'Knowledge of one specialisation no longer enough'

In 1983, the Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship (SIMSREE) branched out of Mumbai’s Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics, the first modern commerce education institution in Asia.

- Shriniwas Dhure

Since then, the government of Maharashtra-run institute has made a name for itself as one of the foremost centres of management education in the country. After decades of being affiliated to the University of Mumbai (MU), the B-school joined its parent institution to become one of the six constituent colleges of Dr Homi Bhabha State University (HBSU).

In this interaction with Musab Qazi, SIMSREE director and mathematician Shriniwas Dhure speaks about changes in the institute’s curriculum, NIRF rankings and importance of mental health in management students. Edited excerpts:

What have been your priorities for the institute?

A. One of my first acts was getting 60 postgraduation diploma in management (PGDM) seats converted for Masters in Management Studies (MMS), ensuring that all our seats are fully recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). With this move, the graduates no longer need equivalence certificates.

We have also greatly enhanced the involvement of our alumni, which has helped in bringing internships and live projects to the students. We had a database of around 5,000 alumni. Reaching out to all of them was difficult but online communication becoming more prevalent during COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be a blessing. We are now able to interact with the alums settled abroad too.

What has changed since the institute moved from University of Mumbai to HBSU?

A. Leaving the MU brand was a challenge but SIMSREE is a brand unto itself. Hence, there wasn't any negative impact. We took it as an opportunity to develop our own curriculum.