Aligned with the National Education Policy, IIM Sambalpur conducted the ‘Nurturing Future Leadership Programme’ (NFLP) under the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme (MMTTP). This five-day residential program was designed to equip faculty members from various universities with technical, managerial, and interpersonal skills necessary for effective leadership in both administrative and academic roles within higher education institutions (HEIs). The program aimed to foster a comprehensive understanding of leadership, identify challenges, encourage strategic thinking for managing organisations, and enhance skills in cross-functional coordination, conflict resolution, and consensus-building.
The inaugural ceremony began with an introductory session on “Strategic Leadership for Academic Governance & 21st Century Learning,” led by Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director of IIM Sambalpur. Prof. Jaiswal cited Michael Porter, a renowned business theorist, emphasising the importance of strategy in business. He noted, “Many successful companies, particularly in China and Japan, focus on operational efficiency rather than strategic innovation. For Indian higher education, adopting a strategic approach is crucial for global competitiveness.” He further stressed improving quality and international rankings through enhanced research, innovation, and attracting global talent.
Prof. Padmavathy Dhillon followed with a session on “Making Classrooms Psychologically Safe for a Happy Classroom.” The day concluded with a session on “Understanding Institute Finance and Budget-Making and Financial Management” by Prof. Diwahar Sunder Nadar.
Day two began with an informative session on “Managing Performance Dynamics & Leadership” by Prof. Atri Sengupta, followed by sessions on “Effective Communication for Academic Leaders” and “Management Planning, Crafting, and Publishing High-Quality Research Papers” by Prof. Shilpi Kalwani and Prof. Saumya Ranjan Sahoo, respectively.
On the third day, Prof. Soumya G. Deb addressed institutional challenges in a session on “Accreditation & Challenges of the Institution,” followed by sessions on “Ranking & Improving The Performances of Institutes” by Prof. RK Padhy and “Fostering Academic Excellence Through Critical & Designing Thinking” by Prof. Poonam Kumar.
The fourth day featured insightful sessions on “Managing Change in Academic Institutions” by Prof. Shikha Bhardwaj, “Team Management in Academic Institutions” by Prof. Padmavathy Dhillon, and “Managing Self, Time, and Stress” by Prof. Shilpi Kalwani.
The final day focused on “Engaging Stakeholders (Students/Community/Alumni)” presented by Prof. Sumita Sindhi. Prof. Siddharth Majhi led a session on “Building Institute Brands in the Digital Era,” and the training concluded with a session on “Designing/Preparing and Delivering Research & Consultancy Projects,” followed by project presentations evaluated by Prof. Poonam Kumar and Prof. RK Padhy.
The programme saw participation from institutions such as IIT Jodhpur, Banaras Hindu University, Magadh University, Visvesvaraya Technical University, Ravenshaw University, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Rajendra University, Ramadevi Women’s University, and Central Sanskrit University.
About IIM Sambalpur
IIM Sambalpur, one of India’s premier management institutions, is renowned for its quality education. The institute’s permanent campus, spread over approximately 200 acres, was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, on February 3, 2024. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone on January 2, 2021, via video conferencing. Recently, the Union Education Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, inaugurated the Incubation Centre, I-Hub Foundation, to promote startups and the ‘Rangavati Centre of Excellence in Cultural and Sustainable Management.’ The institute has collaborations with Flipkart, Amazon, and SIDBI to support and connect regional weavers with global platforms. The campus, equipped with sustainable practices and modern facilities, values regional art, featuring traditional IKAT patterned textile-dyeing techniques on its brick façade.
IIM Sambalpur offers a two-year flagship MBA Programme, with admissions through CAT, an MBA for working professionals at its Delhi Centre in partnership with French universities, and an MBA in FinTech Management for working professionals. Additionally, the institute offers PhD, Executive PhD, DBA, and Management Development Programmes (MDP). It has played a leading role in promoting gender-diverse classrooms. The institute’s MBA cut-off is 92 percentile, with fees at INR 13.04 Lakh. The average package for the 2023 batch was INR 16.64 LPA, with the highest package reaching INR 64.61 LPA.