Dr. Solly George believes in giving a chance to every person and creating an effective team effort for best results

Interview by Yash Panchal

Dr. Solly George is currently serving as the Principal of MACE, Kerala.

Dr. George’s wide variety of education industry experience

Jobs in the education sector are often demanding but also fulfilling. These jobs are concerned with preserving the integrity of academic institutions and maintaining the wellbeing of the education sector. The education sector offers many opportunities for professionalization at a variety of experience levels. There are many advantages working with educational sectors, it helped me to have a chance to instill knowledge in large groups of the population, helped to develop close relationships with the coworkers, students, and academic community.

Demonstrative leadership style

Being the principal of Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, I lead from the front by taking actions, demonstrating what needs to be done, and keeping my team organized to make sure we are all on the same page and contributing equally.

I’m great at delegating and finding the strength of other team members

I try to give each person a chance to do what they are best at and create a team effort that delivers a result that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Hurdles for the Principal of Mar Athanasius College of Engineering

Being an institution established in 1961 with the year of experience and best practices initiated by my forerunners, I am not facing much challenge. My priority is to improve research culture in this institution and to extend its vast experience to the society through consultancy.

Latest curriculum focused on increasing engineers

The primary goal of MACE is to increase the number of skilled engineers in the growing technical world. Since the traditional content area instruction does not necessarily produce graduates who are well prepared to become employees, it is vital that MACE have a well-defined idea to identify the skills and knowledge the learners need to acquire. With the help of various Industrial experts, valuable advices on teaching content, they know specifically what work readiness and technical skills are required and the gaps they most often see in new graduates, in order to ensure that our curriculum addresses the industrial needs; we have an active relationship with potential employers.

Placement cell of MACE and the opportunities for students

A full-fledged training and placement cell is working towards better opportunities for our students and bridges the gap between prospective employer and the candidate.

MACE considers training and placement of every student as its principal duty

One of the foremost responsibilities of Training and placement cell is to motivate and prepare students for successful performance in interviews and subsequent interaction with the employers.

Sparing time for students of MACE

Improving students and principal relationship has important, positive and long lasting implications for both the student’s academic and social responsibilities. I would like to make an effort to get to know the student body and to be a face in the crowd at every given opportunity. To strengthen the student’s relationship, a periodical meeting with the students’ body to understand the expectation and need of the students in academic and extracurricular activities.

Ideal environment for learning and implementing a positive culture

An ideal environment embraces the idea that all students can learn works to build safe learning spaces, attracts teachers who are knowledgeable, care about students learning, and adapt their instruction to meet the needs of their learners, works hard to make the curriculum relevant to the lives of students.

This kind of culture will be implemented with the support of all departmental heads and faculties in the college in all activities.

Top qualities that are a must for an aspiring Engineer

Engineers are the backbone of modern industrial society. From automobiles to airplanes, computers to smartphones, engineers are behind the entire multitude of devices that make life possible in the 21st century. By the same token, the discipline of engineering has grown by leaps and bounds, and now includes as many as a dozen sub-disciplines. This means that 21st century engineers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and practice engineering in very different contexts.

• Desire to figure out is a close cousin to curiosity, but more focused on the how than the what.
• Applied creativity is a big part of a successful engineer’s tools set.
• All engineers need math skill
• Understanding mechanical systems and the relationships between parts is a good foundation for future engineers.
• Listening and problem-solving skills
• Interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Social commitment.

Goals for MACE

To make the college “Centre of Excellence”.

Suggestions for the youth

• Challenge yourself, where the students can learn more everyday
• Believe in yourself as Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.”
• Have an ambition.