Dr. Sanjib Raj is the Director of the Assam Institute Of Management. She holds a Ph.D. in Management. She has over 30 years of Corporate, Start Up & Entrepreneurial and Academic experience in multiple fields including associations with various social organizations. She has published nine research papers in national and international journals. She has attended various workshops, conferences, and FDPs.

Assam Institute of Management

What keeps you connected towards the education sector?

As of now, I am heading the Assam Institute of Management which is basically the Government of Assam origin and the chairman is the honorable education minister of Assam. It is an autonomous society and it is AICTE approved. We all take decisions for the growth and development of this institution. My experience and dedication and doing something good for this society helps to get connected towards the education sector.

Being the director of AIM, what is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

Personally, it is a collaborative effort. You cannot be a good leader if the team doesn't support you so you are to be as good as your team. Basically, I feel that if I can dedicate the right amount of authority to my team and they are given the freedom to generate new ideas and implement new ideas then the whole institute grows. My leadership style is more collaborative and also at the time of crisis I have to stand and take the first call. I take full responsibility for any problem that my team faces and I would like to say that there are some discussions I have to take on my own that are adhered to other's. We try to send the students to the kind of internship where they will develop themselves as entrepreneurs. 

Being the director, how do you strategize about the key programs and plans for the marketing and administration of your institution?

Assam Institute of Management is the oldest management institution of this region. We are one of the few institutes that is governed by the state government and it is run as an autonomous society in the sense that our plan and program are basically designed for the benefit of the students and very flexible nature. Our programs are affiliated to ASTU but the internal structure and syllabus is updated regularly to suit the needs of management people in this part of the region. We are self-sustaining in the sense that we generate revenue for our own sources and the government of Assam is very kind and they have given a lot of support in terms of capital investment and infrastructure grants. We have the best placement records for MBA in this region.

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The education systems in India and other foreign countries are structured very differently. In your experience, what can an inbound student gain from studying in your institution?

My general observation is that every country has its own requirements and these requirements are fully understood and identified by our present Government body and they have come up with NEP 20-20. This is a great intervention by the government of India. AIM, since its establishment has always believed in the basic’s mantra, knowledge bears fruit only through its application. So, our courses are designed in an application oriented way. 

How does the curriculum of AIM ensure the best practice of industry?

The Assam Institute of Management operates on a trimester system and boasts an internal academic council dedicated to assessing industry needs and implementing annual changes to the curriculum. These incremental adjustments contribute to the acquisition of practical industry knowledge. The institute fosters a friendly and knowledge-centric environment, promoting an open learning system that allows students to freely engage with faculty members in any faculty room at any time. Encouraging a culture of entrepreneurship, the institute actively supports summer internship programs that aim to develop students into successful entrepreneurs. The institute takes pride in its track record of producing numerous entrepreneurs who have emerged from these programs.

What was your vision for the institution? Has it evolved over time, and how far along in implementing that vision are you?

When Assam institute of management started way back in 1988 and then we started the MBA program in 1994. The vision was to generate management aptitude for the north east. Over the years there has been a meta morphosis and presently we look at the world as our market and the world where we like to be. So our vision has changed now we want to be a vibrant best in class management institute, nationally enclaved and globally network. We are committed to be a leader in management education, consultancy, training, research, creativity and innovation and become a distinct hub in industry academia interface. This clear vision statement has guided us from the last two years. We have 5 functioning MoUs with 5 big corporate houses of the north east like Oil India Ltd, ONGC, Assam gas company Ltd etc.