ASBM University

Prof. Kalyan Shankar Ray is the Vice Chancellor at ASBM University. Having worked in different verticals, he explains why the education sector is the best to work in. Education domain has given an enriching experience and has helped him prosper over years. He believes that every person should have an entrepreneurial mindset to generate new innovative ideas. Thus, the institute believes in holistic development of the students. For the same, the institute has created new employment oriented courses to cater to the latest demands of the industry. This, in-turn, helps the students to bag good placement offers. Therefore, the institute is a benchmark for placements. In the later segment of the interview he advises students to make firm decisions to make successful advancements in their career. 

My affinity for teaching and interacting with students brought me to the educational domain

I started my career at the age of 23 as a Lecturer in Economics. After one year, I opted for banking as a profession and spent three decades in a public sector bank. Then I returned to education for three reasons: first, my affinity for teaching; second, I thought that I could use my industry experience to groom the young students for a career in management; and third, my belief that working with the young would keep me youthful and agile. 

So I joined a new-gen B School at Bhubaneswar – Asian School of Business Management – established by the famous ‘Lagaan Professor’, Dr. Biswajeet Pattanayak, a former Professor of IIM Indore and Lucknow. I worked as its Dean for 13 years and when it was upgraded to ASBM University by Govt. of Odisha in September, 2019, I was appointed the Vice-Chancellor. As a student of Economics I strongly believe in Milton Friedman’s observation that India “gave too much importance to the deficiency in capital and not enough to the deficiency of human skills,” and that is what keeps me rooted in academics – developing human capital.

We believe that every person should have an entrepreneurial mind-set to generate new innovative ideas

We at ASBM believe in entrepreneurial leadership. Every employee can, and should, be an ‘entrepreneur’, which will result in involvement, commitment and creative ideas. We try to foster that spirit by allowing a lot of freedom to our employees, of course with accountability. 

Personally, I have strong task orientation and expect my team to deliver as mutually planned. At the same time, I nurture my team members and work for their wellbeing.

Check ASBM University Courses & Fees

The tech-savvy young generation believes more in things electronic

People of my generation like to read newspapers in the physical form, since we love the touch and feel of paper. But in these days of internet explosion, the tech-savvy young generation believes more in digital and electronics. So we are now increasingly using social media – especially after covid-19 with all its restrictions – for marketing our programmes. Word-of-mouth-publicity, however, still remains the best form of marketing and our own students – present and past – have proved to be our best resource.

We have created niche market courses new employment oriented courses to cater to the latest demands of the industry

True, our education system greatly varies from that of the west. It is also true that our students have been able to prove themselves not only in India, but also in foreign countries. The reason is obvious – quality education that ASBM is known for and that has earned us international accreditation from Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), USA.

We have also created a niche market by launching completely new and employment-oriented courses in Business Analytics, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, E-Commerce, Financial Modeling & Analytics, and Digital Media Communication. Of course, we offer traditional programmes too like MBA, BBA, M.Com., B.Com. etc.

ASBM has been a pioneer in offering Finishing School education as a part of our curriculum for holistic development of our students. We also keep them engaged. For example, now that the students cannot attend classes physically, we are delivering courses online and are also conducting webinars regularly along with industry experts to keep them abreast of the latest developments and to give them the much required industry touch.

We are a benchmark institution when it comes to placements 

ASBM has earned a name for excellent placement all through the years. It has been possible because our recruiters find our students industry-ready. We do that by revising our curriculum every year religiously to include the best practices from industry. Our Industry-Institute Partnership Cell helps us in maintaining close contact with industry practitioners and obtaining their feedback. We also offer, as explained earlier, new programmes required by industry.

Our faculty play multiple roles as a mentor to help our students and provide a nurturing environment

We are open and believe in transparency. Each faculty member in our University works as a mentor to specific students to guide and counsel them in respect of all their problems, academic or otherwise. We also have in place formal structures for redressal of student grievance. All these things lead to a healthy and cordial atmosphere in the University. 

Our students are given exposure to various domains and believe that up-skilling them is our responsibility

We strongly believe that every student has immense potential, and skill and ability are not limited to any race, creed, caste, religion or economic background. So merit is the only consideration for admission to ASBM University. Speaking of poor economic background, we facilitate education loans for the students. The University also has provision for scholarship. 

Click here ASBM University Placement

Students should make firm decisions to make successful advancements in their career 

The aspiring students should first think of their own career plan and what they want to do in future. Then they should decide the course to be pursued depending upon market demand and their own preference and aspirations. Selection of the institution comes next, and should be done keeping in mind the faculty component and quality, the academic facilities, when the syllabus was last revised, the pedagogy, and the status of co-curricular activities.