Introducing Editor's Editorial Note Team Happy birthday Shiv Nadar University! As This issue has interesting news and we celebrate 10 years of the University exciting events to report.You will read journey, we hope that you will be able to about the breadth of activities across join in the many programs, conversations departments with notable speakers.We and special events throughout this year. want it to be as much yours, our readers, as ours, and we especially welcome The Ten Year Celebrations kicked off contributions from our students and on April 6 and will continue throughout updates from our alumni. We highlight the year. We had a faculty & staff award the achievements of our students, past ceremony where the Vice Chancellor, and present; we also showcase the many VINNIE MATHUR K KRISHNA Dr. Rupamanjari Ghosh and Executive exciting research projects underway Director, Col. Gopal Karunakaran in our laboratories; and bring you a EDITOR LAYOUT & DESIGN applauded the efforts of one and all. glimpse of the Shiv Nadar community – the celebrations, presentations, and While the past year has been challenging accomplishments that we enjoy together. and this one seems to be the same too, we are dedicated to keeping you updated Stay safe! about what’s happening in our university community. We want to help you every Stay connected! step of the way to set you up for success, and that starts with your involvement! Through this newsletter, we hope to Vinnie Mathur - share with you the excitement of our Office of Marketing & Communications students, alumni, faculty and the spirit of innovation and discovery that propels us into the future. We also hope that some story or some discovery here will move you to reach out and engage us in new MRIDULA VIJAYARANGAKUMAR ANUSHKA ANAND conversations and lasting dialogues. ASSOCIATE STUDENT ASSOCIATE STUDENT EDITOR EDITOR At the turn of the 20th century, the discovery of encourage students to challenge and merge the Internet and that of the hand-held-devices the polarities of academic theory and practical (smartphones) had rustled up the proverbial businesses in the digital world. Theoretical rigour winds-of-change! One, which could well have and critical thinking run across all our programs DEAN’S prompted S.T. Coleridge in a time warp, to have with the objective to instil a strong foundation in written his famous line, “To most men experience business fundamentals. Equally importantly is our is like the stern lights of a ship, which illuminate focus on the ability to apply this learning across MESSAGE only the track it has passed”. The COVID the spectrum of real business scenarios – in pandemic, has literally transformed the winds- very hands-on entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial of-change into a raging wildfire that has forced ways. We are also driving a strategy for developing the entire planet to slam the Ctl-Alt-Reset. And a research oriented mind-set within our programs, like all deep shocks to a system, this wildfire has so that our graduates emerge as theoretically shaken human civilization at its roots – without grounded practitioners ready for the digital future. exceptions! These times are extremely traumatic, Our flagship Bachelor of Management Studies as dis-equilibrating and often tragic – and I am sure well as the MBA programs have a heavy bias for most of humanity is hunkered down currently to action – and our unique curriculum delivers that. focus on one of its primordial instincts, survival! We are investing heavily in enabling this know-do- It will be entirely on I am hoping that all of you are dealing with the be trifecta: from providing the latest educational us to embrace the current scenario with enormous courage and technology, databases and analytical software, resilience – as when the dust settles, hopefully to assembling an impressive cast of faculty future with soon, we would have to emerge out of this with drawn from the world’s finest institutions. Our intelligence and our 21st century wisdom, to show us the way like research focused faculty are experts in their a beacon. In our world of higher education, we respective fields and all of them are coming from courage to recreate, are expecting that various old models of learning, top institutions across the world. We are utilizing reimagine and conventional wisdom and tested technology these unique times to establish a student-centric will have succumbed to the ‘deep-shock’. And it foundation for advanced experiential learning, reboot will be entirely on us to embrace the future with incubation and entrepreneurship. SME will also intelligence and courage to recreate, reimagine be working with Atal Incubation Center at the and reboot. And in my view, our young learners University from next semester onward, to enable have the maximum stakes in this re-creation students to not only learn and get mentored by process so that they equip themselves robustly faculty and industry veterans, but actually start- to navigate the brave new world. I take this up their entrepreneurial ventures and explore the opportunity to share with you a piece of news business potential of their ideas at an early age. Prof. Bibek Banerjee Senior Dean and Head of Strategic Initiatives that we, at Shiv Nadar University’s School of Dean, School of Management & Entrepreneurship Management and Entrepreneurship, are working Peter Drucker once said, “The Best Way to Predict University Professor of Marketing, Strategy & very hard to turn this epochal challenge to an the Future is to Create It”. When you read this Economics opportunity of a lifetime. newsletter, you will really want to know how far we’ve come, and I really wish I could meet you Curriculum and Pedagogy are going to take the personally whenever the circumstances would centre-stage in driving the impact and relevance permit. But technology enables us to remain of the transformative vision of the School of connected productively, to help us stay on course Management and Entrepreneurship at Shiv Nadar to seize the moment, and align all our collective University. In each of our flagship programs we vision to make Shiv Nadar University truly an are working to embed learning methods that Institution of Eminence. Feature News Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 CNBC TV18 India Business Leader Awards CNBC TV18 has honoured Mr. Shiv Nadar with the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award at the ‘India Business Leader Awards’ 2021. The award celebrates Mr. Nadar’s pioneering role in the Indian IT landscape and in philanthropy. A true visionary who turned an Indian IT garage start-up into a $10 billion global conglomerate that employs more than 150,000 professionals across 50 countries, Mr. Nadar has also built great institutions of transformational education that will continue to nurture the country’s youth for generations to come. A shining example of this is Shiv Nadar University. One of Asia’s most distinguished awards for excellence in leadership, the CNBC-TV18 ‘India Business Leader Awards’ honors visionaries who have made revolutionary advancements in their spheres and risen beyond the industry threshold by setting new standards in terms of growth, scale and market leadership. Circle of Excellence Awards “Appreciation awards honour those who help University accomplish our goals to provide excellent support and service to our students and to each other.” The event was graced by the presence of our Vice Chancellor Dr. Rupamanjari Ghosh, Pro-Chancellor Mr. Shikhar Malhotra, Executive Director, Col. Gopal Karunakaran (Retd), Deans, Directors, Faculty & Staff members. Many members of the staff and faculty were honored at the 2021 Circle of Excellence Awards Ceremony on 6th April. Due to COVID-19 restrictions that prevented large gatherings of people, the event was held in a virtual setting and included some cultural performances by student clubs- Inferno & Snuphoria, alumni- Shubhangee UNIVERSITY EVENTS Goel presented a beautiful kathak performance and Director Administration, Wing Commander Anand Sharma mesmerised the crowd with his saxophone songs. The awards recognized nominated faculty & staff members who go above and beyond their duties to contribute to Shiv Nadar University quality and academic excellence, to support student success, and to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace and campus. This ceremony also marked the beginning of the University’s ten year anniversary celebrations. University events Career Development Center The Center for Public Affairs and Critical Theory (C-PACT) The Center for Public Affairs and Critical Theory (C-PACT) and Career Development Center held a session titled ‘The Future of Water Stewards - Deep Dive or Sink’ by Mr. Rishu Garg, Deputy Director at the Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR). Moderated by Dr. Rajeswari S. Raina, Associate Director, C-PACT; and Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies on March 6. The talk explored the various aspects of water demand, potential, issues, challenges, constitutional mandate, conflicts etc. The speaker also discussed constitutional mandate, state and national water policies, India’s global commitment related to environment and climate change and sustainable development goals. ‘Digital Wealth Management in Times of ‘Deciphering & Building Career in the Pandemic’ by Mr. Varun Sridhar, CEO, Transitioning Times’ by Dr. Ravi Kumar Paytm Money. The talk was moderated by Yelchuri, Lead Researcher, Microbiology The Center for Public Affairs and Critical Theory Dr. Shalu Kalra, Associate Professor, School Department at Asian Paints. The talk was (C-PACT) at Shiv Nadar University and Azim of Management and Entrepreneurship, Shiv moderated by Dr. Richa Priyadarshini, Premji University jointly held a discussion on the Nadar University. Associate Professor, Department of Life book titled Agrarian Change and Urbanization in Sciences, School of Natural Sciences. Southern India - City and the Peasant, authored by Seema Purushothaman and Sheetal Patil. The Career Development Center held a virtual session titled ‘Business Model Innovation’ by Dr. Sunil Gupta, Chief Innovation Instigator and Chief Learning Officer, Ideas Management Consultants.