Panimalar Engineering College

Dr.V. Mahalakshmi is the Dean and Head of the Department of Management Sciences at Panimalar Engineering College, Chennai. She holds an experience of 26 years as a teacher and a trainer. Under her supervision, 4 research scholars have obtained their Ph.D. She was a former Legal Consultant for corporate houses. 

What is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style? 

“Putting my trust in the ones associated with me”

I believe in Laissez-faire leadership philosophy, where I give them equal power, little guidance, and allow them to work. I concentrate on high-level decision making. Providing autonomy to the colleagues is key to ensure they function at their fullest potential as restrictions always become hindrances. Therefore I believe everyone should have the autonomy and freedom to express their abilities in the roles allocated to them. The very same applies to me as well.

In your experience, what can an inbound student gain from studying here in your institute?

“Focusing on the concept of ‘home away from home”

All education systems have their own pros and cons. Our Institute has got the best infrastructure, experienced teaching faculties, nominal course fee, scholarships, placements, research activities, and other amenities that a student needs to flourish and grow. Here, we have meticulously planned all the initiatives to make a student’s journey full of positive experiences and possibilities of a successful career. 

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How does the curriculum of your Institute ensure the best practice of industry? 

“Preaching the importance of staying relevant in terms of industry standards”

Based on the career and industry expectations the curriculum has been designed. When a meeting is organized by the Board of studies regarding the curriculum design, usually Industry Representatives give their inputs. Their suggestions are considered and implemented in the curriculum after getting approval from the Governing Council. Additionally, we invite esteemed guests from the industry to impart knowledge and experiences to bridge the gap between what is learned and what is done. Certain professional certifications such as NISM, Six Sigma, etc. which indicate that a student is professionally recognized are also some major areas that we focus on. 

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

“Giving opportunities based on merit irrespective of background”

Economically weaker students are selected based on the cut-off and provided with government scholarships. Our ultimate plan is to ensure that Panimalar Engineering College is an institute of excellence, globally. To do that, we need to ensure that our students are internationally ready and they are sent on exchange programs to sign MoUs with international institutions.

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

“Being the leader they have always wanted”

I can summarise my roles and responsibilities to the Institute and to students, respectively in the following manner: 

  • To exercise leadership, demonstrate vision, empower other teaching faculties in order to deliver the departmental strategy. 
  • Promoting research culture, knowledge transfer, people management, quality assurance, and academic excellence 

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

While the priorities can change with time and the industrial needs, at our institute we think that our priorities lie with the following

  • To be a pioneer among the top technical colleges, across the Southern Zone, and across the country.
  • To invite aspirants from across the country 
  • To produce the best talent in the Industry.

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

“To see my students succeed in all phases of their journey”

On a macro level, my vision was to play a crucial part in shaping the minds of tomorrow. As a result, I decided to dedicate myself to creating socially sensitive, thoughtful business leaders in India. For the past 26 years, I have been doing this and many students of mine are currently in good positions, domestically, and globally. I have seen 20 batches of students go into the industry and it keeps me driven to date and pushes me further to give the best for the students.

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

“Introduction of courses that will help them to achieve their goals as a professional”

Many students who aren’t privy to the Institution may not be aware of this valuable addition to the existing teaching pedagogy. After completion of every unit or a new concept, we ensure that the student has some breathing space to introspect further about the topic. They are given time for some self-reflection, post which they are given short quizzes to test their concepts. Coupled with the self-assessment approach, we have also introduced Entrepreneurial development as a course which we feel will be extremely beneficial for all students, in terms of providing the perspective and in terms of strengthening their business acumen.

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What are some of the biggest challenges you see, both for higher education in general and for your Institute specifically? 

“Adjusting with the new normal”

In general, in higher education, lack of qualified faculties, research, training, inadequate syllabi, absence of industry representation in the curriculum design, etc. poses a series of challenges. Specifically, the biggest challenge by the Institute is adapting to the online mode of education provided recently. Online classes cannot fulfill the needs of students and they cannot do real-time experiments and understand the concepts like they used to. 

What are some plans that you’re currently designing for your Institute’s international affairs and/or students? 

“Presenting our students with opportunities to get recognized globally”

We have decided on entering into MOU’s with foreign universities for global recognition. We have planned to ensure scholarships for interested students so that they can pursue higher education in those universities. Facilitating training programs both for faculties and students is also an important part of my decisions.