O.P. Jindal: Building institutions of global excellence

O.P. Jindal Global University aims to consolidate its academic offerings and ensures highest quality of programmes

O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) is a non-profit global university established by the Government of Haryana and recognised by the University Grants Commission. JGU was established as a philanthropic initiative of its Founding Chancellor, Naveen Jindal in memory of his father, O.P. Jindal. Excerpts from an interview with Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU):

Do you get a lot of NRI students including from ?the Gulf?

We have indeed received students from different Middle East countries, mainly from the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. They mainly joined our five-year BA/BBALLB (H) programme at Jindal Global Law School. However, for the past few years students from ?the Middle East have also joined our BBA and Integrated BBA-MBA programmes of the Business School, BA-Global Affairs programme of the School of International Affairs and the BA (Economics) programme of the School of Government & ?Public Policy.
The number of students joining our university from the Middle East remains small and we will like to encourage more students from the region to aspire to study at JGU.

Could you tell us about your expansion plans?
 
JGU recently established two new schools - the Jindal School of Art & Architecture and the Jindal School of Banking & Finance. Both schools will begin academic programmes in August. The two are JGU's seventh and eighth schools respectively. Beginning in August, JGU will also be launching the Masters in Business Laws programme at JGLS. This is a unique programme that will equip graduates to engage successfully with the complex field of business laws in national and international corporate firms.
Over the next two to three years, we will be seeking to consolidate the academic offerings and ensure that the highest quality programmes, and learning and research environment are provided on the JGU campus.
The university was recently ranked among the top 10 private institutions in India and also in the 251-300 category in a ranking of 9,000 universities in the BRICS region. What are the factors that have resulted in catapulting the university to these high ranks?
 
The QS ranking has been an extraordinary accomplishment for JGU as a young university, which has just completed eight years since its founding. One of the key factors in this achievement is the fact that we have pursued and succeeded in developing the broadest possible framework of international collaborations that has enabled JGU to partner and work with over 200 universities and higher education institutions spread across over 50 countries. 
The growth and evolution of JGU as an institution of global excellence is also matched with the expansion of the schools and programmes. We currently have eight schools, with two set to begin from the next academic session. Our institutional commitment and global aspiration reflects through the fact that nearly 50 per cent of our faculty members are graduates of the top 100 universities and 20 per cent of them are international faculty. 
The future of Indian universities will depend upon how effectively we address the challenges of providing access to high quality education for a large number of young people while promoting aspirations to build institutions of global excellence. There is an urgent need to establish world-class private universities in India that are top ranked in the world and are reputed for excellence in teaching, research and capacity-building. JGU aims to contribute to addressing these challenges and has been established with the view to promoting excellence in higher education and it is fulfilling to see our efforts being acknowledged at a global level.

Are you planning to introduce new courses in the university over the coming months?

In August, our seventh school, Jindal School of Art & Architecture will offer a Bachelors in Architecture (B.Arch) programme after receiving the approval of the Council of Architecture. Our eighth school, Jindal School of Banking & Finance will offer a B.Com (Hons) programme. Beginning in August, JGU will also be launching the Masters in Business Laws programme at Jindal Global Law School.

What are your views on the higher education scenario in India?
 
There are many challenges with respect to how Indian higher education institutions (HEIs) are governed, particularly the relationship between government agencies and HEIs, internal governance mechanisms within the HEIs, the quality of educational administrative personnel, and difficulties faced by HEI leadership in managing the highly challenging political, social and economic contexts in India.
 We are hopeful that in the coming years, institutional mechanisms will be advanced to enable greater innovation in governance structures, more efficient processes at macro and micro levels, and greater accountability to various institutional stakeholders.