Dr. V.K. Rattan believes, a Value-based leadership can do wonders to any organisation

Interview by Kritika Gupta

Dr. V. K. Rattan is designated as the Vice Chancellor of GNA University, Phagwara. He has served as an educationalist for more than three decades. He believes, higher education has been a matter of intense debate globally. In an exclusive interview with Collegedunia.com, Prof. (Dr.) Rattan spoke about his university and the education sector in India.

Roles and Responsibilities as a Vice-Chancellor of GNA University 

As a Head of the university, all the efforts revolve around providing quality education to the students and making them employable. To assure this, the curriculum of all the programs are designed and introduced in a manner which is industry centric.

With this, I motivate and organise various workshops, seminars or invite experts from the industry to conduct guest lectures. This practice helps in educating the students about the upcoming challenges and expose them with the ongoing scenario in their opted streams.

We at GNA University, nurture value-based leaders who have knowledge and skills to create success in their organizations. The university seeks to improve the quality of life through an eclectic blend of science, technology and humanities for innovative solutions to real-life problems. The university is engaged in imparting, creating, preserving and propagating knowledge in the global context.

Standard of the education industry and GU’s curriculum 

There is a great need for bringing the change in the education system of India. Now, there is an age of Industry 4.0. The need is not to deliver classroom teaching but to empower and enable the students with hands-on practice and application of the concepts.

In the age of Automation; Technology is ruling every sector. All the students whether from Commerce, Business, Computers, Engineering discipline has to have knowledge of current emerging things in their respective fields. This is the reason we offer non-traditional programs like Design, Robotics and Automation, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering along with Computer Science Engineering, ECE and Civil Engineering.

We are proud to say that our students of Aerospace Engineering get hands-on training in our DGCA approved workshop. Also, we are the only University with DGCA approved workshop in this area.

Top Programs and Achievements

Our students are involved in maximum project work so that they get job ready before they complete their degree. Our hospitality programs are unique in their own way. We allow giving maximum practical exposure to the students, and all the eligible students are placed in five-star properties in India and around the world. Our Hospitality students have filed five times for different records in the Limca book of records.

Our Animation and Multimedia students are allowed to work on Animation movies. GNA Business School offers an MBA program that enables the students to join the league of future leaders. They are made capable of fetching the placements in any sector. Our students of Design and Automation sector are highly acceptable by the companies around the world.

The university has Authorized Testing Center under Certiport for Autodesk Products and Pearson VUE for PTC Creo, Dassaults Systems, which are recognised in 175 countries. GNA University is a training partner with FESTO Germany and BOSCH to conduct advanced training in Process Automation and Automotive Fuel Systems.

That is the reason our students get jobs in core design and manufacturing industries, software companies developing design solutions, Govt. organisations like DRDO, BHEL, BARC, ISRO etc., Research and Development, Teaching and Higher Education.

Changes required in the education industry

The education sector has to bring changes as per the changes in the requirements of the industry. Example: Today if an engineering student needs placement, he needs to have hands-on experience on the systems enabled in the industry. This is the reason that our engineering students are getting training in our well-established research labs of Product Design (PTC Creo), RPT- 3D printing, Festo Automation Lab and many more.

Methods opted to build healthy relations with students

I take out time every day for 1 hour to see the students in their class. With this exercise, I can get the first-hand feedback on what is happening in the classes and students also come up with their unique ideas that need mentorship.

USP of GNA University curriculum

The academic curriculum of GNA University is delivered through various faculties such as Faculty of Engineering, Design and Automation, Hospitality, Computational Sciences, Business Studies, Animation and Multimedia, Physical Education and Sports. The university puts great emphasis on research through its faculty and students. We make sure to update the syllabi of all the programs every year and in synchronization with the industry.

Being an industry-led university; GNA University has set out an obvious agenda to have a strong industry-academic interface. The work done under this agenda includes arranging guest lectures by industry experts, taking students for exploratory industrial visits, having visiting faculty from Industry on board, encouraging students to do live industry projects, participation of industry experts in various activities of the university like discussion on course curriculum as a part of Board of Studies, attending conferences and conclaves organized by university and more.

Live projects by students during their summer internship are also worked in detail by the university which enables its students to get job ready and fetch good jobs at a handsome salary package.

Goals for GNA University in the upcoming years

We want to be the aspiring educational institution that enables the students with updated knowledge and the institution whose students are readily employable.

How Dr. V.K. Rattan defines ‘Success’ and his suggestions to the students

Success is when you feel satisfied with what you do. For students, I would like to suggest them to develop reading habits and go through the current literature along with the literature from where that subject originated. They should apply every single thing they learn in their class and they should know where the opportunity lies.