Dr. Anuradha Thakare has been working as the Dean of International Relations and Professor and Head of CSE Department (AI&ML) at Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Pune, Maharashtra. She has done ME in Computer Engineering from Savitribai Phule Pune University and PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from SGB Amravati University as part of her education. She has a wonderful 23 years of academic and research experience. Her area of research is Evolutionary Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Biomedical Engineering etc. Till date, she has published 94 research papers in reputed Journals and Conferences with indexing in Scopus, SCI, SCIE, Web of Science, ACM and Pubmed etc. She has also authored and edited 6 books published by CRC Taylor & Francis, IGI Global and Wiley etc. Apart from this, she has received research grants from AICTE-AQIS, QIP-SPPU, BCUD-SPPU Pune, Maharashtra State Commission for Women and National Commission for Women. She has worked as a reviewer for Journal of International Blood Research, IEEE transactions and Scopus Journals.

PCCOE

What are some of the biggest challenges that the higher education sector is facing today and how is your institution addressing those hurdles?

In my opinion, the biggest challenge which the higher education sector is facing today is the fast-changing technologies along with the knowledge level, skills and attitude of students. And PCCOE is addressing these challenges by focusing on holistic development of students and providing them state-of-the-art Engineering education. Also, as we are an autonomous institute, the curriculum of our college is designed very thoughtfully by including necessary stakeholders and experts from various industries, research organizations and reputed academic institutes etc. We have also incorporated latest technologies in the syllabus of various subjects after rigorous discussion with experts and our curriculum is updated every six months to ensure old practices could be discarded on time and new programs could be included in it.

What makes your college different from others and how do you communicate that unique value with students and other Stakeholders?

Our international academic collaborations sets us apart from other colleges and universities. And these collaborations are designed in such a way that can help to support and encourage scientific, cultural and educational cooperation among students and between young minds and professors of our institution and foreign universities. Apart from this, our partnership with overseas academic institutions helps in the exchange of ideas between universities which ultimately leads to the improvement of higher education and the increase of research quality of our college.

Being the Dean of International Relations, what are your key responsibilities towards the college and students?

Being a Dean of International Relations, my prime responsibility is to provide global opportunities to the students and faculty members including international learning and practical exposure and enhancing skills of faculty members by providing a joint research to them. In addition to this, ensuring smooth partnership with foreign universities for academics and students skills enhancement, coordinating bilateral research and academic programs with partnered international universities, connecting our students and teachers with like minded researchers at partner foreign universities, and strengthening the Research and Academic linkages with the foreign universities by establishing Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) comes under the scope of my job. And being a Professor & Researcher in the Computer Engineering domain, I am very keen to contribute technically, hence I myself work extensively with academicians and researchers of foreign universities in various research areas and all this in turn has opened many new opportunities for my students.

What is your approach when it comes to difficult decision-making and how do you balance the needs of different stakeholders while doing so?

Being a deliberative person, I take very serious care in making decisions and correct choices after thoroughly analyzing the obstacles. And the benefit of this approach is that it helps me to make thoughtful and satisfactory decisions for the stakeholders. And I strongly believe that for being fit to be a leader in a higher education institute, one has to have the abilities to be analytical, relater and maximizer, and my same strengths have helped me in reaching the right decision in difficult situations.

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What do you see as the greatest strengths of your Pimpri Chinchwad College?

The greatest strengths of our college are quality education and plenty of learning opportunities we provide to our ambitious youths for better career opportunities. Apart from this, our innovative teaching-learning practices, state-of-the-art infrastructure, industry oriented curriculum and content delivery mechanism makes us strong. We also involve subject matter experts from various domains on a regular basis to make students ready. Last but not the least, the Training and Placement Cell of PCCOE provides enormous opportunities and placement specific training programs to students. So all these factors together make us strong and resilient.

How do you establish a healthy relationship and environment in your institute?

For the purpose of establishing a healthy relationship and environment in my college, I always tend to be a mentor for my faculty members and facilitator for not only my students but also for other important contributors for my institute so that I can listen to their queries , concerns, ideas and feedback properly and on time. Apart from this, I try my best to maintain an open, transparent, trustworthy and respectful communication environment when it comes to interacting with my faculty members, staff, students and other stakeholders. 

Any suggestions which you would like to give to the current youth and aspiring students?

We all are aware that with the introduction of new technologies and digitization of the entire world, a huge demand for advanced Engineering skills and competencies has been raised in the outside competitive world. Hence I would advise my dear students that irrespective of courses you have undertaken, regularly do technical certifications from trusted learning and improve your knowledge of contemporary topics. Also practical exposure is very much required in this unpredictable world to stay in sync with the latest industrial standards and practices, hence seek internship opportunities with the help of your friends and professors in good companies to get good hands-on training and global exposure on various fronts. Last but not the least, be adaptable to a quickly changing environment, try to apply your skills in the right direction and stay positive even in tough times.

What would you like people to know about your college that makes it unique?

Our Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering is a one stop solution for students and aspiring youths to learn core Engineering concepts and subjects. And we have a wonderful team of highly educated and experienced faculty members followed by a well-designed and thoughtful curriculum wherein all the recent technologies are included in the syllabus after rigorous discussion with the industry experts and academicians. Additionally, we work wholeheartedly to ensure a complete holistic development of students and make sure they get excellent career opportunities in leading organizations and hence we regularly involve experts from industries, research organizations, and reputed academic institutes in our college activities and events. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in higher education administration?

To be honest, I was drawn to the field of education due to my genuine love for learning and my desire to make a positive impact on students' lives. Another reason behind my association with this wonderful sector was that I wanted to gain leadership and management skills. In addition to this, I enjoy the administrative aspects of running educational institutions including strategic planning and team management. So overall I would say my passion for education and zeal to develop leadership skills were the biggest factors of why I joined the education sector.

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What is your philosophy of leadership?

As far as my leadership style is concerned, I believe in a student-centered approach, so that I can prioritize their needs and interests to foster their growth and success and ensure they get an inclusive and supportive learning environment. Also, I am open to any kind of valuable inputs and feedback coming from various stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students and community members and I always ensure everyone's involvement and active participation while taking important decisions for college. Apart from all this, I strongly believe in embracing a mindset of ongoing improvement, promoting innovation in teaching and learning methods and seeking opportunities to enhance the quality of education and research we offer to ambitious youths and aspiring students of today's time.