Mr.Alok Aswal is the Director at the Institute of Hospitality Management & Sciences, Kotdwar. He has 2 masters’ degrees in his name, one in tourism & another in hotel management. He initiated his career from Jaypee Palace hotel Agra and then worked as a manager in a 3-star hotel. He then held the position of HOD for 13 years at a reputable institute. He has over 19 years of experience and brings with him a diverse learning background to help students attain knowledge.

IHMS

What is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

“One should be a leader and create leaders for the future too”

The right leadership style should be able to identify the leadership qualities in others, and in my case, it’s the students. I should be able to recognize the leadership skill set and nurture it over the period to set an example and create new leaders for the future. I believe one should work on his/her strength, and people like me should encourage the young generation to take responsibility and lead.

How do you strategize about the key programs and plans for the marketing and administration of your school?

“I make sure that our students are catered well”

My students are my customers, my guest, and my brand as well. When students are provided with the best quality of education, then they convey their satisfaction to the younger lot who are about to enter into graduation, which enables Word of Mouth marketing.

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The education systems in India and other foreign countries are structured very differently. In your experience, what can an inbound student gain from studying here in your institute/ university/ school?

“If you look at the current education system, our country has come far too long”

Our education system with the current changes in education policy allows the students to choose amongst a variety of courses and grow in a career in which they desire to. As far as my institute is concerned, I believe in the holistic development of our students through which learning is not only confined inside a classroom. Instead, practical knowledge and exposure should be imparted to them to help them understand the subject clearly. Also sports and fitness-wise we want our students to learn and understand its importance.

How does your curriculum ensure the best practice of industry?

“We ensure to provide practical exposure via industry interface”

Our institute is affiliated with HNB Garhwal University, and to ensure best practice we send our students for an industry visit and seminars/conferences. It helps them relate and attain practical knowledge gained with their curriculum. Therefore, I believe more practical experience should be imparted rather than only theoretical and expert talks sessions should be encouraged at all the institute/university levels.

What do you think should be the University’s top priority over the next 10 years?

“We want to become a pioneer in education”

We want to become a pioneer in education and improve our institute's overall rank so that the best in industry education could be provided to students. Most importantly, I would like to encourage more and more research, and that is my current priority at the institute level.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see, both for higher education in general and for your University specifically?

“Research should be promoted”

Teaching is research, where you study the subject in-depth and come up with new research ideas. Also, there is the influence of technology on teaching which a faculty faces while performing his duties and keep him updated from time to time. So along with research, there is holistic growth of faculty members, students and society altogether.

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What are some plans that you’re currently (or will be) designing for your College/University international affairs and/or students?

“There are plans for future tie-ups to bring in different perspectives and introduce to students”

I am planning to come up with a good number of seminars and tie-ups with remarkable institutes at the PAN India level as well as international tie-ups also. It will help in grooming our faculty as well as students as per the industry standards and all the best practices in the tourism, hospitality, IT, and Aviation industry could be incorporated.

How do you tend to establish a healthy relation and environment in your institute/ university?

“Student mentorship programs ensure day-to-day problems are tackled”

We have a student mentorship program where faculty members and students not only discuss subject matter rather than their day-to-day problems if any student faces and accordingly mentorship/counselling is done by the faculty members. A good teacher cannot be a good mentor, but a good mentor can be a good teacher, this is what I believe. We have sports activities, co-curricular activities where both the faculty and students take part and showcase their talent apart from academics.