S.Gurudutt is a Senior Architect with 28 years of experience involving Designing and Supervision Residential, Commercial, Educational, Industrial, and Interior Designing. He has completed his Bachelor of Architecture from Malnad College of Engineering – Hassan from the University of Mysore and Master of Architecture [ Construction Project Management ] from Dr.MGR Educational And Research Institute Deemed To Be University – Chennai. In August 1992 he Established a Firm in the Name of: S.Gurudutt Architects & Associates. In Association with Guruswamy K Architect, he has designed two Major Educational Projects one at Doddaballapur which has a built-up area of 1,50,000.00 Square Foot and the other at the Nargund College of Pharmacy in Bengaluru which has a Built Up Area of 3,50,000.00 Square Feet.

GSSS School of Architecture for Women

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?

“Constant learning and having to upskill for the current trends” Keeping that in mind I would like to say that teaching and research are my passions. Right from my post-graduation degree, I’ve been associated with the education sector. As an educator, I not only educate the students, but I also keep upskilling and am always eager to learn the current trends.

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

The strategies we are following are mentioned below:

  • Optimizing our website for search engine optimization - For boosting our website’s rankings in search engines like Google, many prospective students will use search engines to find schools that fit their needs. It’s important for our website to appear on the first page of search results to reach them during the search process. 
  • Have an active presence on social media. It is a key to college marketing strategy. People of all ages, who could be your students, are on social media. There are numerous social media platforms you can use to connect with your audience. These platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

How does the curriculum of GSSS college, ensure the best practice of industry?

“Students are encouraged to work at offices during the semester holidays.

Travel and reading books are encouraged to keep pace with the industry”.

This is something we always look into and keep on innovating with time. Our curriculum is a blend of academic theory and industry practices. We use real-time case studies, live projects, and other pedagogical practices to make sure our students are well-equipped to become better architects and leaders.

The Department has designed various certificates and skill development courses to bridge the gap between the curriculum and the requirements of industry. This provides extra knowledge to the students. Apart from that, we are organizing various events at our SOAW, inter – Departmental, inter – Collegiate, University, State, National, and International levels to provide a requisite platform to the students. 

Workshops for Students are regularly conducted in emerging areas of Architecture. By this, Architects directly address the students and train them in the best practices followed on the field. These workshops fill the gap between the faculty offering and industry requirements. These events are organized in accordance with the vision and mission of the college along with the maintenance of harmonization with the aims and objectives of the SOAW. They are structured and executed for the active participation of the students at every level, whereby students can learn through real-time situations. 

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

Our SOAW is a down-to-earth college and we believe EDUCATION is our race and LEARNING is our economic background. With this vision, GSSS SOAW is the only college in the state of Karnataka offering professional courses to only Girl Students.

Diversity Awareness Training & Teachable Moments: Diversity awareness training can prove to be an invaluable tool when promoting cultural awareness on our campus. By offering our students the chance to develop the ability to communicate respectfully with peers from other backgrounds, we can be better prepared to operate in the ever-shifting workplace and society.

Ideally, this diversity awareness training will help students to recognize their own unconscious biases and equip them with real-world strategies to engage in civil discussion, promote inclusivity, and discourage harassment and bullying on campus through active bystander intervention.

Diversity better prepares students for the workforce: “Education within a diverse setting prepares students to become good citizens in an increasingly complex, pluralistic society, it fosters mutual respect and teamwork, and it helps build communities whose members are judged by the quality of their character and their contributions.”

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

It is a great place to work, the best environment to be associated with. For students, as it is a first batch, it helps them to explore more on their own and build their personalities. Also, it is a place where they can experience the blend of best practices of industry and academics. We would also like people to know about the diverse opportunities in the field of architecture in both learning and earning and the role of architects in Society.

What do you see as GSSS College’s greatest strengths?

  • Positive learning and work environment: Positive learning and work environment is an area of strength at the college. Faculty also believe that the college supports them and their programs, and there is a spirit of cooperation. We believe that faculties are working positively and are connected to students.
  • Student-centered: The next most common theme, also found across all groups under Strengths, is student centeredness including personal and individual attention that the students receive from faculty, staff, and administrators. The perception exists that the college does all it can to support students through services and in meeting their academic and career goals. 
  • Ideal atmosphere of inclusiveness, tolerance, and togetherness is enhancing unity, integrity, and cooperation amidst diversity.
  • Amiable and beneficent approach of the administration, faculty members, and non-teaching staff towards students is also very helpful.

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

The biggest challenge in Architecture is that SOAW is solely for Girl Students. We require students from all classes of people – HIG and MIG to be a part of SOAW. 

Hence, awareness of Architecture is very important, especially to 2nd tier cities like Mysore. Moreover, we see that Higher Education is getting professionals to enroll in M.Arch courses. We have to select a course that is suitable for the girl Students for the betterment of their career and growth opportunities.

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

Do not be a follower and avoid being part of the crowd. Without being a loner, you can separate yourself from the group of people who are not involved in positive thinking and still have a social life. Avoid following popular trends that could lead to a high-risk lifestyle, such as becoming so obsessed with materialism that you will do illegal activities to obtain certain things. Moreover, keep motivating yourself, try thousands of ways, and come up with the best version of yourself. Don't be disappointed when none of them work. You are not the only one who suffers, there are thousands more who are suffering even more than you, but they didn't quit, they started struggling even harder.

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

We have plans to hold National and International conferences and seminars for students of Pan INDIA.

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

Being a new School Of Architecture – that opened during the COVID time, it has been quite a challenge to get admission to our college. Efforts are on to bring awareness of Architecture amongst the various Schools and Colleges in Mysore.NATA coaching has been started during April 2023 which is free for Girls students, and we firmly believe that there will be an upliftment in admissions.

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

Yes, of course, our college gives very much importance to extracurricular activities after academics. These extracurriculars help them to stand out from other applications. Extracurricular activities help students develop problem-solving skills. It helps in teaching students the importance of teamwork and also encourages them for superior academic performance.

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

  • Teach Tolerance - The future will be evaluated by their ability to communicate with, openness to, and tolerance for unfamiliar cultures and ideas. To foster these critical skills, today's students will need open discussions and experiences that can help them learn about and feel comfortable communicating with people of other cultures.

  • Project-based learning – This can be a great way to give students more ownership in learning. Through this type of learning, students can explore areas of personal interest or curiosity, engage in authentic real-world learning experiences and develop many of the necessary skills for future work. Through these experiences, students embrace a growth mindset and focus more on the process of learning and developing their skills over time.
  • Global Education - Students need to understand what is happening in the outside world and can explore challenges around the world and focus on finding solutions or addressing these issues on a local scale, and broaden their global understanding. Through these experiences, we can promote problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and empathy, all critical skills, and characteristics for the development of the student.