The ASBM Legacy

For most seagulls, life consists simply of eating and surviving. Flying is just a means of finding food. However, Jonathan Livingston Seagull is no ordinary bird. For him, flying is life itself. Against the conventions of the seagull society, he seeks to find a higher purpose and become the best at doing what he loves.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ by Richard Bach is a fable about the importance of making the most of our life, even if our goals run contrary to the norms of the society. Through the metaphor of flight, Jonathan’s story shows that if we follow our dreams, we too can soar.

This story by Richard Bach has inspired many and Prof. Biswajeet Pattanayak is no exception. In fact ASBM University, and its earlier form – Asian School of Business Management – owe their existence to the profound impact that Bach had on him.

An internationally known expert in the domain of Human Resource Management, and a widely acclaimed management Guru, Prof. Biswajeet Pattanayak had an exceptionally enriching career with remarkable achievements, including becoming a full Professor in Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at the very young age of 35. He went on to adorn the position of Director of the Reserve Bank of India run Indian Institute of Bank Management at the age 37, a rare distinction again. In an exceptional manner, Prof. Pattanayak combines all the qualities of a management educator, a wonderful teacher, an excellent trainer, a consultant to industry, a prolific writer and an accomplished researcher. These attributes of the Founder Leader have shaped the culture of the organisation that he envisioned.

Leaving aside the coveted positions that he had occupied, Prof. Pattanayak preferred to return to his home state Odisha to pursue his dream of creating an IIM out of a private business school to provide an affordable platform to meritorious students across the country, and outside as well, interested in pursuing a career in management. That is how Asian School of Business Management was established in 2006 in the very lap of nature in a green campus close to Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary at Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. It was built in record time of 180 days and was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Vice President of India, His Excellency Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat with the words, “a new sunrise in management education”. His Excellency Shri Rameswar Thakur, Hon’ble Governor of Odisha and Shri Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha had also graced the occasion.

Asian School of Business Management was highlighted in the October, 2006 special B School issue of Business India as ‘a world-class business school modelled after the best IIMs set up in 180 days’. Over the years, it has been recognised as a front ranking business school for its outstanding achievements and its unique industry-linked sectoral focused Programme. As an autonomous institute, ASBM was offering a Post Graduate Programme in Management with due approval from AICTE, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India. The Programme was accredited by National Board of Accreditation and Association of Indian Universities.

ASBM received international recognition through accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programmes (ACBSP), USA and also by the South Asian Quality Systems (SAQS). In recognition of its outstanding journey of a decade and half benchmarking quality parameters, the Government of Odisha conferred on Asian School of Business Management the ‘University Status’ on 26th September 2019 by enactment of the ASBM University, Odisha Act, 2019 (Odisha Act 4 of 2019).

ASBM University now carries forward the ASBM legacy of excellence and innovation in education and research, and offers cutting-edge programmes in various fields of higher education. The University is engaged in imparting futuristic and holistic education at par with international standards with the objective of preparing our youth to face global competition and to participate in shaping India into a world leader.