Prof. Debasis Bhattacharya is the Dean and Professor at the School of Humanities, K.R. Mangalam University, Gurugram. He is a global author with a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Oregon, USA. Moreover, he has an MA in International Studies from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, USA, and a MA in Economics from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India. 

Mr Bhattacharya has more than 24 years of teaching, research and corporate experience in India and the USA. He has participated as Session Chair and paper presenter in several national and international conferences held in India and the USA. Bhattacharya’s book that he co- authored, “GST and Its Aftermath: Is Consumer Really the King?”, published by SAGE Publications Inc. is a globally recognized publication. Bhattacharya’s foreign policy articles have been published by prestigious foreign policy think tanks such as Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) and Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

KR Mangalam University

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

The education sector in India and globally is very dynamic and versatile in addressing complex problems especially related to higher education. In an era of globalization, education is having a transcendental effect in uplifting the educational and humanistic attributes of aspirational students, faculty, researchers, and others who are associated with the education sector. I have seen the best of Eastern and Western education by virtue of my work in India and the United States. Apart from being a noble profession, the education sector enables me to share knowledge and learn continuously in terms of teaching, research, and academic administration. The education sector also allows me to contribute to knowledge creation and dissemination and give back to society in the process of all-around holistic development of aspirational individuals.

Being the Dean of School of Humanities, KRMU, what is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

My philosophy of leadership is to facilitate an enabling work environment for my team and assist them to perform optimally while constantly encouraging team spirit. Being in a leadership profile I try to be a mentor to my team members/subordinates and provide them guidance with empathy and compassion. In order to optimize resource utilization, I also try to assess the specific attributes of my subordinates and assign work that they will be able to do efficiently. At the same time, I also delegate responsibilities to inculcate the feeling of employee empowerment. Constantly inspiring and encouraging my subordinates to excel in performance and imbibing team spirit are other significant components of my leadership style.

Being the Dean of School of Humanities, KRMU, how do you strategize about the key programs and plans for the marketing and administration of your school?

As the Dean of the School of Humanities, my priority is to identify the changing dimensions/needs and requirements of the industry, policymaking community and other stakeholders who provide employment to the aspirational youth. Thereafter I try to implement such required changes in key programs and constantly monitor their efficacy. This process, in turn, allows for appropriate strategies for the marketing and administration of my school programs. Taking feedback from academic, industry, and policymaking experts along with from alumni and students also forms an integral component in strategizing program development, marketing plan, and administration of the whole process.

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?

Our university and the School of Humanities promote research-based education with a spirit of internationalization and academia-industry-policymaker integration. The School also emphasizes significantly not only theoretical knowledge but also practical experience through internships and extension activities where students and faculty and industry experts collaborate. All these parameters are bound to provide an extra edge to our students in gaining specialized training while studying at our university.

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How does the curriculum of School of Humanities ensure the best practice of industry?

Curriculum development in the School of Humanities is done by strong research on the developments in national and international universities. Identification of new developments is then tabulated and configured in curriculum development. Final changes in the curriculum are done by taking feedback from academic, industry, and policymaking experts along with alumni who are working in the industry. This comprehensive process of curriculum development ensures imbibing the best practice of industry in our curriculum.

Any insights into how your university could be more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds?

Our university tries to promote the internationalization of our educational approach by incorporating multiculturalism and global integration into our educational philosophy. Simultaneously the university also implies and complies with the policy of sustainability, shared progress, and inclusiveness in our educational philosophy. This caters to the needs of requirements of all sections of the population. This process allows for the establishment of an enabling environment for growth for students of different races and/or economic backgrounds.

What do you think your roles and responsibilities to the university and the students are?

As a senior academician and academic administrator my roles and responsibilities to the university and students centre around the development of a world-class learning environment in terms of programs, curriculum, and infrastructural attributes. This philosophy enables us to provide a supportive educational environment for students, faculty members, and research scholars at the university.

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

The University’s top priority over the next 10 years should primarily be directed towards creating a teaching and learning environment that meets international standards. It should be a place where students, faculty members, research scholars and academic experts can gain the highest level of outcome-based education. For this to happen following we are prioritizing upgrading our curriculum from time to time to make it more flexible and cater to the changing requirement of the industry. Towards this end, we will add value-added courses and vocational courses in order to enhance employability of the graduates.

We are also placing adequate emphasis on developing sophisticated infrastructure in the form of establishing smart classrooms, ICT-enabled teaching equipment, state-of-art laboratory facility and a highly resourceful library. Our curriculum will implement the National Education Policy in a manner that promotes flexibility in the teaching and learning environment on a sustainable basis and inclusiveness.

Our university will promote the development of an enabling ecosystem for research and development by establishing a state-of-art central instrument research facility (CIRF). Furthermore, we will strategize in creating an environment/ecosystem of entrepreneurship cells by establishing start-up facilities for graduates to use to become entrepreneurs. We are promoting skill development in our curriculum so that we can enable re-skilling and up-skilling in order for students to be competitive in the job market. The university will also try to enhance skill-based education with a focus on research and industry collaboration towards academic excellence.

When you first came to KRMU, what was your vision for the university? Has it evolved over time, and how far along in implementing that vision are you?

When I joined KRMU my vision was to create an atmosphere that is ideal for promoting world-class teaching and learning experiences for the students, faculty members, research scholars, academicians, and other stakeholders. My vision was to facilitate an industry-integrated learning system. Furthermore, as an academic administrator, I want to streamline and optimize the resources and promote National Education Policy in letter and spirit towards facilitating a flexible and outcome-based learning experience. My goal now is to get our goals fulfilled in a phased manner towards the delivery process of a world-class academic experience for everyone associated with the University.

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What would you like people to know about your university they may not know?

KR Mangalam University is trying to grow and promote a world-class academic environment. We want to cater to reach a stage where a greater number of people, communities and stakeholders can get associated with the university with ease. People should be aware of our value-based education policy that the university drives in its attempt to impart holistic education that complies with Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy of “man-making and character-building education”.