Dr. Fr K.S. Casimir, Director, XLRI - Xavier School of Management, Delhi-NCR
1. How would you describe the XLRI's overall philosophy and approach to management education?
Established in 1949, XLRI is India's oldest management school with its own distinct personality. The hallmark of this identity is not to walk on the beaten path, but to forge new paths; not to benchmark, but to be benchmarked; to be second to none, but to be the first to respond to the needs of the people and the nation; and to take on bold, but necessary, tasks that no one has done before. This ambitious and pioneering mentality can be seen throughout the history of XLRI.
XLRI has always had and maintains a global outlook. We were the first among management schools in India to internationalise our academic programmes. Renowned personalities, distinguished industrialists, academicians and stewards of Jamshedpur Jesuit Society have been part of the institute as Board of Governors, leaders and administrators, teachers and guides. True to its vision, XLRI strives to offer an education which just does not culminate in a mere degree, but one that inspires future business leaders to respond to the unmet needs of society.
A key characteristic that sets apart XLRI students from other management schools is MAGIS - a quest for the best, never to settle down for mediocrity and always aspire to excel.
They are constantly striving for more, something better than the finest. Instead of longing for things to change and become different, MAGIS-driven people either make them happen or make the most of them; rather than waiting for golden opportunities, they convert everything they touch into gold.
XLRI, one of the best management schools in India, at its inception, started several management-centric courses for trade unions. In 1953, a two-year, day programme in Industrial Relations and Welfare was started, which was later re-christened as Human Resource Management. Since then, XLRI has added many management-centred academic programmes to its portfolio and has expanded its infrastructure to meet the growing demand of students and establish itself as a premier management school in India. A three-year, evening programme in Business Management was started in 1965, and in 1968 a two-year full-time programme in Business Management was launched.
Over the years, XLRI has created a number of short and long-term programmes for working executives to assist them enhance their management-centric knowledge and become more efficient business leaders.
XLRI is committed to fostering a continuous learning environment that is driven by the spirit of MAGIS with special emphasizes on analytical rigour, reflection, empathy, and experiential learning. XLRI believes that effective business leaders not only excel academically but also have social and ecological consciousness that understands the needs of both humans and non-humans. We blend conscientious approach with strong scientific approach to management to fulfil needs of society through courses in ethics, environment, social sensitivity, inclusion, emotional intelligence. XLRI follows a mixed pedagogical techniques to facilitate learning. These techniques include traditional methods like lectures, case studies, role plays, hands-on learning experiences, live projects. Our content is mostly interdisciplinary as we believe knowledge does not reside in silos. Our educators endeavour to serve as mentors and guides, and we provide strong student support systems to guarantee the comprehensive growth of our students.
2. Can you highlight the courses or specializations at the XLRI-DELHI?
1. XLRI Delhi - NCR offers a two-year full-time program on Business Management (BM) equivalent to an MBA. This programme is extremely prestigious and is rated as one of the finest of its kind in the country. The alumni of this programme currently occupy very significant positions in various industries, both in India and abroad.
The curriculum of the programme lays the foundation for a conceptual and analytical understanding of Indian and international business. It is designed to closely integrate current management theory and practice. The course imparts knowledge and fosters attitudes essential for the growth of students into competent, responsible managers. The course has an evolving programme content and is constantly updated to be in tune with the emerging trends.
Students pursuing the BM programme can specialize in any of the following domains of management.
1. Finance
2. Marketing
3. Operations
4. Strategic Management
5. Management Information Systems
6. Economics
2. XLRI Delhi-NCR also offers a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Venture Creation) PGDM (IEV). It is a two year full time AICTE approved course in entrepreneurship by XLRI which offers structured long-term support for aspiring entrepreneurs by combining management education with incubation/acceleration. Postgraduate Diploma Management in Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Venture Creation (PGDM IEV) is designed to empower students to think creatively and critically about identifying and solving problems, and to equip them with the skills and knowledge to turn their ideas into successful ventures. The program aims to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in students through a combination of theoretical and practical coursework and internships, along with opportunities to network with industry professionals and successful entrepreneurs through In-house events like- VenturesparX , Eco-system events - IID, TIECON , Entrepreneur India etc., Industry Visits and Live Projects.
The courses are designed to develop - (i) the analytical, problem solving and decision-making abilities, (ii) the awareness of the socio-economic environment, and (iii) the personality with socially desirable values and attitudes. Towards these objectives and to suit the contents of each course, a variety of teaching methodologies, such as case studies, role-play, problem solving exercises, group discussion, computer simulation games, audio-visuals, are used in the programme.
3. What opportunities are available for students to engage in management-related extracurricular activities?
There are several management related extracurricular activities that the students engage in. Summer Internships, student committees and a village immersion program offer students exposure to several management challenges apart from academics.
1. Summer Internship
Summer Internship is a compulsory non-credit course. A student is required to do a summer project on any aspect of Business Management in the industry for eight to ten weeks at the end of the first year (April - June). Summer project investigates some significant aspects of a managerial problem. It gives students an opportunity to observe a business organization in operation and to sharpen their knowledge and skills by putting them to use. Besides providing an opportunity to enhance their understanding of managerial problems, summer projects also give students practical experience that will help them to plan their careers.
2. Team Building and Village Exposure Programmes
A three-day team building program is compulsory for the students. The objective of the programme is to develop leadership and teamwork through adventure activities A village exposure programme is also mandatory for the students. The students are expected to stay in the villages. They are expected to study some of the practices and issues relating to rural India.
3. Student Commitees
Students are at the core of all activities at XLRI. A good part of the “XL” life is much more than just academics. Committee activities by the student body ensures your everyday life is much more than academics, there are also annual events that reiterate it. We have the annual management, cultural and sports fest Ensemble Valhalla, the marketing extravaganza MAXI fair to name a few.
A student, irrespective of her/his stream, always finds an opportunity to explore their interests. The formal and informal committees at XLRI take full advantage of this freedom and involve the XLers in numerous activities that help one to experiment and explore new management avenues. A few of them are listed below.
1. CRUX - Consulting and Research Undertaking at XLRI is the exclusive committee for consulting on campus. The committee's vision is to promote XLRI as a premier consulting destination.
2. MAXI - All events conducted by MAXI are designed to give students a deep, working insight into what Marketing is really about. This is achieved through a mix of competitive events, talks, interaction sessions, conferences and of course, the world-renowned MAXI Fair, its flagship event.
3. FINAX - Finax, the finance association at XLRI, is the beating heart of finance that pumps passion and knowledge through the veins of students, propelling them towards a thriving career in the financial world.
4. Prometheus - is the Product Management and Technology Club at XLRI. A merger of a 36-year-old tech committee - SOCRATES, with ProdUX, the ProdMan Interest Group was institutionalized as a dedicated society to meet the changing market demands of BizTech and PM roles in XLRI.
4. How does XLRI-DELHI support and stay connected with its alumni network?
XLRI Alumni Committee (AlCom), a student-managed committee acts as a platform for the 14,000+ alumni of XLRI to connect with each other and the institute. AlCom endeavors to connect, engage and celebrate XLRI alumni across the globe to forge lifelong relationships. There are several ways in which Alumni engage with XLRI.
1. Alumni take part in several guest lectures, panel discussions held on campus. Here they share their experiences and perspectives of the management education and the business world.
2. Alumni also mentor students one – to -one in a more formal set up.
3. The institute also organises several alumni meets across the country and internationally too. Summer Alumni meets across multiple 7 Indian Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata & International locations like Dubai, Singapore, US, UK.
4. There is also a Grand Homecoming annually at the XLRI campuses where alumni reunite with their alma-mater.
5. XLRI also publishes as Alumni news letter to highlight the achiviements of its notable Alumni. It also maintains a portal, a digital platform for Alumni Networking
5. What are the upcoming plans and innovations for the XLRI-Delhi?
XLRI Delhi- NCR has successfully envisaged centers of excellence
• CGEIL (Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership
• INDEA (Indian School of Automobile Design)
And will also be introducing the following:
• Executive PGDM GMP (15 months)
• FPM (Fellow Program in Management)