Currently serving as the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Partnerships at Ethames Degree College, Satya Kiran Sastry brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the institution. With a background in University Branding, External Relations, University Relations, Learning and Development, and Talent Acquisition, Satya Kiran is well-equipped to drive Ethames Degree College's growth and development. Satya Kiran's extensive international exposure, having traveled to countries like the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, brings a global perspective to the institution's initiatives.

As a dedicated Career and Competency Discovery student trainer and coach, Satya Kiran empowers students to discover their potential and develop essential skills. Additionally, his proficiency in coaching frameworks such as GROW, FUEL, AMO, Kolb's ELM, Andrew Huberman's Dopamine Fasting Model, and Zeigarnik Coaching enhances the college's educational offerings.

Satya Kiran's impressive track record includes organizing and moderating events at prestigious institutions and conferences, featuring renowned speakers and thought leaders. With him at the helm of Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Partnerships, Ethames Degree College is well-positioned to continue its mission of providing a top-tier education and forging valuable connections within the academic and corporate spheres.

EThames Degree College

You have held key positions at educational institutes throughout your professional career. What are your key factors that keep you connected with the educational sectors? 

I have always been obsessed with making a difference for students. I began my career with UNICEF way back in 2002 when I was working in the education division. Student learning and development have been areas that I have been deeply passionate about. I dabbled in the corporate sector for a few years, but my work there only reminded me that I belonged in the field of education. The impact that I make on students and the visible feedback that I get from them keeps me going as a teacher and college administrator.

You being the vice president of Ethames's College, what is your philosophy, leadership, and how would you describe your leadership style?

I believe in the consensual model of leadership. There was a time when we had organisations defined by hierarchy. Today, hierarchical flat organisations thrive better in this time of globalisation. I believe in a consensual style of management where I take the views of these stakeholders on board before deciding. I talk with the students, faculty, management and, of course, other stakeholders like service providers. The time for hierarchical decision-making is the time for a command-and-control system. The time has long gone.

Being the vice president of Ethan's college, how do you strategize about the key programs and plans for the marketing and administration of your college? 

I believe very strongly that the best brand ambassadors for your marketing campaign are the students. If the students receive a good quality education, they are exposed to a lot of industry trends through participation in conferences or workshops, and if the students can receive a good payout for their education, which comes in the form of higher education or good placements, that will take care of a major chunk of your marketing efforts. We tune our students to market requirements. Students generally, before they come to an undergrad school, have an insular education system. Their interaction with the outside world is minimal and they are not aware of how the world the corporate world work. Our endeavour from day one is to help the students understand how institutions operate, which includes the quality of the faculty in the college, the pedagogy, and the method of instruction. Every 15 days, we conduct a program called EThames Leadership Step, where we invite industry leaders to visit the campus and spend some time with the students.

How does the curriculum of Ethames degree college ensure the best practices of the industry?

The world is transforming rapidly and academic institutions by nature are not as swift to incorporate these changes. There is bound to be a gap between industry requirements and what the institutions are offering. What we do apart from offering the curriculum, which is designed and approved by Osmania University, we also offer two more things. We are one of the very few institutions in Telangana that offer a Harvard curriculum. There are 12 courses that are typically offered at Harvard University, and Harvard Business School like negotiation, Innovation, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship technology management. We have taken a license to teach some of these courses in the college and is called the Harvard Manage Mentor program. The teaching pedagogy we follow is active learning, case studies, study methodology, and active learning. There is a very strong practical component where the idea is to translate whatever theory is learned in the class into immediate practice through discussion or debate. The second unique selling proposition of Ethames Degree College is that our students get access to a complete suite of courses that are offered by Coursera, free of cost. We provide a lot of support to our students to complete those courses.

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What do you think should be the top priority for Ethames College in the next 2-3 years? 

Ethames College, unlike other undergraduate schools or degree colleges, is a college that is run and administered by our top-notch professional board. The board comprises our Chairperson, Mr. Kali Prasad, who is the former managing partner of Ernst and Young. The college is ably directed by Doctor Vishnu Prasad Nagar Devara, who was a professor at IIM (Indian Institute of Management) in Bangalore. We also have people like Mr. Vivek Varma, who was a great evangelist of the Hyderabad ecosystem. The BCA program, for example, is run by Mr. Nilanjan Chatterjee, who was a top-notch leader in companies like TCS and Infosys. The Coursera and Harvard programs in the college are run by Mr. Hermant Rao, who is an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Madras and IIM Kolkata alumni. We have a great vision and hunger to be not one of the best but the best degree colleges in Hyderabad and, at a later stage, one of the best degree colleges in South India and India. This is our ambition and our hunger, and we are working towards achieving our goal.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see both for higher education in general and for your college?

Due to artificial intelligence, social media and too much engagement with mobile phones, the attention span and learning stamina of our students are decreasing. I am not talking of any specific student group; generally, the attention span of students, their learning hunger and stamina, their vision, and their motivation for improvement are dwindling. This is a major challenge that academic institutions are facing. COVID accentuated this problem, and we see this problem today in the classroom every day. Students who are not engaged enough are obsessed with their mobile phones. So, the challenge for any institution is to enhance the level of engagement of students in the classroom. Also, we need to improve the relationship between the teachers and the students. This is a general problem. I have been a meditation, mindfulness, and holistic leadership coach for more than a decade and I run a program at the college called the Ultra Mind System. It is an internationally proven methodology for improving your focus and mind power. The program was so successful at the college that even some parents started attending our classes. I believe that when you do this series of interventions over a period of time, we can see a lot of improvement in the student's learning outcomes. We emphasise the value of emotional intelligence, or emotional quotient, more than intelligence quotient.

What would you like to say to the People they do not know about your university? Like any special or unique? 

We are one of the few institutions in Telangana that is run by a very competent and extremely accomplished board. We are not a proprietor driven organization but a board-driven organization, and each board member is very competent. We have former partners of Deloitte, and Ernst and Young who are with us. Our director, Mr. Vivek Verma, is from IIM Bengaluru and needs no introduction to the startup community in Hyderabad. He is also the curator of TEDx Hyderabad. With this kind of quality, it is only a matter of time before Ethames turns out to be at the top. We are already one of the top institutions, but with our vision and with the initiatives in the next two to four years, we will be one of the top three institutes in the state of Telangana.

Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and aspiring students who are going forward with admissions?

I have made this statement a million times, but this statement is so important that it should be repeated a million times more. The current generation of learners is exceptionally lucky to be born in India today. India will become a land of abundant opportunities and will grow exceptionally by 2030. By 2047, we will have a 21 or 22 trillion-dollar economy. We have the potential to grow, but unless our students are educated well and we impart the right quality of skills and competencies among them, they will not be able to turn this potential into actual reality. I want students to focus not just on their technical, technological and domain skills; I also want them to focus on building their soft skills, like their communication skills, interpersonal skills, and negotiation skills. They need to develop humility, meaning they must understand that they may be good, but there are people in the world who are better than them. Instead of gloating about your own successes, be humble and learn from your strengths and the achievements of those around you. Lastly, I also feel that the present generation lacks general knowledge. To be a great leader, you must keep reading and learning.