KSRM: Pioneering Management Education Through Experiential Learning, Faculty Guidance, and 100% MBA Placement Success

In an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com, Prof. Nishith Parida talks about KSRM, a pioneer in management education, distinguishes itself through three core pillars. Firstly, by fostering 'Experiential Learning,' students gain practical insights during internships, enhancing application skills and confidence. Secondly, experienced faculty groom graduates for professional success and holistic development. Lastly, boasting a 100% placement rate in MBA programs, KSRM ensures a strong foundation for future endeavors.

Prof Parida has done his BSC Agri from G B Pant University, Pantnagar and PGDM from IIM Ahmedabad. He is having a rich industry experience of more than 22 year spread across Agri Input, FMCG and Financial Services sectors. He is currently positioned as Director, School of Rural Management, KIIT Deemed to be University

Q1. What are the three things that KSRM is doing that will enable it to differentiate itself from competition?

 KSRM facilitates ‘Experiential Learning’ to students so that the they explore themselves with the relevant managerial tools and principles in field during their internships to improve their application skills and confidence in ascertaining the pertinent problem and addressing those effectively. Grooming young graduates by adequately experienced faculty members not only for best fitting into appropriate professional career but also creating a strong foundation for holistic development in rest of their life. 100% Placement in both the programmes, viz. MBA (Rural Management) and MBA (Agribusiness Management).

Q2. What are the top three initiatives undertaken by you that are helping your students become more industry ready?

1. Experiential learning: Students explore with the managerial tools and principles that they learm from classroom segment in field during their internship with the active academic guidance from the designated faculty members and field guidance from the respective internship organization/company.
2. Students get updated by interaction with the industry leaders, alumni and experts through different platforms such as national conclave (thematic), guest talk, alumni network, and mentoring by faculty & designated senior students.
3. Along with the experts, industry leaders and alumni, KSRM’s Board of Studies also formally includes the student representatives.
4. KSRM enables students through different off class initiatives such as regular group discussions, mock interview and mock written tests.
5. Along with knowledge and skill, KSRM focuses on shaping attitude of students through varius field demonstration sessions.
6. KSRM updates its curriculum in such a way that students get adequate choices in opting optional papers in their areas of interest.
7. Students get involved with different extracurricular student bodies to unlace their talent.

Q3. What are the key attributes that a student should have in order to

1. Qualify for your institution

Adaptive to development/business issues.  

1. Get top grades in your institution

Involvement with different academic and extracurricular initiatives and believe in mutual learning.

Q4. Which programme/s would you say is/are your best? What is it that helps your institution differentiate itself for this programme?

Two flagship residential programmes of KSRM, viz. MBA (Rural Management) and MBA (Agribusiness Management) are best programmes. The contribution of our alumni in different organisations/companies in India and outside speak about the programmes itself. Moreover, the contributions of our students in various government departments including NITI Aayog, State Livelihood Missions and UNDP are will recognized.

Q5. What are you doing to improve/drive better campus placements for your current students and alumni? What kind of jobs routinely come to campus? What would you say are the key recruitment trends for your University (observed over the past five years)?

KSRM’s campus placements programme for each graduating batch aspires to provide meaningful and challenging professional career opportunities to students. We have 300+ partner organisations who provide different platforms to our students including internship. A good number of our students get Pre-Placement Offer during their final internship. The unique feature of our students is that they are adaptive to professional challenges and context. We enable the students with required knowledge and skill along with right attitude for better placement.