IIM Calcutta’s batch of 1993 has gifted its alma mater a hi-tech classroom developed at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore.
The classroom — shaped like an amphitheatre — can accommodate 100 students. It was thrown open during the B-school’s Thanksgiving ceremony on March 27.
The batch of ’93 had raised Rs 4.03 crore.
The remaining fund will be utilised for a partial scholarship to a deserving student based on merit.
IIM Calcutta’s former director Uttam Kumar Sarkar had urged alumni to come forward and help them overcome financial challenges during the institute’s diamond jubilee celebrations in November 2021.
The West (100) Amphitheatre in the New Academic Block will be known as ‘PGP 28th Batch Amphi’, in recognition of the contribution by the batch, said an IIM official.
Some of the batch members, led by Bala Vissa, a professor of Entrepreneurship & Family Enterprise, INSEAD, joined virtually to celebrate the inauguration on Wednesday.
“We are happy to realise our goal of building a modern classroom at our alma mater. The institute had indicated that such classrooms were badly needed. The remaining portion will fund a partial scholarship in perpetuity for one student. The scholarship will be awarded based on economic needs,” a former student from the batch said.
The students had planned to do their bit for their alma mater during a reunion on the campus in December 2018, an IIM official said. The fund collection was launched in 2019 but Covid slowed down the initiative.
While the corpus was being created, the former students sought to know from the institute about the areas where the funds could be utilised.
The Telegraph reported about the launch of the initiative by the PGP (postgraduate programme batch) in March 2022.
The batch initially set out to raise a corpus of Rs 3.05 crore. But the coffer got bigger as more students contributed.
An IIM official said there was a need for the new classroom as the student count was on the rise.
In January, the institute decided to build new hostels and academic blocks to deal with a rise in the number of students and to attract international scholars. “The amphitheatre will boost our infrastructure,” the official told The Telegraph.
The institute organises the Thanksgiving ceremony to express gratitude to its former students for their contributions. This year’s ceremony was inaugurated by Saibal Chattopadhyay, the director in charge, in the presence of faculty members, students and officials.
Manish Thakur, IIM-C’s dean for new initiatives and external relations, said: “We have named the amphitheatre after the batch. Then as per the MoU signed with them, we will use the rest of the amount to award a scholarship.”
“Any such contribution reinforces the connection of the institute with its alumni. From the institutional point of view, this will galvanise other alumni to follow the lead.”
The institute’s alumni page says: “To continue its mission, IIMC must attract and retain the best faculty and students. It must also create an environment that provides opportunities to faculty and students to nurture their innovative ideas and encourage lively exchange of ideas.”