.
What about placements for your students in industry? How many go for employment from each batch and how many opt for higher studies?
The students are trained in aspects beyond those in books. They are trained in various areas of soft skills. They are groomed to enter a globally integrated business environment through a mandatory global study programme to acquaint them with cultures and practices outside India. They work on team building and leadership through a variety of extra-curricular activities through participation in campus events, and conferences. ADYPU School of Management focuses on 360-degree development of the graduates, which makes them a preferred choice of recruiters.
At ADYPU School of Management, the experience with UG students is pretty diverse in nature, about 70 per cent of students go for higher studies, 20 per cent join their family businesses, 5 per cent work on start-ups and the remaining 5 per cent are a bit unsure as to what exactly they want to do in life.
But in the PG programme (MBA), the students are more focused and clear with their thought process and as a result, about 90 per cent of students opt for placements in the industry, 5 per cent go for higher studies and 5 per cent opt out of placements to join their family businesses or to realise their own dreams of an entrepreneurial venture.