AVS College of Arts & Science, Principal: Dr. I Carmel Mercy Priya Interview

Dr. I Carmel Mercy Priya is Principal at AVS College of Arts & Science. She obtained a degree in MBA., M.Phil., Ph.D. with 25 years of experience in teaching and 15 years in the entire gamut of college administration inclusive of curriculum planning, teacher training, and development of managerial aspects of a college education. She has been a Senate Member of Periyar University since 2006 and was elected as Syndicate Member (2018-2021). She is well versed in modern pedagogy and educational practices offering years of achievement and experience in developing a student-centric environment, geared towards maximizing learning experiences.

What are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

“Providing students with the best academic material”

My Roles are as follows: 

• Setting academic success for all students 
• Creating a climate hospitable to education with discipline and culture
• Assess teaching methods and monitor student achievement
• Administer budget, hire and evaluate staff and oversee facilities
• Revise policies and procedures and cultivating leadership in others

My Responsibilities are as follows:

• General administration and overall supervision of teaching programs
• Supervision of students welfare, health, and security services
• Supervision and guidance of teaching staff including organization of in-service education of staff
• Lead initiatives, in collaboration with academic units, to attain national and international visibility/recognition for the college
• Ensure balanced co-curricular and extra-curricular programs help students develop needed skills

How do you tend to establish healthy relations with the students and fellow faculty?

“Providing Students and Faculty with Interactive Doubt Clearing Sessions”

Establishing healthy relations with the students

• Adopting easy and effective communication methods
• Getting constructive feedback to improve their overall performance
• Listening to students to defuse any potential classroom conflicts
• Accelerate student engagement strategies 
• Welcome students to present and share their ideas

Healthy relationship building with fellow faculties

• Practicing effective communication process
• Encouraging to have a positive attitude
• Supporting for career Upgradation
• Sharing knowledge and positive thoughts
• Being trustworthy and avoid pilling secrets and gossiping 

How do you make the Course Curriculum industry-oriented?

“To bridge the gap between the practical and theoretical skills of students”

At AVS, students are rooted in the simple principle that “experience is the best teacher”. Under this framework, students encounter authentic problems, construct novel hypotheses, test for real solutions, and interact with others to make sense of the world around them. Students come across experiential learning with the following segments of learning: 

• Creating opportunities to participant in Seminars/Workshops/Conferences
• Offering Add-on, Value-added, and Certificate Courses
• Arranging field trips and field-based learning opportunities
• Creating collaborative learning with industries
•  Conducting industry needed skill development programs 
• Institute to Industry interaction sessions for students 
• Installation of special labs for felicitating practical approach and product launch

What are the best practices offered by the institute to the students, which help them gain necessary skills?

“Engaging students in Quality Enhancement Process”

The following are the best practices practiced at AVS to support students to gain skills:

• Paid Internship programs with industry
• National and International Collaborations
• Industry Collaborative Education
• 18 Clubs and associations for extension learning 
• Class Committee and D Coaching for special learners
• Special labs for advanced learners
• Corporate Training Programmes
• Entrepreneurship Development Trainings and Opportunities
• 100% placement for willing students

What are your views upon the placements about the students from your Institute?

“College offers 100% Placement Assistance”

AVS College of Arts and Science is the best college in placement since 2011 among all the co-ed colleges affiliated with Periyar University. The college offers placement and career support to students on and off-campus. The Training cell organizes skill development sessions and pre-placement activities to allow the students to prepare themselves for campus drives. Off-campus, placement assistance is continually provided to the students who are placed through the cell as and when companies approach their requirements. A student willing to join higher education supported with institutional scholarship and special counseling sessions given to needed students. 

Check AVS College of Arts & Science Courses & Fees

How do you help your student to cope up with the competition?

“Providing Students with the best skill enhancement program”

Competition among the students is getting more and more these days either in education or in sports or in getting jobs. At AVS students are encouraged to develop and make the best use of their potential without looking at others. The students have a wide range of opportunities to engage themselves in competitiveness in a safe and controlled environment through 18 clubs and associations, which try to keep them focused & goal-oriented, and also try to keep them busy with creative ideas and activities.

Do you have any extracurricular programs to enhance the skills of the students?

“Exposing students to real-world challenges by organizing extracurricular activities”

Yes, we have a bundle of extracurricular activities for the students throughout the year conducted mostly through clubs and associations. These programs help the students to get holistic education and it allows a student to be a well-balanced individual. They also have greater academic success, greater character development, especially in the areas of time-management and leadership skills. We cover sports, societal services, humanitarian service volunteer services, performing arts, gender equity, cultural meets, educational trips, celebrations, etc.,

What are the challenges you are facing to uplift the quality of education of your Institute?

“Balancing the Diverse learning is the main challenge”

Ours is the best college in Salem for academics, placement, sports, and holistic learning, still, we have identified some challenges we have come in the delivery of quality education—

• Implementation of teaching strategies with special learners and advanced learners in the same classroom
• Time spent on molding students in the discipline, culture, and values frame of AVS
• Time spent on training students to communicate effectively in the second language (English) as the majority of them are from Tamil medium with a rural background

What was your vision for the college from the start?

“My vision was to promote the Research Programs at the college”

When I joined AVS in 1997, the strength of the college was only 400 offering only UG programs. I have envisioned bringing PG and Research programs. Now the college has more than 4500 students offering 18 UG, 10 PG, and 6 Research programs. My vision was to attain autonomous and deemed university status. To achieve this the institution is getting ready for NAAC accreditation with above A grade. We also look forward to developing Research and Development activities and raising funds through innovative projects. Accordingly, infrastructure is being updated as per the requirement of the stakeholders to get quality education. 

How does college enhance the skills of the faculty?

“College prepares Faculty according to the industry standards”

The college and departments have signed MoUs with reputed industries. Faculty Development Programmes and Faculty Training Programmes are arranged for faculties collaboratively with the MoU signed industries. Corporate industries like Infosys and TCS also give skill training to faculty as well as students according to the industry standards. The college gives seed money to faculties to attend workshops, conferences, and seminars to enhance their skills and update themselves to the standard of industry expectations. 

Click AVS College of Arts & Science Placements

What do you see as the college’s greatest strengths and how it can be enhanced?

“Strong Alumni and 100% Placement assistance are the greatest strength of the college”

The greatest strength of my college are: 

• Creating university rank holders every year (13 Gold and 252 University Ranks)
• 100% placement for all willing students (8234 students placed since 2010)
• Competitive exams coaching classes for students aspiring government jobs
•  A strong alumnus of international reputation (Mariappan Thangavelu, Rio Paralympics Gold medallist, and Natarajan Thangarasu, Indian Cricketer)
•  27,723 alumni network in India and abroad
• 2037 women students placed since 2013
• 648 cadets completed B & C certificates 
• 1417 students joined Tamil Nadu Govt. Services
• 629 students turned into entrepreneurs 

We are working out new strategies to multiply our strength in academics, placement, sports, and government services. Scholarships are being increased so that the maximum number of students enroll for higher education at AVS. 

What advice would you like to the students for them to have a prosperous career ahead?

“Students should focus on the changing demand of Industry and prepare themselves according to it”

I would ask the students to venture outside their comfort zone, view every person they meet as a door to a new opportunity, show up early, be a lifelong learner, cultivate perseverance, set realistic goals, work harder than those around you, use your strengths, be confident, yet humble and always be a team player.