Dr. Anilkumar K.H. is the Principal of the Vogue Institute of Art and Design. He has over 30 years of experience in research and development, production coordination, administration, and teaching and training. He holds a B.Tech. and M.Tech. in Textiles following which he earned an MBA and a PhD in Management. Before Vogue Institute of Art and Design, Dr. K.H. worked as Group Director of KCM and KCL, Director of Karnataka College of Management, HOD and Dean of Faculty of M.S. Ramiah University of Applied Sciences, and Coordinator of Acharya Bangalore B-School among other roles.

Vogue Institute Of Art and Design

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

The key factors that keep me connected with the education sector are an administrative connection with the university, fellow principals and Directors through discussion forums, and active participation in issues connected to University related matters. Being the Vice President of the Principal’s and Director’s Association of Bangalore University, I have a role to play in building an effective system together with fellow colleagues from other colleges. The collaborative effort to conduct joint programs like FDPs, Conferences, Seminars, and Research workshops, has kept me connected with the recent developments in the education sector as well.

Being the Principal of Vogue Academy, how do you strategize about the key programs and plans for the marketing and administration of your school?

The Vogue Institute of Art and Design has been running design programs for decades, and the learning experiences of many of us in the institution have been strategically transformed into best practices such as the deep dive involvement of the management, especially our Chairman, Dr. Kariappa, who is a visionary in the field of design education. We have resource-based planning for conducting regular and special programs for knowledge sharing. We also adopt a skill and competency-based approach to building domain knowledge.

The Finishing School at VIAD continues to promote design education to various stakeholders by creating innovative platforms. We also have national and international collaborations for staff and student exchanges and internships. We plan for students to take part in various educational events and career counselling.

How does the curriculum of Vogue Academy, ensure the best practice of industry?

The best practises at VIAD are learning by doing and adopting an activity based education system. We have clubs run by our students for curricular and co-curricular activities. Our teachers also use interactive learning methods through simulation, workshops, quizzes, internal competitions, and gaming activities. The college also uses immersion learning through E-Learning, digital library, E-books, and student knowledge series.

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Any insights into how your college could be more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds?

We have students from diverse cultural backgrounds, and we make sure to spend a lot of time understanding their needs and making them comfortable through various initiatives. We have an orientation program to welcome them and their parents to the college. We make sure that the students know their fellow students well by giving them space to socialise through activity-based programs.

We hold theme-based fresher’s day to make sure that the seniors welcome juniors with open minds and comfort them. We also have cultural programs to inculcate cultural diversity and inclusiveness through talent shows, and creative thinking workshops. To enrich their campus life, we organise events through multicultural clubs and social outings.

What would you like people to know about your college they may not know?

I want people to know that they can get a glimpse of our college and courses through videos on our Instagram and Facebook pages and our website. To make them know more, we organise events through NSS, Rotary Club Connect, Blood Donation Camp, Environmental Awareness, and Biodiversity Workshops so that students gain local awareness. We provide opportunities for students' holistic development through co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. We also have a strong alumni network, which will help existing students connect with opportunities for internships and final placements.

What do you see as Vogue Academy’s greatest strengths?

The greatest strengths of the Vogue Institute of Art and Design are its 28 years of learning experience in design education. Our policy is to continue to learn and adapt our internal systems. We have over four acres of lush green campus with state-of-art facilities.

Our outstanding and committed faculties provide hands-on experience in the subjects. Our strong alumni network helps students get assured industry internships, industrial visits and practical exposure. We also invite experts for guest lectures, and industry mentorship and an incubation centre to support and prepare future entrepreneurs.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see, both for higher education in general and for Vogue Academy specifically?

The post covid pandemic has changed the landscape of education, especially higher education. The challenges are dynamic and keep changing according to unforeseen circumstances. Hybrid and blended learning will continue post-pandemic and demand a lot of technical involvement by faculties and investment to ensure the effective delivery of the programs. As applied learning has taken centre stage to facilitate hands-on experience, the changing trends do pose a challenge. The placement and internship schedules of companies do not match the University calendar of events, and that has resulted in lost opportunities. The pandemic also has an impact on the student’s well-being both mentally and physically, and their needs have to be addressed with priority.

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

The present generation is tech savvy and used to hybrid education. I can give the following suggestions, focus on your strengths, and you will overcome your weaknesses. Focus on your passion and build your professional career along those lines. Network with positive people and domain experts. Dream, where you will be after five years, ten years, and 15 yyears,and work towards your dream.

Be enterprising and never miss any opportunity that comes your way. Be humble, and diligent. Be competitive and accept challenges. Balance your emotions at all times. Make your decision by choice, not by chance, and keep reading books and doing activities that make you happy.

What are some plans that you’re currently (or will be) designing for Vogue Academy international affairs and/or students?

As far as our international office at VIAD is concerned, we have strategically planned international certification courses and webinars by international speakers. We also have international collaborations at all levels. Our students go for international visits and internships at different design destinations, and we have internationally-proclaimed faculties and speakers.

What is the rate of admissions in your college? Has it increased from last year?

The post pandemic transition has had an impact on the rate of admission at every institution, and to an extent also at VIAD, but we have been able to manage the full numbers due to the increased demand for design courses across the globe. Additionally, our admissions teams work closely with alumni groups and probable students, so that we will be able to meet the demand in the industry.

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Do you have any extra-curricular activities/ programs to enhance the skills of the students or expose them to the real world challenges?

We do have facilities like a full-fledged auditorium, sports (indoor and outdoor), and an amphitheatre on four acres of lush green campus that encourage students to be involved in extra-curricular activities. Some of the activities that we hold for the students are theme-based events through clubs, like film clubs, drama and cinema clubs, photography clubs, fashion clubs, gaming clubs, design studios, and VOGUETHON, which is an annual event. We have computer-based simulation exercises to bring them closer to real-world situations. We also have sports events, both indoor and outdoor, at the college, inter-collegiate, and University levels. Our multicultural festival is held annually, where we have an extravaganza of ethnic food, dance, singing, music, and costumes.

With the competition so high, how do you guide your students to survive in such a competitive scenario?

At Vogue Institute of Art and Design, we guide, counsel, and mentor students to be positive and confident to face the world of competition. We create healthy internal competition among students through many activities. We motivate our students to participate in both in-house and outside college competitions. We practise a robust mentoring system with industry mentors, alumni, and staff. Training and placing them into internships and placements for experiential learning and development. Our strong alumni network supports us in all our endeavours.

Industry visits and guest lectures by industry experts make them feel confident. A strong Industry-Institute connection has been our competitive advantage. We provide a hands-on experience so that we can create an experiential learning platform. We work closely with our students to build their careers the day they join the Vogue Institute of Art and Design. We make them confident and capable of facing the real challenges in the industry, and making their dreams come true.