The University also has several Centres of Excellence that are mentored by industry experts, says Dean-CMR University

Dr R Sugant, Dean, School of Management and School of Economics and Commerce at CMR University, speaks at length about the university's curriculum in an interview with Shiksha.com. She talks into detail about the three pillars: Success Preparation, Self-Knowledge, and Community and Contribution to Society. She also discusses experiential learning as a university endeavour to assist students become industry-ready.

During his illustrious career of over 30+  years, Dr Sugant has held diverse responsibilities – as an entrepreneur, corporate leader and as an academic lead. He has spent over fifteen years in Wipro and HCL, where he handled diverse responsibilities in logistics, compliance and business development including that of National Business Head of a large Business Unit of HCL

Read the complete interview in detail.

Q: What are the salient features of the teaching methodology adopted by your college? How does this differ from others?

A: CMR University believes in holistic education. All the programs at CMR University are built around three pillars – Preparing for success, Knowing self and Community & Contribution to society.

Towards enabling the above, the curriculum is built with the foundation of common core courses that are common for students across the University irrespective of their stream of study. These include courses such as design thinking, Indian constitution, disaster management, ethics and values etc. The core courses consist of program-specific core courses, general electives and discipline-specific electives. To create a well-rounded individual, all the students are expected to take up inter-disciplinary courses that are offered by other Schools of the University. For eg, an Engineering student can take up a course on cyber law or fine arts or photography. Also, all the programmes have projects including Capstone projects built-in as part of the curriculum.

Another factor that differentiates CMRU is the LEAP (Lead, Engage, Achieve, Participate) programme. As part of LEAP programme, all students are expected to participate in clubs/ associations/ community service/ publishing/ conferences/ workshops etc.  We at CMRU believe that the accomplishments of students within the classroom and outside the classroom are equally important in building creative, responsible and socially conscious citizens. All students will receive a LEAP record alongside their transcript in each semester that lists their involvement, role, duration and competencies acquired through learning experiences, achievements, leadership and other volunteer opportunities, which will be helpful in reaching their career goals

Q: How are you preparing your students to be Industry ready?

A: CMR University believes in experiential learning. Towards enabling this, multiple initiatives are taken up. Some of these include mandatory industry internships for all students, mentorship by industry executives, live industry project opportunities and learning from the experiences of industry leaders shared through guest lectures. Also, the School conducts annual events like CXO Conclave, CFO Round Table, Start-up Dialogues, Union Budget Analysis etc. where the participants/ speakers are senior industry leaders. Students get to interact personally with these executives and learn from their success journey.

The University also has several Centres of Excellence that are mentored by industry experts. These Centres of Excellence act as practice labs for students, where they take up live projects and case studies supported by the industry.

Q: What are the qualities you are looking for in student applicants? What qualities do they need to do well in your course?

A: The ideal student would be someone with the right attitude and willingness to not just learn, but also learn, unlearn and re-learn. We also look at students who are socially conscious and responsible.

As in any vocation or profession, to do well in the course,  the students need to be committed and disciplined. We expect our students to take responsibility for their actions and take advantage of all the opportunities provided by the University to enhance their growth.

Q: How do you ensure that your course curriculum is up to date and meets industry requirements?

A: We routinely benchmark our curriculum against the best Universities in India and abroad. Also every year, the curriculum is reviewed with subject matter experts from outside the University and industry experts. The review is taken at two levels – first through a Curriculum Advisory Panel which looks at individual courses/ subjects and then through the Board of Studies which looks at the complete programme.

Q: Is your college receptive to innovation, technology, science & entrepreneurship? How? Could you cite some examples of these?

A: Innovation is the cornerstone of CMR University. This is clearly reflected in our vision, which is “to nurture creative thinkers who will drive positive global change”. Towards enabling innovation mindset, all students have to undergo a mandatory course on “Design Thinking”. We routinely conduct workshops on patents and entrepreneurship. The University has created its own “Makerspace” where students are encouraged to create their own products. Makerspace is a welcoming environment in which makers of all kind, from students to professionals, come together to create. The facility has equipment like Laser Cutter, CNC Router, 3D Printers, power tools etc.