The Higher Education Review

Curriculum of a course holds equal amount of importance as it is for the quality of teaching staffs, which counts for the effica- cy of education that an institute provides. It is the curriculum that is implemented onthe student’s academic training, which further forms the foundation of their expertise. The Institute of Manage- ment Development and Research (IMDR) offers the op- portunity of a lifetime of access to higher education and academic excellence through an effective curriculum. Being one of the oldest business schools in Pune, IMDR is committed to the kind of management education, which contributes to enlightened management practice and sustained growth of work organization. In 2011, The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) has approved IMDR’s PGDM program with an intake of 120 students.

With over four decades of legacy in providing high quality management education,IMDR has achieved many milestones by focusing on quality education. “As an au- tonomous institute, we have the advantage of modifying the curriculum as per the industry requirements and we have never compromised on the academic rigor,”saysProf. Prajakta Pradhan, Assistant Professor, IMDR. The in- stitute follows Instruction System Design Methodology wherein the subjects are integrated to different disci- plines to make management a mandatory field of thought- ful practice. In addition to that, off-classroom sessions, one-to-one interaction, mentoring sessions, academic discussions, placement preparation and many more en- hance effectiveness of the curriculum.

The Enduring LegacyIMDR was established in 1974 as a constituent unit of the Deccan Education Society. IMDR became an auton- omous institution in 1977 and since then institute has been striving to adequately serve complex occupational sectors and provide the best workforce and economic de- velopment resources. Pradhan says, “We believe in mak- ing our teaching programs, methods of teaching and ex- amination more comprehensive, more flexible and more result-oriented.”MDR is a community of students, staff and faculty. The working process is not only on individual level, but the management process has a sustained form of working in the organization.

The institute believes in contributing to self, organization, environment and society. They effectively exe- cute their mission statement, ‘Our students should be helped to become thoughtful and sensitive profession- als, with a commitment to simulta- neously contributing to the environ- ment and the self.’ IMDR emanates its rich heritage through other facil- ities, infrastructure and elements to furnish a holistic learning in their vicinity.In addition to a pro-active teach- ing methodology, IMDR has obtained a number of tie- ups with major orga- nizations such as Maharashtra Cham- ber of Commerce (MCC), Confed- eration of Indian Industry (CII)and educational institutes of national and international repute. ESSCA (Ecole Superiure des Sciences Commercia- les d’Angers) also known as ESSCA Graduate School of Management is one of the top Management Insti- tutes of France is one among them. ESSCA is known for its interest in de- veloping management skills in people from countries worldwide. They fa- cilitate a semester program or a sum- mer program for students of IMDR for every batch.

Perfecting the vision of the insti- tute, IMDR’s faculty members are known for their tireless attempt to take the reputation of the institute reach new heights. At present, IMDR has a total number of 16 faculty members and over 25 visiting faculty members who hail from various sec- tors of industry and other B-Schools of the country. The total strength of 240 students in the institute forms an ideal faculty- student ratio of 1:15. With a sincere commitment to edu- cation and carrying out the academ-ic processes, they create managers out of young men and women.The faculty members share a distinctive relationship with students, which are characterized by openness,ap proachability and warmth. It is also a notable information about the in- stitute that the entire alumnus are binded together as a family because of the efforts of the faculty members to exemplify integrity as a true virtue. IMDR’s alumni contribute in vari- ous aspects of the institute such as internships, pre-placement prepara- tion, placements, visiting faculty and revision of the curriculum.

The Campus Placement Program at IMDR is a student driven process. More than 60 organizations partic- ipate in placement such L&T, Mer- cedes, ICICI, Bajaj and many more which yields an average annual pack- age of Rs. 4.5 lakh and highest of Rs. 6.5 lakh per annum to their students. But employment never ends in the placement program for students of IMDR. Experts from industry offer handholding of students in preparing models, planning and execution of the same under the Entrepreneurship Development Cell.

Building brick by brick, IMDR now looks forward to make more association with Indian university to get PGDM equivalent of MBA. “We will keep on adding to our strengths carrying our legacy, achieving new milestones and creating community of students, staff and faculty striving to be vibrant with learning process- es,” concludes Pradhan.