Jammu, Aug 22 (NVI) Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday called upon IIM Jammu to develop a distinctive academic identity and aspire to become one of the world’s leading business schools as the institute celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Addressing the Board of Governors, faculty, students and alumni, Sinha recalled that IIM Jammu began a decade ago with 56 students at a temporary campus on Canal Road and has since emerged as a nationally recognised and internationally engaged management institution.
He said the institute’s next decade should be marked by the same ambition and focus that shaped its growth so far.
“IIM Jammu should define its own bold and distinctive ideas and turn the boardrooms of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh into living case studies,” Sinha said, urging the institute to root its research in border economies and frontier development.
The Lieutenant Governor said IIM Jammu has become the fifth IIM in the country to hold both AMBA and EFMD accreditation and has established academic partnerships with institutions in several countries, including France, Morocco, South Korea, Greece, the UK, Germany, Australia, Poland, Sweden, Taiwan and Brazil.
He also highlighted the institute’s growth in research output, noting that the number of published papers had increased from two in 2017 to nearly 350 this year.
Sinha emphasised four key priorities for the institute — developing a distinctive academic identity, strengthening experiential learning, focusing research on border economies and frontier entrepreneurship, and treating placements as a nation-building exercise.
He called for greater emphasis on case studies based on Indian businesses and the unique logistical and entrepreneurial challenges of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh.
“Every student should undertake a real, tangible project before graduation,” he said, suggesting initiatives through the institute’s entrepreneurship centre, policy challenges and engagement with local businesses.
The Lieutenant Governor also urged IIM Jammu to focus research on sustainable development, border economies and frontier entrepreneurship, areas where he said the institute was uniquely positioned to emerge as a global leader.
Referring to Harvard, Stanford and Wharton, Sinha said the world’s leading business schools had built their identities by committing themselves to distinctive ideas and pursuing them consistently over generations.
“IIM Jammu’s growth must now be converted into new discoveries,” he said, adding that great institutions are those that provide answers when nations confront difficult questions.
Sinha expressed confidence that if IIM Jammu continued its progress with determination over the next decade, its name would be recognised globally with pride and respect.
On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor released seven coffee-table books published by IIM Jammu.
Padma Shri Dr Milind Pralhad Kamble, Chairman of the Board of Governors, former BoG chairman Sriram Dandekar, BoG member Anand Kripalu, IIM Jammu Director B S Sahay, Advent International Operating Partner S Shivakumar, vice chancellors of various universities, faculty members, students and senior civil and police officials attended the event.(NVI)
