Sidharth Mishra is a leading newspaper columnist and TV panelist presently working as Professor-Chairperson of Vivekananda School of Journalism & Mass Communication, GGSIP University, New Delhi. He studied at Prince of Wales Royal (now Rashtriya) Indian Military College, Dehradun and Kirori Mal College of Delhi University. Mr. Mishra completed his Master’s degree in English from Delhi University and started a career in Journalism in 1992. He later also earned a Master's degree in Public Administration.

Prof Mishra has contributed to some very popular publications both as an editor and writer. He has written numerous essays and books on Indian media and journalism. Furthermore, he has been invited by prestigious institutions in India and abroad, including the Indian Military Academy, Delhi School of Economics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, and Smurfit Business School, among others.

He has been the Chairperson of the Governing Bodies of Maharaja Agrasen College (Delhi University), Shivaji College, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh College for three years each. Furthermore, he is a second-term elected member of the Delhi University Court. Professor Mishra also started a think tank, the Centre for Reforms, Development, and Justice (CRD&J), in New Delhi 2011.

Quote: Through internships, expert interactions and attending important events throughout the city, we try to expose our students to the industry.

VSJMC

What is the latest program that you're offering in your institute, which will help students outperform and stand apart from the crowd?

We largely have humanities-based courses at the institute. We offer mass communication, law, economics, and English under this. For Business stream, we offer B. Com and Bachelors of Business Administration. We also started our engineering college, the School of Engineering and Technology. We are offering programs in emerging areas such as computer science, artificial intelligence, IIoT, and machine learning. Our course along with our state-of-the-art laboratories, has been helping our students immensely.

What are the factors that make this program the best for the students to opt?

Though we follow the same curriculum as other colleges of GGSIPU, it’s our modern, roomy infrastructure where hands-on training and practical training are provided, which makes us different. We also pay due attention to the quality of our teachers. Additionally, we are pretty strict about attendance, classroom discipline, and being regular with studies and assignments. Our students get quality education and not just a degree.

What are the best practices in this course you are offering?

We are trying to implement the National Educational Policy 2020 that the Government has rolled out. We are adopting it not just in word but also in spirit. Through internships, expert interactions and attending important events throughout the city, we try to expose our students to the industry. This way, they know what skills they have to develop to work and succeed.

Check Vivekananda School of Journalism and Mass Communication Courses & Fees

How do you bring yourself to deliver this program to students?

We regularly hold a faculty development programs. Teachers gather to learn new technologies and update their skills. This is done at the start of every academic year, so that teachers can give their best throughout the year. All our faculty members are encouraged to attend conferences, network with peers, conduct research, and present papers. If opportunities arise, they can also go internationally for work, and the institute bears the cost to a great extent. This is how all of us prepare to deliver our courses.

What are the challenges that are faced by inculcating NEP in your curriculum?

The biggest challenge for us, as NEP has entailed updation of curriculum, which is done at the university level. We at our end gather the heads of departments, industry experts, and other stakeholders to contribute their feedback. We aim to update the syllabus to include the latest issues and trending topics. Along the way, we also train the teachers to deliver the new curriculum better.

What are some valuable insights of the program that you're offering?

I think our alumni are our greatest strength. VIPS graduates are known to be academically rich. They have strong personalities and are great professionals. We constantly interact with them and get their feedback regarding changes and trends in the industry. They also help us shape our curriculum for our students. We have created a bridge with alumni, the students, and our faculty where everyone works cohesively. 

Do your college conduct Alumni meet?

Yes, we do hold alumni meetings every now and then. All of our past students are invited to come to the college and meet their friends.

What are the companies that come for placements?

We have a number of companies that visit every year for placements. We have students taking part in placements while others head for higher education. Our placement record has witnessed an upward trend in the past few years. Our average salary has also improved. From the past batches our graduates have been selected for higher studies at IIMs, IITs, IIMC, and several foreign universities.

What are the types of projects that students through this program are working on?

We have a project called the Minor Project Scheme, under which we fund minimum 10 projects from different departments. It may include filmmaking, writing research papers in economics, or making IT gadgets. It could be related to anything. We have several projects under this scheme. These are excellent ways to encourage students to take initiative and pursue their passions in an independent manner.

What are the key values and morals you want to give to the students?

Largely, we try to follow what Swami Vivekananda said. He placed emphasis on three factors, Man making, Character building, and Nation building. If you manage to imbibe these three ethos, you make your students a complete person. We try to teach our students to inculcate all these three ethos in their lives.