Memory 2: Four Pillars of JLU

This memory takes us to 2012 when the Jagran Social Welfare Society board decided to establish a private university.?

The first burning question in our minds was to identify what would set us apart from the rest. As a promoting body, we had rich experience in operating schools successfully across the state, so we knew that, at the core, delivering quality education was the key, but as a university, we wanted to go beyond that.?

To begin with, we created a core committee led by Prof. Manish Verma and were supported by Dr.Ruchi Sharma and Dr. Vivek Khare to develop our first set of degree curricula.?

We created another task force to study the best practices of universities from India and abroad. I remember that through all the deliberations and discussions that went on at all hours, we dived into all aspects of what constitutes quality and holistic education. Based on our research and our vision, we came up with four crucial values, which became our defining four pillars.

1. Student-Centric Approach :

At JLU, students are the centre of all we undertake. We ensure that our students' interests are prioritised, acknowledging their voices as central to the learning experience.?

The management continuously seeks feedback from students about their experiences at JLU and understands their expectations from the university with respect to their learning agenda. We work like equal partners who jointly partake in their personal as well as mutual growth.?The university has a robust mechanism of class representatives representing their respective classes' larger student community.?

This leadership opportunity also presents the students with a starting block for becoming young leaders who collaborate with the university management in designing policies and processes while keeping their interests at the top.?

2. Global Network Connect :

Since its inception, Jagran Lakecity University has carefully built in components of global exposure in all the programs offered at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.?With the world looking toward India, it's an important aspect that needs to be taken care of, and keeping graduate students sensitised about things happening across the globe is pertinent.

Our initiatives, such as connected classrooms (where students from our partnering university work with students at JLU on the same project), credited electives from international universities, international teaching months, short exchange programs for both faculty and students, semester exchanges, and summer schools are some of the ways in which we have been able to expose our students globally.

3. Intensive Industry Intervention :

Jagran Lakecity University believes that bridging the gap between academia and industry is of utmost importance, and there is no better way to do this than by setting up degree programs in joint consultation with industry leaders.?

Today, JLU offers more than 15-degree programs in close collaboration with industry leaders like Grant Thornton, National Stock Exchange, Wizcraft, Taxmann, ACCA, CIMA, and Imagine XP.?

These degree programs expose students to what is relevant to the industry and allow the industry stalwarts to immerse themselves in the educational process. They're involved right from the designing of a degree to specialist interactions with students on a day-to-day basis for either the entire length of the program or for specific areas.

4. Skill-Based Interdisciplinary Degrees :

The university follows an interdisciplinary approach to learning, allowing the students to synthesise ideas and characteristics from many disciplines into a unique amalgam.?

This helps address individual differences among students and develops essential transferable skills. Additionally, through our system of cross-electives, the students get an opportunity to build on their degree program based on their specific areas of interest and choice. For instance, a student primarily studying management can also opt for electives from law or design, depending on their interest.?

Jagran Lakecity University has also ensured that through its dedicated "Skills for Professionals", each student is exposed to a set of future skills that go beyond just reading, writing, and speaking and help them to be better prepared for their desired profession by the end of their degree with us.

These pillars are central to everything we wish to achieve in the future. They work as guiding lights for us and ensure we always follow the correct path, even if it’s difficult.