Seeking the distinguished AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur has begun the process to better fit worldwide standards in management education. Highlighting IIM Sambalpur’s goal to establish itself among the premium worldwide business schools, the institute celebrated this major milestone with a series of carefully planned interactions with important stakeholders and the first-ever visit by AACSB representatives to its sites. 

Under the preparatory phase, IIM Sambalpur invited Professor Teguh Dartanto of Universitas Indonesia, its assigned AACSB mentor, to its Delhi and Sambalpur campuses. His visit started with a thorough round of stakeholder meetings conducted at the Delhi campus from July 27 to 29 and went at the Sambalpur campus on July 30 and 31. Prof. Teguh interacted with a wide range of stakeholders during these rigorous meetings, including the institute leadership, faculty, students, alumni, and business recruiters. Understanding and assessing the quality criteria needed to meet AACSB’s globally acknowledged standards were the focus of the debates. 

The ceremonial handover of the AACSB Membership Certificate was a major event of the week-long participation. On July 28 at the New Delhi campus, Prathap Das, Regional Head – South Asia, AACSB, formally presented the certificate to Professor Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director of IIM Sambalpur. This event marked the formal start of the institute’s international accreditation quest. Speaking on the event, Prof. Jaiswal underlined IIM Sambalpur’s great dedication to academic excellence and its wish to be ranked among the best business schools in the world. “With its curriculum that meets world standards, IIM Sambalpur is striving for perfection and actively advancing toward AACSB, a world-leading accreditation in management education. ” “We welcome Prof. Teguh from Universitas Indonesia as our advisor on this road and are really dedicated to meeting all worldwide accreditation standards,” he remarked in his farewell address. 

Prof. Teguh performed a thorough academic evaluation during his campus visits, analyzing several characteristics pertinent to AACSB’s Initial Self- Evaluation Report (iSER), the basic document charting an institution’s readiness and plan for accreditation. He spoke extensively with administrative heads, faculty leaders, and the internal accreditation team. The conversation addressed strategic goals, faculty credentials, research impact, student learning outcomes, assurance of learning methods, and IIM Sambalpur’s mission-driven strategy for social responsibility and community engagement. 

The campus tour, during which Prof. Teguh praised IIM Sambalpur’s modern infrastructure and technologically enabled learning atmosphere, was a major component of the evaluation. The visiting mentor was amazed by the Sambalpur campus’s contemporary educational resources, digital library, and brilliant classrooms. Additionally observed were the institute’s unique projects including the “Master Weaver Training Program” meant to uplift local artisans and advance grassroots entrepreneurship in Odisha. He noted how such community-centered efforts mirror the institute’s more general aim of inclusive development and social relevance. 

Particularly the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence in teaching and learning—an approach he thinks positions the institute at the vanguard of contemporary business education—Prof. Teguh commended IIM Sambalpur’s emphasis on innovation and digital integration. “I am impressed by IIM Sambalpur’s relentless development and strong commitment to ongoing improvement. Being a fresh generation IIM, they bring special advantages, most especially their creative incorporation of Artificial Intelligence into instruction and learning. This shows a daring and forward-thinking intellectual vision, he commented. 

He further said that throughout the path toward accreditation, constant involvement of all stakeholders would be crucial. Encouraged by the institute’s clear goals and teamwork ethic, Prof. Teguh expressed faith in IIM Sambalpur’s path. “With their clarity of purpose and collaborative spirit, I am confident IIM Sambalpur is on the right path and will soon achieve AACSB accreditation,” he remarked. 

This momentous decision not only demonstrates IIM Sambalpur’s dedication to setting the standard in management education but also gives India’s increasing presence in the world academic scene impetus. While the institution starts this transformational path, it upholds intellectual brilliance, research creativity, and social impact—hence molding future-ready leaders for a worldwide society.