Interview by Bhawna Rawat

Dr. N. C. Wadhwa

 

Dr. N. C. Wadhwa is currently working as the Vice Chancellor of MRIIRS. He is a Haryana cadre IAS officer who retired on 31 March 2009 as the Labour Commissioner-cum-Special Secretary, Government of Haryana. In addition to his distinguished career as a bureaucrat, he has a sound academic background. He is a gold medalist Graduate from Delhi University and gold medalist Post-Graduate from Kurukshetra University and has done his doctorate from Punjab University. During his administrative career, he has held various important assignments as Deputy Commissioner of Sirsa and Hisar Districts and Divisional Commissioner of Rohtak, Hisar and Ambala divisions and successfully tackled law and order situations, communal and social tensions, in addition to supervising development projects in the districts. While working as the Chief Administrator, HUDA, Director Town & Country Planning and MD Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC), he was instrumental in the large-scale urban development and industrial infrastructure in the State.

Currently, Dr. Wadhwa is also the Vice President of All India Association of Vice Chancellors and Academicians.He handled the assignments as the Director, School Education and in that capacity introduced value-based education in the State. As Director, Medical College Rohtak and officiating Vice Chancellor, MDU, Rohtak, he handled important responsibilities and contributed in the field of technical and higher education. Vice Chancellor, Manav Rachna International University, he has been instrumental in streamlining the working of the university and has helped in attaining academic excellence and milestone achievements in Research & Development.

MRIIRS is working towards making the students industry-ready

Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (MRIIRS, Formerly MRIU) is working dedicatedly towards producing industry-ready students through its various verticals. We have a Corporate Relations and Career Management Centre which constantly strives for expanding the industry-academia interface, instilling enthusiasm and confidence amongst students aspiring towards a fulfilling career in the corporate. In addition, our collaboration and integration with companies give the best to us.

Our students and faculty have carried out research in several areas of Engineering, Basic and Applied Sciences, Management, Literature, Physiotherapy, Nutrition & Dietetics, Health, Energy and Environment, Manufacturing, Sports Rehabilitation, Architecture Design, among others. Over 4,000 research publications in International & National Journals, as well as International & National Conferences, have been penned by our members. 386 Patents have been filed/granted to our faculty and students.

Read more about faculty available at MRIIRS

The culture of innovation and research can compensate the deficit between Industry and Academia

Students nowadays are more inclined towards innovation, and when they are exposed to the innovation and research culture at their university, they work towards bridging the gap between academia and research with their multi-dimensional approach. A significant increase has been observed in the academic entrepreneurship which makes it even more necessary to provide ample opportunities to the students to research and innovate. This way they will be on par when it comes to applying their theoretical knowledge. We at Manav Rachna, maintain a conducive environment for the free exchange of ideas and to catalyze the potential ideas to be transformed into organizations.

To speed up the growth of startups and early-stage companies, New Gen IEDC has also been established at the campus. The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) working under the aegis of National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board, Department of Science and Technology, GoI has given a funding of Rs. 2.67 crore to New Gen IEDC to accelerate its activities for encouraging research, innovation and entrepreneurship among students. Under this initiative, around 100 start-ups shall be supported over a period of five years.

M/S Tricho Agronica Pvt. Ltd., a Company incubated at the Manav Rachna campus has been awarded a grant of Rs. 1.72 Cr for its novel, innovative and eco-friendly solution against fungal pathogens in Tomato cultivation.

It is noteworthy that

MRIIRS has been declared as the 'Best Knowledge Creation and Innovation University'

by ASSOCHAM National Education Excellence awards 2018.

Co-curricular activities go hand in hand with Academics at MRIIRS for the holistic development of students

The modern world outside is competitive and skill-driven for which the students need to have a multi-dimensional approach and should have knowledge about different domains related to their profession. Co-curricular activities when coupled with academics contribute to the holistic development of a student and help students discover their interests besides developing values and competencies that prepare them for a continuously evolving industry.

We at Manav Rachna, strive to enhance holistic development in students through co-curricular activities on the basis of five aspects which include intellectual, emotional, spiritual, physical and social. We believe strong academics, research, employability enhancement, skill development, value system, community connection and collaboration — everything has to go hand in hand. Innovation, incubation, promoting an entrepreneurial eco-system and mentoring students run deep within the system at Manav Rachna.

Changes in Industry demands changes in Curriculum

The demands of the industry drive the education sector and with the new technologies and developments coming into existence, modifying/changing the curriculum of conventional graduate and undergraduate programs is necessary in order to keep the students updated.

The conventional curriculum has gone obsolete and leaves no space for students to work on enhancing their skills. Thus, there is a need for it to be modified as per the requirements of the industry to produce industry-ready students. At the higher education level, experiential learning ought to be mandated for all the programs along with regular hands-on exercises followed by theoretical learning.

A piece of advice for the millennials.

The millennials are quite forward in their action and approach but they need to understand the importance of honing their skills (both hard and soft) from time to time in order to rise to the occasion. Upgrading their skills as per the developments in the industry will increase their employability prospects as well as help them become global citizens. At this age, when you have an advantage of mutual understanding, you can work towards gaining a comprehensive outlook and work for the society. This will also help them gain human values to transform themselves into responsible and insightful human being.