Dr. Anjana Bharadwaj is currently serving as the Principal of Millennium College of Pharmacy. She completed her UG-B. Pharm from Dr. Harisingh Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, and her PG-M. Pharm from Dr. Harisingh Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. She further pursued her Ph.D. in Pharmacy from Dr. Harisingh Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. As a principal at Millennium College of Pharmacy, she had an experience of 1 year, but prior to this, she had a work experience of 17 years in various colleges as an assistant professor, professor, and Principal. She had done research on Liposomal Hydrogels, which are a new drug delivery system different from conventional doses of tablets.

Millennium College of Pharmacy

What inspired you to pursue a career in higher education, and what drew you to your current role as Principal?

The reason behind my pursuing a career in this field is that the scope is vast, as you can work in various Industries like hospitals, pharmaceuticals, opening your store or working on a medical store, marketing the particular medicines, and going into the teaching line as well. That is why I came to this field, as it has many options and scopes in the future, but my focus was on teaching, providing the best education to the students, and helping the needy as a social worker as well.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing higher education today, and how do you think your institution is addressing those challenges?

In pharmacy, I will not say it was a challenge, but it was a challenge and an opportunity, as, during the time of COVID, many of the students, as well as pharmacists, got the opportunity to help the patients. They have to treat the patients. In that process, they got to learn many things, which pushed them to learn new things and adapt to the changing environment all over the world. Pharmacists played a pivotal role at the time of the pandemic.

What do you think sets your institution apart from other colleges and universities and how do you communicate that unique value proportion to students and other Stakeholders?

The Millennium College was established in 2004. What makes us different from other universities is that we do practicals; we have various labs and various facilities that help students learn things by doing them themselves by taking necessary precautions, as well as proper guidance from the faculty members, which helps students learn things easily. We have various subjects, and in one of those, we have a subject called Pharmaceutics, in which we teach the students how to make a medicine as well as a gel that will be useful to treat a patient. That's the reason we are different from the others.

What are your primary responsibilities as a principal and how do you balance them with other aspects of your job?

As a principal, my primary responsibility is to provide the best possible education to the students and prepare the best pharmacist, which in the future will help the patients in need, as well as provide them with the best facilities and labs, which will help them learn things easily. As a principal, I also have to manage other things, such as guiding the faculties and maintaining proper relationships between the faculty and the students to have a friendly environment in the college.

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How do you approach decision-making in your role and how do you balance the needs of different stakeholders when making difficult decisions?

There are many decisions to be made, but the common thing here is the decision-making process. It means there are various decisions dependent on various factors as well as situations if they are related to the faculty, so as a principal, I have to make the decisions by having conversations with both the HODs and faculty members. If it does not fall under my level, then the decision will be taken by some other institution head. Suppose a student is facing some financial constraints and is given time until the next semester to clear their dues.

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

I would suggest to the students of this generation that you should go to college to learn things. Today's youth want to learn everything online through YouTube or Google, but as a pharmacy student, you can't learn the practicals online; you have to come to the college and learn the things through practice, which will help you in the future.

Can you describe any specific measures or programs that your institution has Implemented to address the rising mental health issues and stress among students in India?

The main reason behind the rising mental health issues is the excessive use of gadgets. As you know, in today's world, the youth have smartphones, and they tend to focus on these devices from morning until night. They often neglect listening to their parents, teachers, and principals. Instead of being engrossed in gadgets, it would be beneficial for them to communicate with their parents, teachers, or principals, as they can learn valuable lessons from the practical world rather than being consumed by the media world.

The steps we are taking involve helping students who are experiencing a lot of stress, whether it's related to their fees, marks, or any other issues. Our faculty is there to support students in need, and we are open to assisting to ensure their mental well-being. Individuals need to take care of themselves mentally.

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in higher education and how do you see the field evolving in the years to come?

As a pharmacy student, I know you have to do a B.Pharm., which is a degree course, and then an M.Pharm., which has many branches in it, and a student can select their preferred branch in that field. My advice to the students is that they have to do more and more practicals, which will increase their progress and be beneficial for them in the industries where they will be working in the future. If you are doing a Ph.D., then it is highly beneficial for a student to be active in both research practicals to enhance their field knowledge.

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What new initiatives and collaborations has the University established with Industry Leaders to promote industry-specific courses? 

Yes, we have done collaborations with the nearby hospitals. * Our students who are doing a diploma in pharmacy have to go to the hospitals to learn things for three months, which helps the students gain real-world knowledge as well as hospital work and how training is relevant to one's career. In the seventh semester of B Pharmacy, students have to do industrial visits in the hospitals where they learn things about their domain through practical knowledge, which is a period of 3 to 6 months. During these industrial visits, they learn many things, which boosts their potential to learn new things.

How does the program ensure that students are being prepared for the future?

Using the smart class platform, we teach students by presenting them with real-world examples and video-based demonstrations. Students can learn easily and clearly as a result of this. We place a high priority on practical learning because it aids students in understanding the material and gives them skills for the future.

How do you tend to establish a healthy relationship and environment in your college?

We all tend to establish a healthy relationship in the college through having a healthy relationship between the students & between the faculty members as well as the staff. As a college, we have some specific rules and regulations that should be followed by everyone to maintain a friendly environment.