At ST Mary’s students grow into empowered students

Principal of St Mary’s College, J Mathew George is a man with a vision and mission. Previously a faculty at IBS Hyderabad, he took over as principal of St Mary’s in March 2016. “During my tenure at IBS, I noticed business firms were recruiting from B-schools not because the their programmes were good, but because the undergraduate programmes were not up to the mark. I talked to the recruiting companies regarding that and they confirmed and validated my observation.Also, irrespective of their degrees, a lot of students end up doing an MBA to land a decent job. That piqued my curiosity. I had an idea. What if we took up the existing programmes and make a few additions to make them industry-relevant? Many of these jobs that require an MBA, then could be occupied by undergrad students.”
Thus, he moved to St Mary’s as principal to implement the ideas he had in mind. “We introduced certifications and industry-relevant additions to the existing curriculum. What I have observed in the process is that now students are identifying their options at the undergraduate level instead of waiting to complete their MBA.”
Apart from his mission of making undergraduate courses industry relevant, he also believes in student empowerment. “If you empower them, they will make a huge difference, for themselves as well as the society. They are not mere customers of knowledge, they are leaders of tomorrow. That’s why my favourite spot in campus is the college canteen. It’s perhaps the most happening place in the college. It’s not just a place where people sit down to eat, but also where students talk about their ideas and chalk out plans to execute them.
Here I can see them taking charge, see them grow from a student to an empowered and enlightened citizen of the country.”