India is a country riddled with problems of poverty, illiteracy and other miscellaneous perils. However, our country is also fortunate as various corporate, nongovernmental organizations and individuals have taken up the cause of philanthropy to alleviate India's problems. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group of Industries and Zee Telefilms is one such man. In 1995, he brought together a group of committed anthropologists, sociologists, economists and development communications professionals to set up TALEEM Research Foundation in Ahmedabad. One of the mandates of Taleem Research Foundation was to set up the Himgiri Zee University.

The team worked hard and in 2003 their operations became success with the establishment of Himgiri Zee University in Uttarakhand. The university began with two faculties - Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, and Faculty of Education. After establishment of the university, the curriculum has been modified over seven times in last ten years keeping in view, the recommendations of the apex bodies and market demands along with establishment of new faculties to complete the bouquet of 10 faculties currently offering more than 38 courses.
The University offers programs leading to degrees which are conventional, Application – oriented as well as professional to cater to the needs of the industry. The curriculum is designed to bridge the industry –academia gap by incorporating the current developments in research and technology. "According to a report by United Nations, India has the world's largest youth population. This population is to be trained to fulfill the demands of industry. Hence, we have designed an innovative curriculum on the basis of demands of the industry which incorporates multi-lingual, multi cultural and multi ethnic dimension of the society," says Prof G. Mehta, Dean - Faculty of Architecture, Himgiri Zee University.

The major factors to be considered while making changes in curriculum are Practice based approach linked with professional development, relevance to students and communities along with inter-professional, inter-disciplinary and multisite locations based approach such as internships programs. The University's curriculum is industry based which helps students develop multiple skills along with building their fundamental concepts. The curriculum of each and every course of the University has been developed focusing on the present and future trends of the corporate world. Different skills expected from future professionals are developed through different co-curricular activities, concerned with particular courses. The curriculum fulfills all the criteria laid down by different apex bodies which make students efficient and self-confident through guest lectures, workshops, seminars and industrial training that aid in getting good placements.

"Good subject knowledge and confidence is a prerequisite for facing an interview. We facilitate the students with personality and soft skills development throughout their stay in the campus," claims Prof. Mehta. Popular lectures from eminent industrialists and researchers, is a regular feature in the university, which motivates students to face challenges in life. Mock interviews are conducted for the final year students to prepare them for the final interview. They also provide special classes of soft skills, communication, technical knowledge and personality development to focus on the weaker students and to make them employable.

As the University is supported by Essel Group of Industries and Zee Telefilms, which comprises of more than 200 companies along with other corporate partners, the placement opportunities are plenty for the students. "Trained manpower for the industry is the need of the hour which is strongly reflected in our students. Strong industry based curriculum, internships, live-projects and seminars help build strong linkages with the industry," says Prof. Mehta. Along with strong industry connection and innovative curriculum, the university has established several international collaborations with well-known global universities. Florida State University, USA, Oslo School of Architecture & Design, Norway, and Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), Singapore are few names among them. These collaborations have opened the doors for students and faculty for the exchange programs, which enhance the knowledge and international exposure.