ST. JOSEPH’S INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT: A LEGACY OF OVER 50 YEARS!

The Early Years (1968-72): Langford Road

In the 1960’s, the then undivided St. Joseph’s College was housed primarily in the Residency Road campus. At the time, only the Commerce Department had the particular privilege of being situated next to the college grounds and the hostel on Langford Road in Shanti Nagar. It was in this setting that St. Joseph’s College of Business Administration – later known as St. Joseph’s Institute of Management – was born.

The Annual Reports of the late 1960’s document the rapid foray of St. Joseph’s College into newer and newer areas. The dynamism of the Jesuit fathers at the time, and their responses to the changing education landscape, is evident. The year 1968 in particular saw much of their effort come to fruition. The college obtained permission to start Honours courses in Economics, Physics and Botany. It set up the Hassan Flora Project with the approval of the Government of India and in collaboration with Smithsonian Institute USA.

Meanwhile, the Government of Mysore had urged for the introduction of “Earn while you Learn” programs. The Education Commission had bemoaned a wide gulf between education and industry. And so in 1968, in order to be “at the service of graduates who were seeking employment or promotion in their employment, a post graduate private diploma in business administration was opened” (St. Joseph’s College Annual, June 1970).

The programme was not started in half-measures. Rev. Dr. Francis Xavier Rebello S.J. of revered memory was instrumental in setting high standards in the institute’s initial years. He himself had an M.A. in Economics and a Ph.D. from St. Louis University, USA. The course had the full support and cooperation of the large industries in Bangalore at the time such as H.M.T and I.T.I, and of reputed academic institutions such as the Indian Statistical Institute and later the fledgling IIM Bangalore. These organizations spared their top-ranking and academically qualified staff to conduct classes for this programme.

At the time, the program extended over one year, divided into four quarters. The first three quarters comprised of lectures given on compulsory and elective subjects, while the last quarter required a work project. The first batch had about forty students on the rolls.

The Middle Years (1972 – 2002): Brigade Road
By 1972, it was felt that the Commerce Department of St. Joseph’s College needed an independent identity. Accordingly, the department was bifurcated and found its new habitat as St. Joseph’s College of Commerce at 163, Brigade Road. The management college followed the commerce college into the new campus. The new campus was even then in the heart of the city and St. Joseph’s College of Business Administration enjoyed an unchallenged reputation.

But those were more bucolic times. The grounds of the college were flooded during the monsoon each year, and the grasslands were high. The college therefore nurtured a herd of sheep to keep the grass trim! Meanwhile, the city became increasingly industrialized in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

By 1996, the college realized the need for a full-fledged management course and ushered in its first batch of students for its full time two-year Post Graduate Diploma in Management. The founding fathers of this new programme included Fr. Ronnie Prabhu, then Rector; Fr. Walter Andrade, then Director of the institute; Prof. Y Muniswamy, Dean and Dr. T.V.N. Rao from the faculty.

Towards Newer Pastures: (2002 - 2016): Residency Road

In early 2002, the college of business administration began functioning as an independent institute and moved to its new premises at 18, Residency Road. The men at the helm at this time included Fr. Pradeep Sequeira S.J., Rector; Rev. Dr. Aveline D’Souza S.J., Director and Professor S.G. Mukherjee, Dean. Simultaneously, an Academy of Information Technology and a Research Center was started at the new campus.

Along the way, new programs were experimented with, as the institute attempted to remain at the forefront of management education. In 2003-04, the institute introduced a Post Graduate Diploma course in Personnel and Human Resource Management – the first of its kind in southern India. Similarly, two evening programs, an Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Management, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Management, were started in 2007, to cater to the various needs of working professionals.

Today at SJIM: Primrose Road

In 2016, it was time for the institute to move again, this time to a flagship state-of-the-art building in Webbs Ground, off M.G. Road. The institute secured AICTE permission to change its name to St. Joseph’s Institute of Management. Gradually, class size has increased and currently stands at 300 students per batch. Today, St. Joseph’s Institute of Management ranks among the top business schools in India in the Moving to the New Campus

On 20th November 2016, the then Archbishop of Bangalore, Rev. Dr. Bernard Moras, along with the former Captain of the Indian Cricket team Mr. Rahul Dravid, inaugurated the sprawling new campus of St. Joseph’s Institute of Management. The Provincial of the Society of Jesus, Karnataka Province, Rev. Dr. Stanislaus D’Souza S.J.; the then Rector, Fr. Anthony Joseph S.J. and Shri N. A. Harris, MLA, Shanthinagar constituency, were among the dignitaries who attended the function.

The Archbishop consecrated the building and invoked the Almighty’s blessings for all academic and extra-curricular activities taking place in it. He said it was a matter of pride that a world-class business school campus is coming up in the heart of the business district, just off the busy Mahatma Gandhi Road. He drew upon Catholic teaching to remind all the institute’s stakeholders to keep the poor at the center of their discourse and reach. The Archbishop expressed hope that Catholic institutions can continue maintaining their high standards of educational excellence in the country, without fear of political interference.

Mr. Rahul Dravid, himself an alumnus of Josephite institutions in the city, expressed his confidence that the institute would soon become one of India’s premier business schools under what he called the outstanding stewardship of the Jesuit management. He promised continued association with the institute and its activities. Shri N. A. Harris, MLA, Shanthinagar constituency, lauded the number of institutes and programs started by the Jesuits in the constituency and expressed happiness that this ties in with his own aim of ensuring 100% literacy in Shanthinagar. He also noted the excellent infrastructure in the current campus, saying that the new institute was on par with international standards.
The new campus of SJIM comprises of two four storied buildings – a classroom block and a seminar block – laid out in the grey stone that is the signature style of Josephite buildings in Bangalore beginning from the early twentieth century.

The new campus also boasts of brand new state-of-the-art infrastructure, numerous classrooms, ample parking, and several amenities for the students. As of 2018-19, the institute offers its flagship two-year full-time Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), along with two other AICTE approved programs for working professionals. Starting from the year 2018, the institute got regular approval from AICTE to increase its PGDM batch till the 300 students that we have today.

Apart from having AICTE approval for its programme, SJIM is also accredited by the NBA and is in the process of attaining the prestigious international AACSB accreditation as well. SJIM is also a member of Global Jesuits Network International Association of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS) and Xavier Association of Management Institutions (XAMI). SJIM falls under the management of the Bangalore Jesuit Educational Society (BJES) and is the only Jesuit Business School in Bangalore.