Prof. (Dr) Anupam Narula is Consultant, Trainer, Professor of Marketing & Dy. Director (Alumni Relations) at Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India. Before this, he served as Faculty of Marketing, Area Chair-Marketing and Professor-in-Charge Alumni Relations at FORE School of Management, New Delhi. A consistent first-class holder, he has done a Ph.D. in Economics, PGDM in Marketing (Silver Medalist), and M.A in Economics. He has to his credit Certificate of Marketing, from Nanyang Business School, NTU, Singapore. He is an IVEY Business school, Ontario Canada trained faculty in the Case of teaching and Writing techniques. He has a total professional experience of more than 25 years in teaching, training, research, and industry. He has presented 20+ research papers in various reputed international and national conferences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Indore, ISB Hyderabad, Great Lakes Chennai, IIT Delhi, etc. He also published 26+ research papers in peer-reviewed indexed journals and edited books, 35+ contemporary research articles in Brand Equity, Business World, Education times, The Hindu, Financial Express, Business Standard, etc., and 13+ working papers under the aegis of FORE School of Management, New Delhi. He has conducted several MDP’s, FDP’s, Executive Education Programs, and Consulting assignments for corporates like TATA chemicals Ltd, IRCTC, MTNL, Mahagun Group, Relaxo Footwear, Tata Pigments Ltd, Indian Army, etc. He has travelled extensively in more than 20+ countries all around the globe for various academic and research collaboration endeavors. 

Amity University Noida

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

“Ensuring constant learning through professional networking”

Multiple key factors keep me connected with the educational sector. I ensure constant learning through professional networking, and passion to upskill for the current trends. I train students, corporate and government employees for progress in their lives and contributing to the welfare of the community. Teaching, Corporate training, establishing new educational institutions, and professional networking for constant learning are my passions. Since 1998, I’ve been associated with the education sector and as an educator, I don’t just teach students, I train employees of government & private sectors in the area of my expertise and bring back the same experience in my classes. This sector demands constant upskilling to cope with the fast-changing current market trends. This is possible only with constant learning through professional networking with all stakeholders- especially with the corporates, government bodies, and alumni.

How do you plan to keep alumni a part of your university?

“We involve alumni in every activity of the university”

We are involving alumni in almost every activity of the university like in varied alumni forums, designing and feedback of the course curriculum in the board of studies meetings, training, and development of students, start-up mentoring sessions, exchange of ideas during conferences, student progression workshops, faculty development workshops, admission webinars, etc. We believe that alumni help us in providing the technology and knowledge push to match with the market pull forces.

What can an inbound student gain from studying here in India?

“Inbound Students would gain the Indian culture, best facilities and holistic curriculum in India”

The vision of the Government's ‘Study in India’ initiative is to increase the number of foreign students to 2 lakhs over the next 5 years. The ‘Study in India’ initiative can be achieved by increasing the reach to foreign students through promoting short-duration online educational courses. The foreign faculties’ expertise can be used to create multi-disciplinary ‘Nano professional courses' of one to two semesters in architecture, engineering, management, law, medicine, and other disciplines. India can leverage foreign faculties’ network under the education ministry’s Global Initiative of Academic Network (GIAN) and Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) initiative. Under GIAN, the ministry allows top universities to invite renowned foreign academicians to come and teach at Indian institutions for short durations, while SPARC promotes joint research. The government must factor in quality education, cultural centers, superior accommodation, better campuses, and food for being successful in its mission.

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What is the Future of Higher Education Institutes after NEP 2020?

“Market Mechanism in the globalized world plays a vital role in shaping the future after NEP 2020”

The future of higher education institutions after NEP 2020 will be shaped by the market mechanisms in a globalized world. The business schools and universities will have to display greater agility and adaptability in terms of designing and delivering its course curriculum, bringing in new courses, developing new pedagogical tools, upgrading faculty knowledge and technological obsolescence, ensuring student engagement amidst reducing consumer education life cycle. Each business school will have to define its purpose and solve the problems of its target customers/students and community by networking closely with all its stakeholders, especially the industry. This is not a surprise that we will see the largest consolidation ever in this sector over the next decade. In a 5-6% GDP growth environment, it is very difficult for small players to gain market share and the stronger players will become stronger. 

How have universities and business schools adapted to the disruption caused by COVID- 19?

“Providing students with a hybrid model of learning”

The universities and business schools require to be more agile and adaptable by moving to hybrid learning. Hybrid learning has been in existence over the last decade, but it got its share of the spotlight in the last few months, due to the unprecedented global crisis brought about by the pandemic. I believe that the future of higher education is hybrid and online education will eventually become an integral component of the higher education ecosystem. Universities and business schools should integrate online and in-person learning in the learning process. Experienced educators, strategy, and technology can enable customization of course design and content to address students holistically with their individual needs and circumstances. We can say that doctors don’t prescribe the same medicine for all patients. Similarly, teachers should customize their educational approach depending on each student’s needs. 

Do you think that shifting the learning to the online mode has created a gap between the Rich and Poor?

“The shifting to online learning has created a digital divide”

The major challenge of remote learning is a disparity in access – from electricity and internet connections to devices like computers or smartphones. Even the penetration of digital technologies in India has been haphazard and exclusionary. Just 24% of Indian households have an internet facility. While 66% of India’s population lives in villages, only a little over 15% of rural households have access to internet services and for urban households, the proportion is 42%. Only 8% of all households with members aged between 5 and 24 have both a computer and an internet connection. The digital divide is evident across class, region, or place of residence. Among the poorest 20% of households, only 2.7% have access to a computer and 8.9% to internet facilities. In the case of the top 20% of households, the proportions are 27.6% and 50.5%. The governments must extend necessary supportive measures for online education to reduce the prevailing disparity and inequality among learners in the virtual world.

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

“University’s top priority is to transform itself from Good to Great”

The top priority of universities over the next 10 years should be to transform itself from “Good to Great” with emphasis on technology-enhanced learning, institutions collaboration for research and innovation, and education for sustainability to benchmark itself as institutions of eminence. This will require universities to re-evaluate their purpose of existence and how they can serve their communities. The universities will require to embrace and incorporate the modern technology that is growing in importance in education. The technology-enhanced learning experiences will create graduates who are more empowered and equipped with both the digital and social-emotional skills that tomorrow’s fast-changing work landscapes will require. The universities need to remain financially viable and for this commercial collaboration with companies, government bodies, and other large institutions may happen. In these commercial tie-ups, both parties stand to gain. Universities get much-needed funds, credibility, and the opportunity for students to work in real-world project scenarios. Education for sustainability will require developing the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for people to act in ways that contribute to more sustainable patterns of living. Sustainability education is the future and focusing on protecting the environment and creating a more ecologically and socially just world through informed action will help universities to serve their communities. 

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How do the alumni relations benefit the university and in what ways?

“Alumni are a great force by their wisdom, innovative minds, and ideas”

Alumni are very important stakeholders of institutions/universities. No institution in the world has ever grown well to its dream without the support of alumni. Indian institutions do not stand high in the world list mainly because they have not yet fully harnessed the creativity of alumni for uplifting institutional performance. We are tapping this force and connecting the cord to create catalytic action for desired synergistic out-of-box creative thinking for the university students, alumni, and faculty. We can do this because of the support extended by imaginative and able top leadership at the university. Alumni bring the latest first-hand experience and latest professional advancements to the institutions/universities.