Academic Exchange Programme

In its quest for empowering learners, SIM undertook a nine day Academic exchange program with Donache School of Business, Duquesne University, Pittsburg, US thereby transcending the walls of classrooms from 12^th May to 20^th May 2009 at Saintgits Campus.

'Sustainability' was the main focus of this academic program, which witnessed the assemblage of faculty and students from Duquesne University along with students of Saintgits Institute of Management who collectively expanded their intellectual horizon by venturing into the real-life perspectives of sustainability issues.

The Duquesne team of eleven students and four faculty was led by Dr. Nagaraj Sivasubramaniam (Co-ordinator). The teams were guided by Dr. Robert Stroufe, Dr. William Spangler and Dr. Ronald Surmacz and Dr. Nagaraj from Duquesne and Dr. (Col) P.S. James, Dean, Saintgits and Asst. Prof. Ranjit N.R, led the team from SIM.

The study teams conducted field visits to micro enterprises like Kudumashree, traditional industries like Coir, spices etc. and modern industries like Oleferons, Cutting edge computing and consultancy in Technopark and this culminated in presentations by the teams which was not only insightful but also put forward a number of valuable suggestions.

Along with the academic activities the exchange program was also tempered with cultural tutorials and visiting tourist places of interest and sharing of research experiences between the faculty of Duquesne University and Saintgits institute of Management. This research focus at the student team level and the inter faculty level enabled not only rich cross cultural experience and sharing of business knowledge but also exposed the members to the decision making patterns of both cultures.

Saintgits - Duquesne academic program 2011

Global field study on sustainability, at Saintgits Institute of Management:

Business is changing. Corporations, financial markets and other key influencers seek a new generation of leaders trained to manage global complexity and interdependence. It's a future unfolding in real time, rich with opportunity and challenge. In its quest for empowering learners, Saintgits Institute of Management has tied up with Duquesne/Donahue Graduate Business Program which ranks No. 18 among the Global Top 100, a ranking produced as part of the Aspen Institute's biennial Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey. Among schools of comparable size, Duquesne ranks number 2 worldwide.

'Sustainability' was the main focus of academic program 2010, which witnessed the assemblage of faculty and students from Duquesne University and Saintgits Institute of Management who collectively expanded their intellectual horizon by venturing into the real-life perspectives of sustainability issues. 'The 2010 event culminated in presentations by the teams which was not only insightful but brought out a number of valuable suggestions', said Dr. Roji George, Associate Dean of Saintgits Institute of Management. Along with the academic activities, the exchange program was also tempered with cultural tutorials, sustainability audits of selected companies, visiting tourist places of interest and sharing of research experiences between the faculty of Duquesne University and Saintgits Institute of Management. This research focus at the student team level and the inter faculty level enabled not only rich cross cultural experience and sharing of business knowledge, but also exposed the members to the decision making patterns of both cultures.

As a part of the continuing programme which started in 2009 and the third in the row, the Saintgits-Duquesne academic program 2011 commenced from May 9^th, 2011. The study focused on issues related to Sustainability. 'The program, the third in the series, focused on Sustainable Tourism in the Vembanad Lake Ecosystem and involves selected MBA students from Duquesne and SIM', said Prof. Ajith Thomas, the coordinator of the 2011 programme. The program culminated with the Duquesne students spending ten days in Kerala and, using the Saintgits campus as a base, working with their SIM counterparts to carry out on-site studies of various areas of interest. The five multi-national student teams developed case studies on five aspects of the hospitality industry in the Vembanad area: resorts, houseboats, home-stays, ayurvedic residential programs, and stakeholders which also include transportation, logistics, infrastructure and the community.

Saintgits- Duquesne Academic Program 2010

Sustainability grading was the main focus of this year's program from 10^th to 20^th May 2010. The Saintgits- Duquesne Academic Program extended from the SIM campus to the Kudumbashree units spread across the district of Kottayam. Visits to Synthite Industries Ltd, Kolencherry, CGH Earth Cochin and Geojit Securities gave an opportunity to the students to receive a first hand experience of the industries in Kerala. The two weeks saw an assemblage and free interaction among the faculty and students of Duquesne University and Saintgits Institute of Management which led to expanding one's intellectual horizons on sustainability around work, business and life.

The Duquesne team comprising of two faculty and 19 students and SIM team of 6 faculty and 16 students joined together to form composite study teams that worked together during the field visits and interactive talks by eminent personalities such as Mr. T.K.Jose (IAS), Dr. Sushil Mani (Centre for Development Studies) and also for the sustainability audit of the Saintgits Campus which resulted in insightful recommendations for the future of Saintgits. Complimenting academics was the repertoire of cultural fun, experiential tourism and a friendship that would be harbored for life. The Duquesne team was led by Dr. Nagaraj and Prof Thomas Nist, while SIM was led by Dr. Col. P.S. James and Asst.
Prof Ranjit N R.