“We are not a money-making institute”

Garima Upadhyay Rawat

In a candid conversation,Prof. J. Philip the vice chairman and president of Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME) talks about their new campus in Kochi, newer collaborations and expansion plans. Read on to know more…

Can you tell us a little bit about your new campus at Kochi?

The campus was inaugurated by the chief minister, Oommen Chandy, on December 2, 2012 in the presence of distinguished guests. It is a beautiful campus, in the heart of the knowledge area. There are various IT companies, educational institutes, a law university and other industries that are around. The campus sprawls across 80,000 sq ft and may start with 120 admissions, subject to AICTE approval.

Why did you opt for Kochi as the destination to set up a new campus?

Kochi appealed to us because it has a strong industry base which is essential for any good B-school to thrive.

What shall be the offerings at the Kochi centre?

We are offering a PGDM for close to 120 students, subject to AICTE approval. We hope to add a course on tourism focusing on strengthening entrepreneurship efforts. We are hoping to start a short-term programme on hospital administration and event management. Some of these short term programmes will be launched in collaboration with a leading US varsity. We are not launching anything immediately for working executives.

What kind of a student profile are you aiming at? What is going to be the intake for the 2013 academic session?

We get some of the brightest students with a sound understanding of the world they live in. Though most of them continue to come from engineering background, but the numbers have gone down in the recent past. English is a prime consideration at our institute because it is the only connecting thread between faculty and students. For 2013, we are aiming at figures of 180 for Bangalore campus and 120 for the Kochi campus for the flagship PGPM (subject to AICTE approvals).

What is the USP of studying at XIME?

The unique selling proposition for XIME would be the fact that we have been changing our curriculum periodically aligning it with the contemporary business situation globally. In the fourth semester, students run a seminar that captures the business environment of the time, and they themselves come up with challenges and possible solutions to those problems. This exercise makes them up-to-date with the industry situation. Our students win most competitions they participate in. We offer strong courses in communication (written and verbal both) around 25-30% of the student population are top-class speakers. Providing personalised attention to student’s development is the hallmark of any good B-School. We give personalised attention to each student, making the entire teaching learning process extremely detailed.

My association with XIME can also be a reason for the institute’s popularity. I am an ex-IIM director, who studied at Harvard Business School and built the PGPM of XLRI as the dean. The rich body of work done by faculty is a plus for those aspiring to study at XIME.

So what are the immediate plans for the institute?

We are definitely expanding but the batch size will not see any expansion because I believe that you lose out on vibrancy when you go big and personalisation is lost in the process. We are not a money-making institution. If all goes well, then we shall soon announce something in Chennai or Pondicherry.

Any plans of coming up North?

Not now. If we expand, we would like to explore a foreign country, specifically the south-east Asian region like Bangkok, Mauritius etc. We are getting into collaboration with a leading US varsity on some of our programmes. We shall make formal announcements soon.

Can you shed some light on gender diversity in your campus?

We enjoy the presence of great diversity and intelligent students on campus. We have a very high gender ratio. On an average, the female population on campus hovers between 42-43%. Now, with the launch of the course on event management, I am hoping to leverage more on the female numbers.

What are XIME students known for in the market?

Our students are known for their business acumen, strong communication skills, and hard work. Most of them are quite good at instruction and business, HR and marketing and international business. 

What vision do you have for XIME?

XIME along with its students has been performing quite well and I would like the institute to move up to the top 20 B-Schools in the country.