Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management Kolkata

The Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM), Kolkata completed fifty years of its existence as a separate legal entity on April 25, 2003. It was created through a resolution adopted by the Syndicate of the University of Calcutta on April 25, 1953. IISWBM introduced the first programme on management education in India. The Golden Jubilee Celebration of the IISWBM, therefore, also meant the celebration of ‘Fifty years of Management Education in India’.

The Institute is located in the most exciting and prestigious academic ambience of College Square where the University of Calcutta, Presidency College, Calcutta Medical College and the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health are also located. The Institute building has two blocks. The foundation stone of one was laid by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India and the other by Dr. B. C. Roy, the famous Chief Minister of West Bengal. Created in response to a strongly felt need of independent India, the Institute had, as its midwives, the Ministry of Scientific and Cultural Affairs: Government of India, All India Board of Technical Studies in Management: Ministry of Education, Government of West Bengal, Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Indian Chamber of Commerce, Bharat Chamber of Commerce, Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and personalities like Sir Biren Mukherjee, Srimati Renuka Ray, Professor D K Sanyal, Lala Lakhsmipat Singhania and many others.

Since 1958 the Institute has been run by a Board of Governors which includes, among others, the Vice Chancellor and the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Finance), University of Calcutta, Principal Secretary, Department of Education, Government of West Bengal, representatives from four Chambers of Commerce, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and the All India Council of Technical Education as members. Dr. B C Roy, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal was the first President of the Board of Governors. He was succeeded by Shri P C Sen who also succeeded him as the Chief Minister of the State. Currently, Dr. Pratap Chandra Chunder, eminent educationist and a former Minster of Education, Government of India is the President of the Board of Governors.

The Institute runs some programmes during the day and others in the evening. The Masters in Business Administration (MBA) course and the Masters in Human Resource Management (MHRM) are affiliated to the University of Calcutta and MBA is offered both during the day and in the evening. The programme on Public Systems Management (PSM) offered during the day has four areas of specialization - Energy, Environment, Health Care and Hospital Management and Transportation and Logistics Management.

The Course on Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) is offered in the evening. The Institute now has about 1200 students of which over a third are women. The Institute has a very effective placement programme, which helps students start satisfying and rewarding careers.

In the course of its existence for five decades the Institute has produced quite a few distinguished alumni who are internationally and nationally known for their contributions and command admiration of their colleagues in the areas of their choice. Some of the better known of these alumni are Professor Sumantra Ghosal of London Business School, Shri L N Mittal of the ISPAT group, Shri Sudhir Jalan, Former President of FICCI and Dr. C V Chandrashekaran, Managing Director of Balmer Lawrie group.

Currently a degree in Management has become a highly coveted ‘commodity’. To cater to the demands of the market new suppliers have appeared and we notice a mushroom growth of Institutions 'awarding' management degrees in our country. The altered backdrop, however, has not changed the status of IISWBM - the oldest of the Management Institutes of India. It continues to project an unsullied and unassailable image of itself and attract students from all over India and from foreign countries as well.

The Institute’s rich tradition, ability to combine time-honoured values with state-of-the-art technology constitutes its strength and makes it unique.