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Dr Pritam Pal Interview: Inside RCM Bhubaneswar's Vision for Future-Ready Education
RCM Director Dr Pritam Pal sits down with journalist Prisita Das (Interview Times) to unpack campus culture, ROI-driven education, and what makes RCM Bhubaneswar’s approach to student life different.
- Host: Prisita Das, Journalist, Interview Times
- Guest: Dr Pritam Pal, Director, RCM Bhubaneswar
Regional College of Management
In this exclusive video interview, journalist Prisita Das of Interview Times speaks with Dr Pritam Pal, Director of Regional College of Management (RCM), Bhubaneswar, about the philosophy behind one of Odisha’s oldest management institutes. The conversation moves through campus architecture, layered culture, entrepreneurship, and why Dr Pritam Pal believes ROI — not just rankings — should define higher education in India. It’s a candid, unscripted look at how a 44-year-old institution is being reshaped for a new generation of student-centric education.
Key Takeaways
- RCM’s campus design is inspired by Odisha’s welcoming and peaceful cultural heritage, creating a second home for students.
- Culture is built in layers—family, school, institution, and profession each contribute to personal growth.
- Dr. Pritam Pal joined RCM as Director on 5 March 2020, just before the COVID-19 lockdown.
- RCM transitioned to fully virtual learning within 7 days using an in-house Learning Management System.
- Before entering academia, Dr. Pritam Pal founded 11+ companies and developed 21+ technology products.
- Since 1982, RCM’s founding chairman has viewed education as a mission of service rather than a business.
- Dr. Pal credits his mother for instilling discipline, values, and emotional strength, calling her influence “80% of who I am.”
- Student growth extends beyond classrooms through festivals, sports, clubs, and cultural activities.
- RCM focuses on delivering a high return on investment (ROI) through affordable education and strong career outcomes.
- Students are encouraged to pursue academics alongside sports, dance, entrepreneurship, and other passions without unnecessary restrictions.
- RCM is built on three core pillars: Belonging, Community & Cultural Growth, and Freedom to Pursue Passion.
- The institution plans to expand with two new campuses in India and one international campus.
- Dr. Pritam Pal envisions RCM remaining a boutique institute that prioritizes quality over large-scale expansion.
Detailed Summary: Inside the Conversation
Detailed Summary: Inside the Conversation
Dr Pritam Pal opens by describing why RCM’s campus in Bhubaneswar was rebuilt to remove the “chaotic,” commercialized feel he experienced during his own graduation years. The redesign draws directly from Odisha’s history — open spaces, greenery, and architecture inspired by the region’s welcoming, temple-town heritage. The goal, he tells Prisita Das, was simple: a student should feel they are entering their own home, not an institution with rigid rules.
Culture as a Layered Identity
Asked about the culture gap among young people today, Dr Pritam Pal offers a distinctive framework: culture isn’t singular, it’s stacked. Family gives a foundational layer of principles, school adds social skills, higher education adds professional identity, and one’s eventual career adds a final “skill culture.” RCM’s role, he explains, is to incubate a respectful, sensitive layer on top of all of this — regardless of a student’s religious or regional background.
From IT Entrepreneur to Education Leader
Long before academics, Dr Pritam Pal built a career as a technology entrepreneur — starting with a small office on a modest rent, eventually founding multiple IT, construction, and consulting ventures. He became RCM’s professional Director only in March 2020, stepping in as the institute’s chairman, his father, stepped back. Within a week of India’s COVID-19 lockdown, Dr Pal used his own edtech background to move RCM entirely online, a transformation he credits with turning RCM into one of the country’s more tech-forward campuses.
Family Values and Legacy
Dr Pritam Pal speaks warmly about his parents: his father, RCM’s founding chairman, approached education as philanthropy from 1982 onward, while his mother instilled the discipline and social values he says shaped most of his character. This dual influence — visionary ambition paired with grounded principle — runs through how he now leads the institute.
Learning Beyond Classrooms
A recurring theme in the interview is that real learning happens outside lecture halls. Festivals, sports days, and informal gatherings, Dr Pal argues, let students drop their “guardrails” and form the kind of genuine bonds that turn into professional networks years later. This is where RCM’s campus culture and sense of community building come alive.
ROI and Affordable Quality Education
Dr Pritam Pal is direct about RCM’s approach to ROI in education: keeping costs controlled for merit students and the lower-middle class, with what he describes as no history of education-loan defaults among graduates. For him, this measurable return — not prestige alone — is what should anchor affordable quality education in India.
Freedom and Belonging
RCM’s model, he says, gives students freedom to pursue passions — sport, dance, entrepreneurship — alongside a formal degree. He closes the interview by naming three things students take from RCM beyond a qualification: belonging, community and cultural growth, and freedom to pursue what they love.
Future Expansion Vision
Looking ahead, Dr Pritam Pal outlines plans for two additional campuses within India and one international branch, aimed at Odia families living outside the state. Importantly, he says RCM will resist becoming a large university, preferring to stay a smaller, quality-controlled “boutique” institute.
Leadership Lessons From Dr Pritam Pal
- Build environments, not just institutions — physical and cultural space shapes how people perform.
- Respect layered identity — good leadership acknowledges where people come from before shaping where they go.
- Move fast in a crisis — RCM’s 7-day pivot to virtual classes shows the value of pre-existing technical capability.
- Measure success by outcomes — ROI and affordability matter as much as brand prestige.
- Give people room to be themselves — freedom alongside structure builds loyalty and long-term “belonging.”
Why This Interview Matters
For anyone researching higher education leadership India, this conversation offers a rare, unscripted view into how a legacy institute is being modernized from the inside — by someone who was, until recently, entirely outside the education sector. It’s a useful watch for understanding how educational leadership today blends technology, culture, and financial pragmatism.
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About Dr Pritam Pal
Dr Pritam Pal is the Director of Regional College of Management (RCM), Bhubaneswar, one of Odisha’s oldest management institutes, founded in 1982. Before joining academics, he spent his career as a technology entrepreneur, building multiple IT, consulting, and construction ventures. He became an RCM trustee in 2017 and took over as Director in March 2020, leading the institute’s shift to a technology-driven, culturally rooted model of education.
About Regional College of Management (RCM), Bhubaneswar
RCM Bhubaneswar is a 44-year-old management institute known as one of the earliest of its kind in Odisha. As reflected in this interview, its philosophy centers on a home-like campus environment, a layered approach to culture, and a strong emphasis on ROI in education. RCM offers programs including MBA, BBA, BCA, and MCA, with an institutional focus on affordability, community, and student freedom.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Q01Who is Dr Pritam Pal?
Dr Pritam Pal is the Director of Regional College of Management (RCM), Bhubaneswar. A former IT entrepreneur who built multiple technology and consulting companies, he joined RCM as a trustee in 2017 and took over as Director in March 2020, leading its shift toward a tech-enabled, culturally grounded model of higher education.
Q02What is Dr Pritam Pal's vision for higher education?
He envisions higher education as an ecosystem built on belonging, layered cultural respect, and measurable career ROI, rather than scale or prestige alone. For RCM specifically, this means staying a smaller “boutique” institute while expanding selectively to serve more Odia families nationally and internationally.
Q03Why does Dr Pritam Pal emphasize ROI in education?
He believes education should deliver real financial and career value without burdening families. Dr Pritam Pal notes RCM keeps costs controlled for merit and lower-middle-class students, aiming for strong career outcomes relative to what families invest — his working definition of ROI in education.
Q04What makes RCM Bhubaneswar different?
RCM combines a home-like campus inspired by Odisha’s culture, a layered approach to student development, and genuine freedom for students to pursue passions alongside academics. Its 44-year legacy and focus on community, rather than pure scale, sets it apart from newer institutes.
Q05How does RCM prepare future leaders?
Through a mix of academic programs and learning beyond classrooms — festivals, sports, and cultural events — that build authentic relationships and soft skills. Dr Pritam Pal argues these informal bonds often translate directly into professional networks and opportunities years later.
Q06What is learning beyond classrooms at RCM?
It refers to RCM’s cultural events, sports days, and community gatherings where students interact outside formal academic settings. Dr Pritam Pal describes these moments as where students show their “real self,” forming bonds stronger than typical classroom interactions.
Q07Why is campus culture important to Dr Pritam Pal?
He sees culture as foundational to student wellbeing and identity — a stacked combination of family, school, institutional, and professional influences. RCM’s role, in his view, is to build a respectful, inclusive layer on top of whatever background a student brings.
Q08How did RCM adapt during COVID-19?
Dr Pritam Pal used his technology background to digitize RCM within seven days of India’s 2020 lockdown, launching virtual classes through an in-house learning management system. This rapid shift is credited with helping RCM survive and modernize during the pandemic.
Q09What leadership lessons come from this interview?
Key lessons include building environments that reflect institutional values, respecting layered personal identity, acting decisively during crises, and measuring success through outcomes like ROI rather than prestige alone.
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