June 28, 2023: The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), a premier global management institute, welcomed students of the 60th class of the Two-Year Full Time Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) and the 24th batch of the Two-Year Full Time Post Graduate Programme in Food and Agribusiness Management (PGP FABM), on campus recently. Together, the class of 2023-2025 comprises a total of 455 high performers who come from diverse backgrounds across the country.
An event was held at the campus where Professor Pradyumana Khokle, Dean (Programmes), welcomed the students to the IIMA. Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA; Professor Abhiman Das, Chairperson (PGP); Professor Vineet Virmani, Chairperson (PGP-FABM), Professor MP Ram Mohan, Chairperson (Admissions); Professor Ankur Sinha, Chairperson (Placements); Professor Chinmay Tumbe, Chairperson, Sports and Recreation Activities Committee (SARA), Professor Naman Desai, Chairperson, Student Housing and Welfare Committee; and Girish Rajpurohit, General Secretary (Student Affairs Council) participated in the ceremony and interacted with the students.
Delivering the inaugural address, Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA said, “You are embarking on a transformational journey at IIMA, which will provide you with an environment that stimulates learning and lays a strong foundation for your future. When you look at thousands of your alumni leading organisations across the world with their intellect, hard work and dedication, you will in turn set your bar higher. That is also an achievement because by becoming aspirational early on, you are preparing yourself for extraordinary achievements beyond your own expectations. My best wishes to all of you as you commence your journey at IIMA.
Most importantly, I urge you to uphold high standards of ethics and understand the importance of being principled as honesty and integrity are going to be critical when you will be leading organisations or even economies of the world in the future.
I also want to thank our IIMA alumni who helped establish 30 new scholarships through the IIMA Endowment Fund for deserving and meritorious students. We intend to increase the number of these scholarships in the future to help deserving students to join the Institute.”
Sharing his advice with the new students, Professor Abhiman Das, Chairperson, PGP, IIMA, said, “IIMA community is a special community. First and foremost, it is endowed with over 110 world renowned faculty, and almost all of them live on the campus. As your teachers, our priority is to ensure that your learning is rigorous, comprehensive and continuous. Make the most of your IIMA journey and never waver from your purpose of being at IIMA. Be polite, humble, participate in all activities, learn to be team players and reach out to us whenever you need our help. I wish you a fulfilling journey ahead at IIMA.”
Professor Vineet Virmani, Chairperson, PGP-FABM, IIMA, said, “The PGP FABM is one of the oldest long duration management programmes of the institute, and was specifically designed to cater to the needs of India's agriculture and allied sectors. Over the years, through their achievements, the PGP-FABM alumni have become role models for youngsters all over the country studying food, agricultural and related sciences. We are very excited to welcome the class of 2023-25 of PGP-FABM to IIMA, and hope that this batch will not only exceed our expectations through their academic performance and professional accomplishments but will become idols for the future generations of students.”
Diversity and inclusivity
Diversity remains one of the core requirements for student intake at IIMA as it enhances class discussions, enriches peer interaction by providing everyone the opportunity to learn and accept diversity in views and practices, exploring different perspectives towards problem solving, and creates a more holistic learning environment, making them ready to manage real – world situations. The PGP Class of 2023-25 comprises 408 meritorious students from a diverse educational, professional, socio- economic and gender backgrounds. It consists of 26 percent freshers and 74 percent experienced candidates having a range of skills and work experience covering medicine, multinationals, PSUs, teaching, space research, civil servants, NGOs, defence services, gaming, technology, banking, consultancy, start-ups, law firms, etc. About 42 percent of the batch comprises students from non-engineering disciplines and 58 percent from engineering. Women students comprise 23 percent of the PGP Class.
The PGP FABM batch has 47 students, with all of them hailing from food and agribusiness backgrounds. This year the class has 42 percent women students, as compared to 38 percent in the previous year.
A significant number of differently abled students have joined the PGP Class of 2023-2025. The Institute has always advocated the concept of inclusive education and has set up an EOO (Equal Opportunity Office) that collaborates with these students to understand their special needs and provides several facilities including Apple iPads, automotive wheelchairs, specialised software, high-resolution cameras for laptops, and any other specific requirements they may have during their student life on campus.
Rise in number of Scholarships- Strong support from IIMA alumni
Carrying forward the mission of supporting meritorious and deserving students, the IIMA has announced 30 new scholarships for the incoming Class of 2023-25. The scholarships have been contributed by the IIMA alumni through the IIMA Endowment Fund. A total of 10 scholarships of INR 10 lakh each and twenty scholarships of INR 5 lakh each will be awarded to students early in the first year and in the second year.
The scholarships were made possible through the contributions and support of several IIMA alumni who are closely engaged with the Institute in advancing its aim of ensuring that meritorious students have access to IIMA's world-class education. The scholarships have been instituted through the IIMA Endowment Fund, which has been set up by a group of IIMA alumni in 2020.
In addition to these scholarships, the Institute has several others in the form of awards for Academic and all-round excellence and performance in specific subjects, which are either awarded by the Institute, alumni, individual or organisational donors.
IIMA’s PGP and FABM programmes have been acknowledged among the best programmes in their respective areas. The PGP has been ranked among the top management programmes in the world in India and globally. The PGP FABM is the top-ranked Master’s Ranking in Agribusiness/Food Industry Management for 2022. Alumni from both these programmes have made their mark across several walks of life. Today, the IIMA alumni network comprises more than 40, 000 professionals based in almost every country across the world.
IIMA alumni are closely connected to their alma mater and support the Institute in several ways. The IIMA Endowment Fund took shape as a result of their initiative to support the future growth of the Institute by raising funds towards supporting meritorious and deserving students, promoting research through Centres and research Chairs, establishing infrastructure, supporting several social community projects and more. Most importantly, IIMA alumni network is a great channel for guiding and supporting students and helping fellow alumni.
IIMA has been a trailblazer of management education in the country and the world. With its exceptional pedagogy, distinctive sense of participation, and continued adherence to the fundamental tenets of a world-class curriculum while simultaneously adapting to a dynamically changing economic context, it continues to be a top- notch management institution.
The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) is a premier, global management Institute that is at the forefront of promoting excellence in the field of management education. Over the 60 years of its existence, it has been acknowledged for its exemplary contributions to scholarship, practice and policy through its distinctive teaching, high-quality research, nurturing future leaders, supporting industry, government, social enterprise and creating a progressive impact on society. IIMA was founded as an innovative initiative by the Government, industry, and international academia in 1961. Since then, it has been consolidating its global footprint and today it has a network with over 80 top international institutions and a presence in Dubai. Its eminent faculty members and more than 40,000 alumni, who are at the helm of influential positions in all walks of life also contribute to its global recognition. Over the years, IIMA’s academically superior, market-driven, and socially impactful programmes, have earned high reputation and acclaim globally. It became the first Indian institution to receive international accreditation from EQUIS. The institute also is placed first in the Government of India’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), India Rankings 2023. The Institute has been ranked number 1 in India, number 2 in Asia and the 35th, globally, in the Financial Times (FT) Executive Education Rankings 2023. The renowned flagship two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) is ranked 26th in the FT Masters in Management Ranking 2021 and the one-year Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX) has been ranked 62nd in the FT Global MBA rankings 2022. IIMA offers consultancy services and more than 200 curated executive education programmes in customized, blended, and open enrolment formats for a diverse audience comprising business leaders, policymakers, industry professionals, academicians, government officials, armed forces personnel, agri-business and other niche sector specialists and entrepreneurs. To know more about IIMA, please visit: https://www.iima.ac.in/
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