The joy of teaching is watching your students transform from caterpillars to butterflies, says Mr. Lall

Interview by Kritika Gupta

Mr. Jesus Lall is the Chairman and CEO of Universal Education. He is an active and a key member of NMIMS University and is a part of 11 out of the 14 committees that manage the university affairs. He is also the Director of the NGO, S.M.Lall Foundation.

He is a firm believer of “Growth through Innovation” and has been spearheading new technology initiative in UCoE that would bring upon a radical transformation in schools and universities across India. He has been instrumental in adopting new methods such as the “inverted classroom,” Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS) and “mobile learning” in UCoE.

The immense satisfaction you get by working in this industry is unmatched

I can proudly admit that 16 years in the education industry has been an ever-evolving and immensely gratifying journey. We are creating future-ready professionals. We lay special emphasis on industry exposure and building essential life skills so that students make the most of their experience at UCoE. With every effort, one creates a great social impact and contributes to the development of the youth and the growth of the country. All of this instantly makes it the best place to work in.

Mutual trust and respect form the pillars of good workplace communion

I have always believed that mutual respect and trust forms an unbreakable bond between individuals. The entire atmosphere transforms when there is trust, positivity within and respect for one another. Our dynamic and collaborative genre of leadership encourages my team to take ownership amidst accountability.

Student welfare is the core objective of our programs

We have a structured and system-driven approach that ensures proper administration. Our students and faculty satisfaction is the biggest marketing tool. My team regularly interacts with the Campus Director, Principal, faculty and staff of the college to understand their requirements and aspirations. And, based on the feedback that my team and I receive, we plan our strategy for academics and its related activities.

Our consistency and hard work makes challenges bend their knees

Initially, the remote location of our college made the prospective students worry. However, our persistence in providing world-class education, best well-qualified academic faculty, infrastructure, and transportation facility, not only helped us garner quality students, but also made the industry notice us and win accolades. Our college has been ranked st in India for fifth consecutive years since 2014-15 among Top Emerging Private Engineering Institutes by Times Engineering published by the Times of India publication.

Read about Universal College of Engineering Courses & Fee

At UCoE, the curriculum delivery is student-eccentric

We integrate and use technology hugely in meaningful ways. We focus on practical learning, and every classroom is a lab in its way. Students are encouraged to innovate, explore, learn, and engage with the best in the industry. As part of their experiential learning, our students have brought innovation in agricultural methods too.

They are exposed to competitions organized by IIT’s across India where our students are being awarded and have won accolades for their participation in the working prototypes of their innovative ideas like Solar automobiles, Sensor-based Dustbin, etc. These experiences, along with industry visits, projects, and internships, give them a real-life experience and motivates them to emerge as critical thinkers and genuinely 21st-century professionals.

Our students are well placed not only in companies but also in society

We look at student growth not just by benchmarking them with how well they get placed in a company, but also in society. We want to produce scientists, transformational leaders, and illustrious scholars. Having said that, our campus placement boasts of Amazon, Capgemini, Hitachi, L&T Infotech, TCS, Tech Mahindra, among others.

I am always connected to students through various mediums

Taking into consideration the fact that I am dealing with tech-savvy generation, students connect to me via emails and connect with me during my visit to the college on various occasions. I also interact with my students during the meetings of some essential and statutory committee. Suggestion Boxes are placed at various strategic locations in the college premises where the students can address their suggestions, queries, criticism which are accessible to me through my team.

Click here Universal College of Engineering Placement

We want our students to be known as nation builders

This is a result of our endeavour to continually deliver high-quality education to achieve the best possible student learning outcomes. Right from the beginning, our vision and intent were to instil the values of commitment, endurance, and leadership in our students. We want our students to be known as nation builders and active contributors to society. These values immensely helped us to create a brand that we take pride in.

Our immediate goal is to get NBA accreditation and offer new-age courses

The introduction of new age courses in AI, MI, IoT, Image Processing, Liberal Arts, Management, Data Analytics and more will make our students ready, useful, and employable for the new global academic and industrial atmosphere. Simultaneously, we aim to work towards gaining autonomy and converting UCoE into a private University offering education, skills, and overall development in their personality and to make them adaptable, acceptable, and active globally.