Transformation in Indian Engineering Education through Academic Autonomy to High Performing Faculty Teams V. Thanikachalam, Ph.D., M. Tech., M.S., B.E, FIE, FIGS
Context of the 21st Century • Engineering Education in India has to contribute to the fast developing economy • Produce high end knowledge and human capital • Need high performing faculty and staff teams to support sustenance of excellence • Need for cultural change and decentralization in decision making • Faculty teams need delegation and empowerment with adequate accountability
Fast Growing Indian Economy • Open policies under globalized economy • Resources, infrastructures, growing market, human capital • Integration of high quality ancillary components for high end industrial products • Engineering graduates with expertise in design, manufacturing and maintenance
Initiatives of Government of India • World Bank Assisted Projects in Technician Education (Tech Ed I,II,III) • TEQIP I and II • Starting NITs, NITTTRs, IITs, IIMs, IISERs, SPAs, IITDM, IIITMs etc. • Quality Improvement Programs leading Masters and Doctoral programs • Short-term courses under AICTE, ISTE, UGC
Proactive Programs of State Technical Universities, Private Universities and Autonomous Colleges • Testing services to industries • Consultancy centers • Training to industry employees and executives • Undertaking sponsored research projects • Cooperation with the industries
New Initiatives to be Undertaken in Indian Engineering Institutes • Offering faculty development programs for global participants through funding by various ministries • Initiating significant industry relevant , flexible and outcome based programs to meet the career needs of the students • Enabling the high performing faculty teams to bid for employee development programs for local industry, MNCs and under International Development Agencies assisted projects • Creating policies to undertake sponsored research projects under International Development Agencies, Indian industries and Public Sector • Facilitating the inclusion and participation of external experts in interdisciplinary projects • Forming consortia with other high performing institutes and resource persons
Suggestions to Improve the Academic Environment • Policies for bidding development projects and programs under various external agencies including MNCs and IDAs • Norms for preparing technical and financial proposals • Norms for developing consortium among various institutes and national laboratories • Norms for developing cooperative programs with industry at Industrial Corridors • Norms for collaboration with MNCs and government sector • Norms for providing resources and infrastructure , bank guarantees • Formation of corpus fund • Norms for establishing overseas extension centers • Norms for sharing project gains
Desired Transformation • Maximum contribution by the high performing faculty • Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary graduate and postgraduate programs • Empowered key performing faculty • Minimized bureaucracy • Consultancy Centers in the Industrial Hubs
Elements of Successful University- Nat. Labs-Corporate- Government Relations • Institutional support • Offering mutual benefits • One stop shopping • Integrated research and development • Campus coordination • Support of the governments
Cultural Change • Empowered Board of Governors • Commitment for Excellence • Sustenance of Excellence • Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Approach
Transformational Process • Enabling vision and mission • Creation of empowered execution teams • Dean for curriculum development • Dean for faculty development • Dean for Industry-Institute- Government Partnership • Selecting transformational leaders • Enabling the culture of high performance • Decentralized administration • Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary team based approach for institutional development • Recognition for excellence
Failure of Leadership (Mc Kinsey) • Overlooking the context • Decoupling reflection from real work • Underestimating mind-sets • Failing to measure results
What is Further? • Enlarged vision and mission • Meeting the academic needs of high end faculty • Redefined doctrine of the institute
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