The Higher Education Review

As time advances, many traditional methods are being replaced by modern practices and one such example is education. In this fast-paced digital era, experiential learning is empowering students with professional as well as personal skills required for their career growth and is proven more effective than the traditional way of teaching. Even though it is considered that 80 percent of acquired knowledge fades away if it is not applied in practice, many of the professional courses, especially business management studies are still exempted from practical learning. To bridge this alleged gap in the application of management studies, International School of Management (ISM) is assigning applied education for students to overcome the modern business challenges and to successfully handle complex management responsibilities in the present global market. Prof. Dr. Ingo Böckenholt, President, International School of Management shares, "From the very beginning ISM focused on internationality, small groups, and practice-oriented teaching. We use modern teaching methods and the work experience from our professors who are all experienced practitioners. Through live projects, workshops or practice with partner companies the learned knowledge is directly implemented in real-life situations. Applied education at ISM inspires our students to assume management responsibility in a global business environment."

Started with one campus in Dortmund in the year 1990, today, ISM has a strong network of six additional campuses in metropolises - Frankfurt/Main, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart and Berlin and teaches more than 20 business administration programs, many of them are completely taught in English. Perpetually recognized by the Ministry of Science and Culture of North Rhine-Westphalia, ISM courses are nationally accredited and available in the fields of bachelor's, master's and MBA programs with full-time, part-time or dual study options. "Our courses provide students with opportunities to display the courage and the will to progress ideas, to exercise personal initiative, to demonstrate communicatio- -nal skills and to enhance the ability to work under pressure. All our programs, for instance,inance,Real Estate

Management, and Business Intelligence & Data Science are practice-oriented, including workshops with well-known companies and a semester abroad option at one of our 180 partner universities. Our aim is to develop and renew all our programs continually in order to stay at the pulse of time. Therefore, digitization and social and cross-cultural skill developm-
-ent actually play a huge part in all of our programs," Prof. Böckenholt describes.

A Well-Connected Student-Teacher Community
The ISM campus atmosphere is very personal, where students are well-connected with each other in their small learning groups. Due to the small classroom structure, teachers are able to offer highly individualized care and support throughout the academic program. At ISM, faculty members, who have rich expertise in the industry as well as academics, establish a strong bonding with students through classroom discussions and face-to-face interactions. They get to know about each student's backgrounds and motivate them accordingly. This well-connected student-teacher community significantly helps international students smoothen their cultural transmission and enjoy the most precious time of their life at ISM. Prof. Böckenholt mentions, "As an international university, ISM is home to more than 440 international degree students covering more than 75 nationalities. To make their start in Germany as easy as possible, we provide a wide range of services and support for international students regarding accommodation and administrative issues. Because of small learning groups, intensive personal support, a variety of English medium courses and high-level education, many international students are choosing ISM as their primary study destination, including Indians."

"Our aim is to develop and renew all our programs continually in order to stay at the pulse of time".

Small classrooms help international students find new friends easily and ISM's dedicated International Office always offers immense support for them. The main courses selected by Indian students at ISM are M.Sc. International Logistics & Supply Chain Management and M.A. International Business. Ronit Patel, the on-going student of M.A. International Business at ISM Dortmund speaks about his experience at the institute as, "Teacher-student relationship at ISM is very personal. The professors know you personally. You can approach the professor at any time. The mentors guided me in building my career, by providing practical assignments in the class. Also, there are various case study tasks provided in the classroom. The assignments provided are very

practical; this helps to apply classroom knowledge to practical tasks."Indian and other international students can avail many scholarships and other funding opportunities at ISM. Apart from the financial support and diverse student services, the institute has also set up an exclusive Career Center for placement services. "The Career Center of ISM has a strong business network and supports international students in applying for internships and jobs. Already during their degree program, students build a sturdy network with interesting employers and create the ideal conditions for their career start. For us, it is important to strengthen the personal skills to make connections and mold an individual career path for our students." While pointing out ISM alumni and their achievements, Prof. Böckenholt also mentioned about their Indian alumni: "We appreciate the fact that our students from India are extremely open-minded and supporting ISM in different ways. It is very hard to name one of our Indian alumni because all of them are in good positions and career-oriented."

Today, ISM is counted among the best Business Schools in Germany. State recognition in 1994 was an important milestone in the institute's growth journey. As a result, the degrees obtained at ISM are valued equivalently to those obtained at state universities. Additionally, ISM is a member of the AACSB since 2016 and has received several quality certifications for its academic programs such as FIBAA quality seal and Accreditation Council's quality seal. With such academic excellence, ISM wishes to achieve more heights in the future. "We are proud of our excellent ranking results over the last 30 years. Our current primary objective is to achieve international accreditation from AACSB. We are working extremely hard to reach the high-level standards, to intensify our research activities and to improve administration and teaching. Our mission is to cultivate outstanding young professionals, enhance applied research, to foster the international reach of the ISM and to strengthen the regional integration and trans-regional reputation of the ISM," Prof. Bockenholt summarised.

Prof. Dr. Ingo Bockenholt, President
Prof. Dr. Ingo Bockenholt is ISM President since 2013. He studied industrial engineering at the University of Karlsruhe. His career started as a management consultant at A.T. Kearney. Later Prof. Bockenholt chaired leading management positions at Karstadt AG, Vorwerk-Gruppe, Tchibo-Gruppe, and Dachser. His research interests include aspects of controlling, logistics and supply chain management.