Thapar University:Taking a Leap towards a Global Future with a Great Vision Date:   Tuesday , April 28, 2015 In the year 2014 when the Japanese IT firm, Hikari Tsushin decided to recruit young web engineers from India for the first time, they broke they broke a myth by not only avoiding a visit to IITs but also by raking 12 graduates from Patiala based Thapar University with an annual pay package of Rs 24 lakhs per annum. While in 2014, Hikari Tsushin remained as a star of placement in Thapar University with highest offerings of that year, DE Shaw India was not far behind in picking two of the brightest students at the university at a substantial package of Rs 18.4 lakh. Global IT giant Microsoft and Samsung Engineering, too, endorsed the academic brilliance at the university by hiring nine students at an attractive starting salary of Rs 16 lakh per annum, which was much higher than the average starting salaries in India. Campus placements at Thapar University have been a resounding success with marquee global and Indian corporate biggies outdoing each other with fat pay packages to recruit young Thaparites graduating from this prestigious university. The University has been able to achieve 95 percent in 2014 and has successfully provided prospective employees to companies of various sizes in India and abroad. The present academic year of 2014 – 2015 saw an extended performance of 2014 from the students of Thapar, with excellent figures like 730 job offers and over 100 companies visiting the campus during the first round of placements. \"We have been associated with many industries like Avantha Group, which comprises of companies such as Crompton Greaves and Ballarpur and they offer their inputs about the change in industry requirements. Hence, we have been able to come up with industry oriented teaching methodologies and it is reflecting in our placements,\" says Dr. Prakash Gopalan, Director, Thapar University. To strengthen the linkage with the industry further, the university has introduced a program called \'Project Semester\' where all engineering students can work and participate in live projects with global companies for an entire semester. \"The students gain tremendous amount of knowledge through this Project Semester programs and they are ready to work in the industry from day one after their graduation from here,\" says Prof. Gopalan. The introduction of the Project Semester has been a game changer for the university as it has helped the students to display their talents inside the industry. \"The industry has been extremely impressed with our Project Semester Program to the point where the big multinational corporations such as Microsoft, Cisco, De Shaw, Deloitte and others have shown interest in accommodating our students in their offices,\" says H.S. Bawa, Industrial Coordinator, Center for Industrial Liaison and Placements (CILP), Thapar University. However, the relationship of Thapar University with numerous industries is not a phenomenon that happened over night. It is one of the outcomes of Thapar University curriculum that has been evolved during the years with research and industry oriented teaching methodologies as center of focus. Bawa, who was a student of Thapar University in the early 1990s and later became the part of management says, \"When I was a student of this campus, most of my classmates were focused on studying what was taught in the class and they preferred to stay indoors. However, with the passage of time, the students have realized how important it is to apply the knowledge that they are taught in class and have started to build live projects and are constantly learning and adapting to new technologies.\" \"Our students with the guidance of the faculty members have built a Formula 1 car and out of 72 teams from 55 countries won the Best Endeavor Award for the same,\" says Dr. Gopalan. While this is just one of the projects that they have done, the students from the university have also built a surveillance aircraft and a formula hybrid car. Impressed by this nature of students, companies such as Crompton Greaves and TCS have begun to work on various projects in town with the students and faculties of Thapar University. Backing up Faculty and Research is Vital \"Over the years, Thapar University has grown by leaps and bounds as a research-based university with focus on areas like nanotechnology, biotechnology and IT,\" says Dr. Gopalan. In order to signify a pioneering corporate effort to strengthen research, the Thapar Center for Industrial Research and Design (TCIRD) has been facilitating a dynamic interface with the academia and national and international R&D laboratories. The university has established The Center of Relevance and Excellence (CORE) in Agro & Industrial Biotechnology and the Center for Information on Technology Management to carry out various research projects. In the past five years, the university has published over 2,500 research papers in peer-reviewed journals. At present, the university has close to 119 ongoing research projects with a sanctioned grant of Rs. 26 Crore and the faculty members who are supported to engage in high-end research have filed for 19 patents. \"The support which we give to take the research activities forward has been a real motivating factor for those who are constantly striving to achieve better research results,\" claims Dr. Gopalan. However, in order to carry out the best research activities, there is a need to utilize the right tools. Backed by the Avantha Group, the university has over 80 laboratories dedicated to teaching and research as well as some of India\'s best automation, automobile engineering, metrology, sand testing and solid mechanics facilities. \"We are working closely with people involved in the QS Ranking – an international agency that ranks universities all over the world. They are guiding us and as per their suggestions we are focusing more on research now,\" says Dr. Gopalan. Another step taken by the University with regard to internationalization has been its agreement with the Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, which is a leading global institution, to conceptualize and execute a roadmap of academic excellence. Striving to achieve Global Standards As part of the road-map, the university is planning an internal overhaul, which is ranging from pedagogy to research, faculty as well as the curriculum. Through this program, Thapar University is aligning with the Trinity way of teaching and is striving to place more emphasis on research-inspired teaching than classroom instructions. \"The idea is to harmonize the curriculum with greater emphasis on project-led teaching and benchmark Thapar University with global standards in all its academic endeavors,\" says Bawa. While the collaboration also envisages student and faculty exchange programs, award of dual degrees as well as joint research initiatives, exposure to the Trinity College Innovation Academy will help to develop a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem at Thapar University. The university, in collaboration with University of Twente, Netherlands, has also set up a venture lab with focus on developing a holistic entrepreneurial ecosystem. While the University has been improving its quality of output year after year, the management has always ensured zero deviation from its founder – Karam Chand Thapar\'s vision, which was to provide the nation with the necessary manpower. \"We constantly strive to achieve our vision, which is to be recognized as a leader committed to Excellence in Higher Education, Research and Innovation that meets the aspirations of the global community,\" says Prof. Gopalan. With the goal to become academic center, Thapar University is constantly attempting to take bigger strides in the area of research, beneficial MoUs and endow the corporate world with practically oriented professionals who will be passing out of the university every year. That is the reason why Thapar University has been consistently producing quality workforce to the nation since 1956. Panel: Prof. Prakash Gopalan He is currently the Director of Thapar University and was associated with IIT Bombay as a professor in the Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science for over two decades. He holds the position of Adjunct Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University. H.S. Bawa He is the Industrial Coordinator, Center for Industrial Liaison and Placements (CILP) at Thapar University for the last 15 years. After obtaining a degree in civil engineering in 1993, Bawa joined the Building Center Project at the University and after being impressed with his leadership skills was transferred to the Center for Industrial Liaison and Placements.