Dr Meena Chintamaneni the Registrar at SVKM’s NMIMS, Mumbai. She is an award-winning educationist. She has over 20 years of experience in academic administration and research and has been associated with NMIMS for over a decade. With a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences, she has been instrumental in bringing various research projects and approvals from statutory bodies. She is a life member of integral pharma associations like the Indian Pharmaceutical Association, All India Pharmacy Teachers Association, etc. and is a national coordinator for training programmes nominated by the National Board of Accreditation. She is also a trained assessor for NAAC and has been conferred with several awards and recognitions.

NMIMS Mumbai

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

“My family is the source of inspiration as they have also pursued their careers in the education system”

I have a doctorate in pharma sciences with 20 years of experience in research and academic administration. Right from the inception, I was presented with several opportunities at NMIMS Deemed-to-be University which helped me progress from an associate professor to a professor and then associate dean. For the last 6 years, I have been the registrar of NMIMS deemed to be university. As an Associate Dean in the school of pharmacy for 8 years, I had been focusing on my lectures, administrative roles and taking care of the statutory compliances. I later shifted from the school to the university to lead the university’s administrative position as a registrar.

What is your philosophy of leadership?

“I truly believe in the output achieved by the distributive leadership”

Attention to every individual in a team makes a lot of difference to the output achieved as a team. Speaking through experience, I can say that resolving any concern amicably is key to being a good leader. This mantra helped me in a successful journey. 

How does the curriculum of NMIMS University ensure the best practice of industry?

“A learning process that focuses on imparting industry-relevant and practical education”

NMIMS has established a strong legacy, with its pioneering programs, and an extensive industry network. 

  • We have procedures to collect feedback from the existing students, alumni and our recruiters. 
  • Through the Academic Advisory Committee, the topics relevant to the current industry are incorporated through the curriculum. 
  • The faculty constitutes a minimum of 5% of industry professionals who are actively involved in developing the curriculum. 
  • We firmly believe in experiential learning hence there is a special focus on field projects, industry visits and projects undertaken by students. 
  • We are also among the few universities which maintain a student-teacher ratio that maintains the quality of the education.

How does your university establish an ‘All Inclusive’ habitat on the campus?

“Allowing various scholarship schemes for students from weaker economical sections”

NMIMS Deemed to University is an institution that welcomes students no matter the economic background or race. After the selection process, a minimum of two students from economically weaker backgrounds can avail of a fully-funded 2-year education. Students are selected based on a screening process. 

In the nutshell, there are different ways by which scholarships can be availed. These include institutional scholarships, scholarships provided by government or private trusts like Jain committee, Birla Trust, Tata Trust, or the alumni association of the university of different programs. We also have a department in the registrar’s office that assists students on the available scholarships by the Government. The students are also allowed to pay the fees in instalments on a case to case basis. 

Check NMIMS Mumbai Courses & Fees

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

“The custodian of the university who is responsible for policies implemented in the university”

The key responsibilities that I hold are the admissions for 16 different schools and 7 campuses pan India. The admission for all programs in these schools is centrally conducted because we are a Deemed-to-be university. Academics is a very crucial department of the university that is taken care of and controlled by the registrar's office. Meeting the statutory compliances, rankings and accreditations come under our domain. The other key responsibilities include being in charge of all the day-to-day challenges and administrative concerns of the non-teaching staff of the university.

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

“Ensuring students safety in terms of physical and emotional well-being”

Firstly, the priority is the safety of the students, staff, and faculty members. Vaccination will be mandatory. If physical education begins, social distancing protocols during events will be a crucial decision for the next few years. Secondly, we might have a combination of online and physical classes. 

What has been your vision for the university?

“To continue on the path of being the best multidisciplinary university in the nation”

When I joined NMIMS in 2006, it only had management as a discipline. At that time the vision was to ensure NMIMS works to achieve the highest laurels for being a multidisciplinary University. Over the years, we have grown and expanded from a single school and campus to 17 schools and 8 campuses pan India offering diverse cutting-edge programs for students as well as professionals.

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How has the learning process changed since the beginning of the COVID19 Pandemic?

“Conducting online classes and examinations through online platforms has been a riveting experience”

With the pandemic, the entire faculty at NMIMS has developed planning, preparing, recording, along with daily classes and feedback calls. 

  • NMIMS has been technology ready, hence we ensured to procure the licenses of both Microsoft and Zoom beforehand. 
  • The faculty members underwent a 10 days training session by Microsoft to efficiently use the software. 
  • To make online teaching more effective and enjoyable for students, we had a series of faculty development and training programs. 
  • University had to also look into the transportation of systems to the residences of the teachers so that classes could be conducted in a hassle-free manner.
  • The major challenge that we faced was conducting examinations. We have a group named Academic Continuity Plan Group where I, along with the mentors from the management, met every day to discuss and deliberate. We had all our exams conducted in Microsoft teams. 
  • There has also been tremendous support from management in providing us with all the facilities.
  • As the students were going for an internship, the placement department along with our director managed everything to achieve 100% internship.