Dr T. Raja is the Director at Ambedkar Institute of Management & Studies, Visakhapatnam. He has pursued B.C.A (1999 -2002) from Sarada Degree College, Vijayawada, and M.B.A (2002 –2004) in Marketing and Transport Management from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. He was awarded a Ph.D. from the Department of Commerce and Management Studies, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam (Campus) in 2010. He has attended many seminars and has published many papers. He has previously worked as a Director and Principal for the Srivani Group of Institutions for six years. He had a good experience with the college as he could coordinate with all the groups of the people from intermediate to the PG level.

Ambedkar Institute of Management

What do you believe are the key challenges facing higher education today and how do you plan to address them in your role as a director?

One of the key challenges in higher education nowadays is that people are not being serious because of the rapid growth of colleges. Several colleges have come up. So there is a lot of opportunity to study. So everybody, whatever rank they have, get admission. The students have become very leisurely and irresponsible. We should make this people understand that they will have to earn their own bread after course completion, that is post-graduation or higher education. So it is their life and they have to take it seriously and become well educated. 

How do you envision your role as a Director in supporting the students? What are the vision and goals of the Ambedkar Institute of Management & Studies?

We have a goal that, all the students should get through the course and get placed at good positions with good placements. Our focus is on providing placements. 

How do you plan to engage with the students, faculty and other stakeholders in your role as a Director?

So normally, we'll act as PRO, that is, Public Relations Officers. I speak with the students, faculty and parents, and engage with all of them. Whatever problems the students and faculty have or any doubts that the stakeholders, that is, the parents have, I address them personally.

Can you discuss any specific initiatives or projects that you hope to implement as a Director?

Because the students need spontaneity and communication, they should have good knowledge about what they have to do. So under my presence as a Director, I have implemented a club to motivate them to participate in activities such as speaking on stage, enriching their knowledge and enhancing their knowledge by organizing all the activities. We divided them into groups. Each group will be a team. One group will organize and the other group will participate. Every week there will be one group who will be addressed. So they have to work on it. When they work on it, they will gain knowledge and management skills.

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How do you plan to foster a culture of collaboration, and inclusivity at the Ambedkar Institute of Management & Studies?

As we are part of the Indian culture, our students should mould themselves, build themselves, and take the initiative to become an inclusive asset. We motivate them and address them in different stages to incorporate a good culture and collaboration with them.

Can you speak about your experience in financial management and budgeting in higher education? 

Financial issues are very sensitive issues. We have to organize and take care of it. It is not that whatever money we have, we are spending it and again looking forward to getting some money. We have to plan properly, budget properly about what is the receipt and what the payment is. We have to organize. If it is done in such a way, we get a good result. This way we can give better opportunities, and better products to the market. When we are not planning it properly, then it becomes difficult to teach the students.

How do you plan to address issues of affordability and accessibility for students at the Ambedkar Institute of Management & Studies?

We personally address whatever the student needs or whenever the student has a problem. If they want improvement or more facilities, they can access us easily. I am always available and all the time.

What do you see as the greatest opportunity for growth and development for the Ambedkar Institute of Management & Studies? And how do you plan to support these efforts?

 When we give a good product to the students, that product is delivered. When we deliver our product to the market, if the product is fruitful, automatically we will have good development and good support from the same market. So we will have a good intake from the students. Everybody looks for a good college which gives them good insights, good support, and when they pass out, they will have good opportunities. So they want to grab such an opportunity. We have to build them and train them on how to grab such opportunities so that automatically through these people it will be known that we have a good college wherein we have all the facilities. In this way, we can develop. Without a doubt, without giving any good input to the students, we cannot develop them, and make a product fruitful.