Kolkata: State finance minister Swapan Dasgupta became the president of the board of governors at the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM) on Tuesday. He vowed to heighten the reputation of the country’s first management school and expose the students pupils to contemporary trends, like artificial intelligence (AI).Tucked away in a narrow lane off College Street, IISWBM, which had embarked on its journey in April, 1953, had former chief minister Bidhan Chandra Roy as its first president, and the post was later taken up by other political greats, such as Prafulla Chandra Sen and Pratap Chandra Chunder.Bidhan Roy had established the institute through a resolution adopted by the Syndicate of the University of Calcutta in 1953, and served as its first founder president. Professor D K Sanyal was its first director. The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, had laid the foundation stone of the institute.“Have we lived up to the promises of the founder? Over the decades, the importance of the city had come down. There has been a way of conducting the institute over the years and that was probably not satisfactory. We need to change and our aspiration should be meeting international standards and fame,” Dasgupta told the audience, referring to the historical milestones achieved by the institute over seven decades.The mission of the institute was to create managers for “borderless business world of tomorrow” by imparting management education, shaping up managerial talent and sharpening competitive managerial abilities, the finance minister said. Speaking about his priority as the president of the institute, Dasgupta stressed focus on academia and students, transparency and induction of people having high degrees. “It’ll be our endeavour to bring good people to the institute to groom students. We have to walk an extra mile to uphold this premier institute’s legacy and I promise to give my best to enhance its reputation. I hope I shall get cooperation from all of you (students and faculties),” Dasgupta said. “The institute has been undergoing an eventful journey in management education in the country for over 70 years and contributing not only to business but also to society by producing a pool of professional managers, driven by ethics, values and principle,” said the director of the institute, K M Agrawal.Dipendra Kumar Sanyal, treasurer and son of the institute’s first director revisited some significant chapters in the business school’s journey, pointing out diploma holders from IISWBM were considered for appointment as personal officers in business organisations.
