The research scenario in India portrays a chequered picture. While some leading world-class institutions like the IITs and the IIMs are achieving what was well planned in their objectives, others portray a dismal picture in terms of quality and quantity of research. The sustainability of any educational institution depends on research productivity and innovation. The success of a University in attaining its objectives is greatly contingent upon the faculty’s alignment with all the aspects of research initiatives, being undertaken at the university. “We provide Financial support to the faculty members for publication in the Scopus / WoS indexed journal with SJR or Impact factor. All faculty members and students are encouraged to do research in their respective fields and present the same to the world through conferences at the national and international levels. They are provided with conference grants. Every year research awards are organized. Our students are working on live projects. We also have the GNA University Institution Innovation Council (GU-IIC) which specially work to bring out the innovativeness amongst the students”, point out Gurdeep Singh Sihra, President and Pro-Chancellor, GNA University.
Delivering Academic Excellence
Established through an act of the state government and approved by the UGC, the GNA University has become the chosen educational hub for a diverse community of students. With over 50 degree and certificate courses across offer, it has established itself as a leading university in India for business, engineering, hospitality, and computer programs. With trained faculty, best teaching practices, and well-equipped classrooms, GNA University has become a brand name for India’s world-class education. It has turned itself into a leading hub of optimized life skills coaching that enables students to improve their quality of life through an eclectic blend of science, technology, and humanities and approach real-life problems through innovation. “The unique feature of our programs is the focus on experiential learning, industrial internships, learning to learn principles, flexible, credit-based study programs, and holistic development of personality which in turn will ensure employability of the students. We benchmark ourselves with leading institutions across the world in terms of intellectual capital, academic quality, delivery practices, and industry linkages”, adds Gurdeep.
The faculty members at GNA University are well conscious about delivering the updated content to the students. The student who imbibes the mental transformation is facilitated if there is a well-defined curriculum design and that curriculum is well implemented. Both aspects of the curriculum are well-taken care of by our teachers. Teachers are more aware of the aim pursued by teaching, they understand their role as individuals and as components of a collective mission. They can better relate their expectations to the program or institution’s expectations in terms of learning outcomes. In particular, quality teaching initiatives enhance information technology in pedagogy improvement and analyze student-teacher interactions.
GNA University is based on sound design principles following the blue ocean strategy. Innovative thinking is the hallmark of our approach to design and deliver programs that are tightly aligned to the market needs. Around the core discipline, the university has designed programs like Mechatronics, Big Date, Culinary Arts, Film Making, etc., which are aligned to society’s contemporary needs. “Our curriculum design is based on the principles of promoting a sense of inquiry, multi-disciplinary problem-solving approach, focus on practical education, nurturing transformational leadership and sensitivity to the societal needs such as human values and ecological balance”, opines Gurdeep.
Bringing Innovation in the Industry
Being an industry-led university; GNA University has set out a very clear agenda to have a robust industry-academic interface. Few of the steps under this are to invite visiting faculty from industry on board, encouraging students to do live industry projects, the participation of industry experts in various activities of the university like discussions on course curriculum as a part of Board of Studies, attending conferences and conclaves organized by the university, etc. Gurdeep states, “Majority of the university’s collaborations with international bodies to give international exposure to the students. To make the students readily employable, GNA University has collaborated with big industry giants like Bosch, Siemens, Autodesk, Festo, Stratasys, Dassaults Systems, etc. GNA University has also signed MOUs with Fort Hays State University US, University of La Vern – US, Wichita State University, and many more like this. Under his leadership, we are exclusive members of AIMA for Business Simulation Labs, EC Council University – the US for Cyber Security, AWS Academy, Tableau, Mafoi, Times of India, and BSE Institute”. Recently, GNA University collaborated with Pearson to deliver Higher National Diplomas in Business, Hospitality, Computing, Engineering, and International Travel and Tourism Management. All these programs are skill-based, and students undergoing these programs are readily employable.
The Corporate Relations Division team plays an important role in locating job/career opportunities for students in the final year of their studies passing from GNA University. With a live and shared industry network, GNA University holds a special stature for getting their students’ jobs/careers related to the latest skills. With its mission to create Industry 4.o professional, Corporate Relations Division ensures a very rigorous and practical fun-based placement prep program for students from all backgrounds. Gurdeep adds, “Our engineering students got placements in John Deere, ITL Ltd., Swaraj Mazda, TVS, Maruti Suzuki, TCS, Mahindra, Bosch, etc. For Hospitality students, recruitments are done by The Lalit, Hilton, Taj Hotels, resorts and palaces, JW Marriot, etc. Business students got an opportunity in Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Decathalon, etc. Similarly, IT students got placed in Infosys, Wipro, etc.”
The vision behind the establishment of GNA University is to allow Punjab students to get trained on present technology and the technology that will be prevailing in the market when they will join the industry. The university offers attractive scholarships to all deserving students based on their merit in qualifying examinations. There is a special scholarship scheme for girl students by the university. In more broad terms, GNA University offers a world of opportunities to its students, helping them achieve success in their lives.
About Gurdeep Singh Sihra
Mr Gurdeep Singh Sihra is President of GNA University and Director & CEO of GNA Gears Ltd. – a US $ 31 million – Gear Manufacturing Company. Mr Sihra has joined his family held business in 1987 and was elevated to the position Of Director in 1995 and then CEO in 2006. Since 1986 he has held a series of leadership positions in the company. Most recently, as CEO and Director of GNA Gears Division, he led the company’s brilliant foray into global markets through its pioneering vision and with a strong focus on technology, innovation, process reengineering, and expansion of distribution and scale. He has travelled to various countries to enhance the vision and to implement the latest technologies and management systems in the Group companies. His dedication, positive attitude, vision gave him the strength to face challenging opportunities to explore.