Todays youth has the capability to bring in the change India is looking forward to reckons Dr Sheelan Misra

Interview by Bhawna Rawat

Dr. Sheelan Misra is presently working as the Head – Department of Management Studies (MBA) at New Horizon College of Engineering. She completed her B.Sc in Zoology from the University of Delhi. She has also held the position of Head – Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Professor at NHCE. She also worked as a Participant at CMO Marketing Summit.

Dr. Misra’s experience in the education industry and what makes it the best industry to work in

Management Education has been the most sought after area of education. Its multidisciplinary nature makes it more diverse from any other field of education. This is a commonly accepted degree of qualification for the managerial job roles. More than a decade of experience in management education has been a very thought-provoking journey for me. Management education and expectations from management professionals have been going through a paradigm shift. I consider management education as very important and should be provided to all. It has emerged as a starting point of a prosperous career.

At the MBA Program of New Horizon College of Engineering, it is ensured that students are developed with the required skills of people management, process management, team building, leadership, etc. With the Centres of Excellence like SAP and HP Big Data and Data Analytics Lab, the curriculum is imbibed with the latest in Industry. Our MBA program aims at providing in-depth knowledge so that it adds value to the existing treasures of Business and Management. The design of the program promotes lateral thinking and a spirit of inquiry to develop problem-solving skills. Our program is committed to delivering the richness of entrepreneurship and multidisciplinary knowledge in a way where ethics and social commitments will be our cornerstone.

This is what makes education the best sector to work in as it gives an ample opportunity to contribute to creating that difference in the journey of the students from college to corporate, imparting managerial skills, employability, and employment.

Dr. Misra’s philosophy of leadership

Leadership creates leaders. Today we need more leaders in all the spheres of the industry to drive the successful changes. Leaders are required to create more jobs and more flow of income in society. Leaders motivate and drive people to do what they think is impossible. Management education is primarily about creating leaders.

My leadership style is to involve people and enable them to perform the work with accountability. I guide them, mentor them and correct them if any deviations are observed. The philosophy is to drive leadership as work culture, aligning the team members with the vision of the institution, enabling all the team members to achieve their goals, in turn, achieving organizational goals.

Changes noticed in the education industry over the past years

Management education is undergoing rapid changes with more focus on skills development than ever. The industry expectations have been rising from the management graduates. Industry Institute interaction is more effective than before. Management students are supposed to interact more with the industry and learn more about the functioning of the organization even before they join for work. They need to have relevant industry experience in terms of internships, projects and work experience to be more industry ready. Industry prefers students who are employable from day one.  Another emerging aspect is the collaborations which have emerged to provide additional value-add to the students and also a global perspective which enhances the value a student earn from an MBA degree. Being an autonomous institution has given us a leverage to frame more industry relevant curriculum and create innovations in the delivery of management education making it more relevant to outcome-based education.

Dr. Misra on the most optimum path for a student wanting to excel in any field of management

Keeping oneself relevant to the changing industry requirements is what will make a student do better. Foremost, they need to identify such changes well in time seeking proactive training and value addition to address the changes and maximize the benefit out of such opportunities. Choosing the right program is very important to match the aptitude of an individual with the skills required in the workplace. The industry today wants ready to work management professionals. Secondly, there is a huge requirement for Business Analytical Roles in the Industry. It’s absolutely important for the students to learn those tools of analytics and their application. Third, are the interpersonal and critical thinking skills required by the industry. Students need to develop these skills during their MBA programme.

Students with a willingness to learn, accept changes and update themselves with the latest in the industry are more sought after. MBA Program at New Horizon College of Engineering offers such an opportunity for the students to develop themselves holistically as a well aware individual who can become a skilled professional and take well-informed decisions.

Growth of students through placement opportunities available at New Horizon College of Engineering

New Horizon College of Engineering has always been focused on providing holistic education to the students, be it engineering or management education. NHCE has a quality policy to provide educational services of the highest quality, both curricular and co-curricular to enable students to integrate skills and serve the industry and society well at the global level.  At MBA Program, students are provided with the best of placement opportunities from top MNCs like Oracle, Thomson Reuters, Wells Fargo, PWC, Asian Paints, Coffee Day, Infinitresearch, TESCO, Schneider Electrics, L&T Financial Services, E&Y, ICICI, AMX, Kotak, Reliance Jio, etc. MBA Department has a strong team of Training and Placement Officers under the leadership of Director – Training & Placement. They also organize pre-placement training like Professional communication, Soft skills, and Personality Development, Aptitude Training, Mock Interviews, Group Discussions Workshops and more. This dedicated placement cell brings in top-notch companies with best pay packages. The strong Alumni base of the department nationally and internationally are working in good leading positions across the different sectors.

Our students’ placements have always been very strong as they are equipped with a strong foundation of industry-relevant education, which is enhanced by required pre-placement and technical training from the Centre for Life Skills and Life Long Learning. Our faculty members are trained by the best in the Industry to deliver the most relevant to the students.

Read more about placement opportunities available at NHCE

Dr. Misra on what makes New Horizon College of Engineering stand apart from other institutions

The MBA program at New Horizon College of Engineering is a 2-year full-time Autonomous program affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University. It is a dual specialization program in the areas of Marketing, Finance, Human resource, Business Analytics, and Operations. Students can choose any two areas, one as major and the other as minor.

This program is bundled with many certifications and value-added programs. These programs ensure that students inculcate all required skills to meet the industry standards and to overcome the challenges of current business scenarios. Students will be able to change themselves into professionals with tools like analytics and capstone business simulation. They will also be able to sharpen their skills in the areas of specialization with the help of certifications in functional areas of Human Resource, Marketing, Finance, Analytics, and Operations.

Our MBA program aims at providing in-depth knowledge so that it adds value to the existing treasures of Business and Management. The design of the program will promote lateral thinking and a spirit of inquiry to develop problem-solving skills. Our program is committed to delivering the richness of entrepreneurship and multidisciplinary knowledge in a way where ethics and social commitments will be our cornerstone.

The MBA curriculum is enriched with updated knowledge. The two industry-sponsored Laboratories, namely SAP Centre of Excellence and HP Big Data Analytics Centre of Excellence are integrated into our curriculum. Partnership with IIM Bangalore to offer IIMBx certified programs is another prominent value addition in the curriculum for the students.

In order to ensure corporate interface, Seminar, Internship and project report preparation are integrated into the curriculum. Frequent guest lectures and industrial visits are organized. In order to give international exposure, the foreign educational tour will be organized for those who opt for.

Our MBA program is inclusive of professional training. It includes placement training, communication, personality development, aptitude, and analytics. These skills will enable our students to match industry expectations and take on the challenges of the changing world. There is an amazing spirit of creativity, collaboration, and communication in our MBA program. We can see the spirit getting stronger with the time. We hope to continue to build stronger bonds with faculty, industry and the students to learn and grow in the days to come.

Read more about NHCE Faculty

Qualities which have helped Dr. Misra and the entire management, create a brand name for New Horizon College of Engineering

The values that the entire management and New Horizon College of Engineering follow have carved the way to establish it as a very prominent institution in the State. These values are Academic Freedom, Innovation, Integrity, Professionalism, Inclusiveness, and Social Responsibility.

Dr. Misra on how students are prepared to face challenges of modern organizations and global standards successfully

In the MBA Program at NHCE, a lot goes in preparing students for facing the challenges of the modern organization. The framework of training programs is designed in such a manner which prepares the student holistically in a phased manner from refining their communication skills, personality development, and aptitude. The focus is on Life Long Learning developing the required life skills to sustain. Each student has been assigned with an academic mentor and professional counselors who guide and support them in overcoming any personal and professional challenges.

Moreover, the curriculum has been integrated with Seminars, Projects, and Industry Internships, where students learn about the market and industry operations. Students also visit international companies during the International Industrial Tour organized by the college. Foreign Professors’ lectures are also organized in the college to provide global orientation to the students.

Goals in mind for NHCE for the next five years

We aim at being a globally recognized B-School. We plan to introduce more contemporary programs for the students who are looking for unconventional education. New Horizon being an autonomous institute at present will climb the ladder up to a Private University. We are already doing manifold social activities. This will further continue with rigor in the years to come. New Horizon College of Engineering will emerge as an institute of eminence in the fields of engineering, technology, and management in serving the industry with a high degree of technical, managerial and practical competence. We would wish to see ourselves as an institution molding the students with professional and social ethics.

Suggestions for aspiring students

Students today have been blessed with humungous opportunities in the industry and globe. They are smart and capable. They should just identify their interest and aptitude and build their skills accordingly. Today’s youth has the capability to bring in the change, India is looking forward to. They need to build the thought process that they can shape the future of India.  I also advise students to build a high degree of technical, managerial and practical competence.