Dr. Meena Bhandari has been working as the Senior Faculty at K R Mangalam University, Gurgaon, Haryana and at present, she is heading the School of Basic and Applied Sciences at K.R. Mangalam University. She has an amazing 24 years of teaching experience and prior to joining the KR Mangalam University, she has worked at various positions in prestigious institutes as Faculty and as Post-Doctoral fellow. She has done M.Phil. in Chemistry from Punjab University of Chandigarh and PhD in Chemistry from IIT Delhi as part of her academics. Also she has qualified CSIR-UGC JRF in 1990 and was selected for the Research Associateship Award from CSIR in 1996 and AICTE sponsored “Career Award for Young Teachers” on the project entitled “Isolation of bio-pesticides from aromatic/medicinal plants” in 1998. She has presented and published few research papers in reputed journals and conferences. Her area of interest is Supramolecular Chemistry, Green Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry. She is instrumental in motivating faculty for organizing conferences, faculty development programs and research in the relevant scientific areas. She is also the Coordinator of Internal Quality Assurance Cell, Chairperson of Ph.D. Monitoring Committee, Member of University Research Committee, Academic Council, Internal Complaints Committee, Examination Committee and Board of Management.

K R Mangalam University, Gurgaon

What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

"My urge of upgrading students and my own skills have helped me stay associated with Education field"

As an Educationist, I always felt that it is very important to stay connected with the students and remain upskilled with the current trends. And it is my duty to motivate students to develop socially relevant skills and learn the latest technologies. Also, students need to analyze, comprehend and interpret data logically and develop an approach to be lifelong learners and ethically and emotionally strong individuals. So, in my opinion, my passion for educating students and regularly updating my own skills have helped me stay connected with the education sector. 

Being the Senior Faculty at KRMU, what is your philosophy of leadership?

"I like to work in a democratic environment and provide equal opportunities to my team members"

As a Senior Faculty of the university, I believe in democratic way of working and leading people where we can empower all stakeholder i.e. faculty and students equally and involve them in decision making. And in my university, everyone works cohesively as a team, learns from each other and tries to achieve targets. Also, I regularly motivate my team members by adopting a transactional leadership approach where incentives and rewards are given to individuals for achieving daily targets.

How do you strategize the key programs for the marketing and administration of your institute?

"We use various digital tools, our college website and social media handles to stay connected with outside world"

We have developed amazing approaches to use the digital marketing tools in the best possible way for the marketing and administration of our institute. We use personalized mobile friendly websites, chat bots, live streaming sessions and also organize coordinated social media campaigns with the support of our social media ambassadors to make the outside world aware about our achievements and events. Also, our faculty members and students work together with us for effective decision making and functioning of our university. 

In your experience, what benefits students can gain from studying here in your institute?

"Students will get best education and amenities in our University"

Our University provides the best quality education for the holistic development of students and we also instill good moral and ethical values in students to make them a socially responsible person. Also a conducive learning environment has been established in college for promulgation of technology and skill sets amongst students to mitigate real life issues and courses connected with the traditional Indian knowledge system are also offered to give them a chance to learn the rich heritage of our country. 

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How does the curriculum of your University ensure the best practices of industry?

"We have included social programs and practical learning methods through projects in it"

For the purpose of ensuring best industrial practices in our curriculum, we offer social outreach programs to students. In addition to this, practical oriented learning is ensured by us where we assign mini field projects and research oriented projects to our students so that they can learn by implementing their classroom learning to find solutions to some real world issues and get a better understanding of the subject. Also, our University has adopted five nearby villages and there are several clubs and societies through which our students interact with villagers of neighborhood villages through various extension activities. Lastly, we organize legal aid camps, health camps, financial awareness programs, digital and computer literacy programs, environmental protection drives, fashion designing workshops and architectural design counseling on a regular basis to improve the lifestyle of neighboring people. 

How is your university more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds?

"We offer equal learning opportunities to every student and scholarships to eligible ones"

Our University provides an inclusive and equal learning and growth environment and opportunities to students of different backgrounds irrespective of their caste, creed or gender. Also, we regularly upgrade the education and welfare Policies of our institute and Govt. and Private scholarships based on merits are offered to them through the Registrar Office or Student Welfare Office. Awareness sessions on gender parity, anti-discrimination are intermittently organized by us for the benefit of faculty and students.

What are your roles and responsibilities for the University and students?

"I am responsible to develop scientific and creative learning attitude in students"

Being the Senior Faculty, my role for the University is to raise scientific temperament and critical and analytical thinking skills amongst students. Also, I am responsible for encouraging students to conduct experiments and research in order to improve the quality of education of college. Inculcating the habit of punctuality, discipline and hard work in students and preparing them to face the challenges of the outside world with great conviction and courage also comes under the scope of my responsibilities.

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

"We should work on inculcating latest technologies in our curriculum by introducing new courses"

As we are witnessing that technologies are changing and evolving at a very fast pace and disciplines like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data mining, Agricultural Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Renewable Energy, Environmental Sciences, Finance and Fashion will dominate in the next decade. Hence our university should focus on enhancing our relationship with our industry partners and should also try to introduce courses pertaining to current technology to produce employable youth to meet national and global needs. 

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How has your University evolved and progressed over the years?

"We have initiated many new programs and regularly update the curriculum and teaching techniques"

In the last ten years, our University has evolved in terms of intellectual capital, research, innovations and collaborations. And we are trying our best to establish ourselves as a brand in the field of technical and professional education. Also, several new programs have been started by us and the curriculum has been revised to meet the demands and developments of the industrial world. Apart from this, teaching pedagogies have been updated to inculcate the research and innovation skills and a life-long learning spirit in students. Lectures are delivered using the best technologies, tools and case studies, by including students in live projects and arranging webinars as and when required.

What would you like people to know about your university which makes it different from others?

"Our faculty members are highly qualified and we have established amazing learning infrastructure for students"

I wish people to know that our University has highly educated and experienced faculty members who are keen to solve students’ problems with vigor and vitality. Many of our students are placed in good companies and are contributing to nation building and some of them are also pursuing higher degree courses in India and overseas countries as well. Apart from this, we provide amazing learning opportunities and a conducive environment to students in college for conducting research and innovation so that they can grow on personal and professional fronts.