Interview: Dr. S. Rajashekar, Director of IADC, BANGALORE, KARNATAKA|Collegedunia

Interview by Bhawna Rawat

Dr. S. Rajashekar is currently working as the Director of Indian Academy School of Management Studies. Dr. S. Rajashekar has a rare blend of experience in the areas of finance, information technology, leadership backed by operations, business development, HR, marketing and logistics.

One needs to be adaptive while working in the Education Industry

Education Industry is quite interesting and challenging. It keeps on changing so we need to be updated and be ready to adapt to changes on daily basis otherwise it’s difficult to sustain in the education industry.

Different leadership style for different situation

We follow a goal-oriented approach from top to bottom. More than teaching we are training students in the industry required skills. I don’t have one style of management. I assess the situation and the team, before deciding what action to take to get the best results. Investing in the long-term development of the right faculty is the best way to achieve sustainable results. I encourage faculty to pay attention to individual student’s needs.

Significant challenges faced as the Director of Indian Academy School of Management Studies

Earlier it was more of a faculty-oriented approach to learning which is there in the high school environment. After that, I took the responsibility of putting a lot of efforts and brainstorming while taking sessions to change the earlier environment into a student-oriented environment for a better outcome. It’s actually not a change but a mind-shifting exercise from student to faculty level. I don’t believe in the concept that puts Teachers above students. The teachers always learn new things from teaching. A student always teaches the teachers in some way which even they might not realize. We should help each other and learn together.

The curriculum is kept updated according to the Industry trends

We work with Bangalore University and also provide domain-specific specialized programs for our students to meet the industry demands. Industry trends are changing and the MBA programme has to be regularly modified in order to keep it aligned with the rapidly evolving industry trends. MBA curriculum is designed to nurture cross-functional faculty collaboration while offering students ground for solving contemporary challenges.

A target of 100% placements every year

We have established Placement Department that works throughout the year to arrange workshops and guest lectures for our students by the industry and academia. We ensure placements for our students and aim to achieve 100 per cent target with the placement of our graduates in reputed national and multinational companies.

Always there for the students as a Mentor

More than as a faculty I prefer to work with them as a mentor to advance the educational and personal growth of the student. I am available to provide attention, advice, information, knowledge and encouragement to students to help them achieve their short and long-term goals.