We Visualise and Aim to Bring Change from Grass-Roots Levels, says CT University Pro Chancellor & MD CT Group

In conversation with Shiksha.com, Dr Manbir Singh, Pro-Chancellor of CT University and Managing Director of CT Group talks about the mission and vision of CT University. According to him, the vision of CT University is to bring change from grassroots levels and change seeps through all levels of mental and intellectual transformation. Dr Manbir Singh holds a BSc, MBA and PhD degrees. 

Dr Manbir Singh has experience of managing 17 educational institutes and one University along with two international-level schools. He is now the Pro-Chancellor of CT University and Managing Director of CT Group of Institutions. He is a self-motivated, result- oriented and resourceful person with tremendous zeal and the ability to expand the horizons of his business. He also launched CT Global Education Services which has imperishable relationships with many global Universities and Colleges.

1. What inspired you to start CT University Ludhiana, and what were some of the challenges you faced in its early stages?

As we all know, no journey or dream is worthwhile if it does not involve challenges. Ours is a gigantic dream. Each day, we face multiple challenges, which we strive to face and battle to attain maximum results. At an early stage, the university faced a range of challenges, including funding, building a reputation, attracting students and faculty, and complying with regulations. However, with perseverance and dedication, these challenges were overcome. CT University has today established itself as a leading institution of higher education and research in the region.

In today’s volatile world, where there is cutthroat competition in all fields, careers, and businesses, the dream behind launching CTU was to work on an incredulous vision to enhance, evolve, and contribute to the plunging learning outcomes of the education system.

Amid hundreds of colleges and universities around us, we dream of revolutionizing the education sector with the seamless integration of smart work and a futuristic vision to boost employment exponentially. Understanding the room for monumental growth and potential in the Indian education system, team CTU employs courage and credibility around the clock. This is to set new benchmarks in transformative education.

2. What is the university's mission and vision, and how does it differ from other universities in the area?

Our mission is to build future leaders curated to fight the challenges, odds, and battles of this volatile world. This idea is woven into every CTians experience.

Starting in the classroom with an orientation to new ideas, broad scopes of understanding, and creative ways of gathering knowledge, students can embark on the journey of intellectual transformation. In a diverse and dynamic learning environment, students learn collaboratively with other students from different walks of life, cultures, and backgrounds. Through this, intellectual transformation deepens, and essentials for social transformation open up.

With intellectual and social transformation, students realize their talents and skill sets. This leads them to model their gifts and assets on serving the world better.

Vision

• We visualize and aim to bring change from grass-roots levels, and we hope change seeps through all levels of mental and intellectual transformation.

Here are our certain and thoughtful visions:

• To build students’ emotional and intelligence quotients through compassion, empathy, and respect.
• To deepen students’ learning experiences through a progressive and futuristic curriculum, pedagogy, and educational leadership.
• Creating transformative experiences/education that unleash students' full potential.
• To support and ignite students' interests and skill sets in becoming world-class leaders, critical thinkers, and problem solvers.
• To view education as a definitive tool to serve and contribute to society.
• We have developed our mission and vision by using and employing ideas collaboratively from an array of researchers and developers in varied fields. These include the arts and sciences. These ideas were well-researched and developed over the years to align with our motto, transformative education. 

3. What programs does CT University Ludhiana offer, and what makes them unique?

CT University has been recognized under the Top 30 Universities in the band "PERFORMER" under the category "University & Deemed to be University (Private/Self-Financed) (Technical)" in the prestigious ARIIA 2021 - Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements 2021 notification e-issued by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. CTU offers academic programs at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral. We have an array of corporate tie-ups and collaborations that strengthen the programs at the university and give them a cutting edge over programs offered at other universities. CT University offer B.Tech. BCA, BBA & MBA, with IBM specialization. We have tie-ups with prominent hospitals like Sanskara Eye Hospital and Max Hospital for pharmacy students. Students can achieve various certifications through our collaborations with Amazon AWS, Cisco, Red Hat, and Palo Alto among others. Every program offered here comes with additional perks. 

4.  How does the university support student success and promote career readiness?

Student success is firmly cemented as the priority of our university. We have developed certain pillars to ensure student success. Our primary focus is on completion, not enrollment. For that, we have established these pillars:

•  Setting SMART Goals: We help students set S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Achievable, R-Realistic, and T-Timely goals.
•  Promoting Student Engagement: We try to maintain and enhance student engagement by employing the latest generation of technology, modern pedagogies and systems, and the strategic use of research and innovation.
•  Accepting Changes: As per global standards and demands, we benchmark our pedagogies, methods, and outcomes. Our ultimate goal is to produce critical and intellectual thinkers who can lead and serve both. For that, we develop and enhance at every opportunity.
•  Continuous Collection of Student Data: We collect and analyze data about students’ journeys to a degree to help them finish what they have started.
•  Strengthening Skills: We have established a dedicated Professional Enhancement Cell for sharpening students’ skills like communication, presentation, grammar, and interview skills. Apart from that, the Corporate Resource Centre organizes mock interview drills and campus placement drives regularly. These divisions work around the clock to generate the best opportunities for CTians.

Student success is attained through continuous and dedicated efforts to align students’ goals with global demands using cross-functional leadership, support, and strategic technology application.

 5. How does the university promote diversity, equity, and inclusion among its faculty, staff, and students?

We at CTU ground our efforts on empathy and honesty to create an environment where each of us feels secure, valued, and respected. We do this by bringing many programs into action:

• Mentorship programs: These programs tailor students’ personal and professional growth and foster communication. Mentoring can provide a pipeline for cultivating future leaders with maximum emotional and intellectual quotients.
• Stakeholder feedback: CTU solicits feedback to expose and address inequities. These feedbacks give critical insights and motivation to work for the environment's betterment. Every voice and opinion is important at CTU, so feedback is given the utmost importance.
•  Cultural events: Numerous events are planned and organized for cultural integration. Students from different walks, fields, and departments come together to display their workmanship and talent. This is deliberately done to instill teamwork and tolerance among students and faculty.

 6.  What kinds of scholarships and financial aid opportunities are available to students at CT University, and how can students apply for them?

CTU believes in helping students who wish to excel beyond average and dream of building a career. For that, CTSET (CT University Scholarship Entrance Test) applicants can access scholarships up to INR 32 crore. Recently, under the initiative of Bollywood Actor Sonu Sood’s Dr Prof Saroj Sood Scholarship, the education of more than 100 COVID-HIT students was sponsored by the University. Also, exemplary students can get up to 100% scholarships.

 7.  How does CT University ensure that its curriculum and programs stay current with developments in the tech industry, and what kind of partnerships and collaborations does the university have in place?

CT University is a leading industry-driven university where we build our own identity by breaking new ground. We have witnessed tremendous growth and a high student success rate because of our involvement in industries that students aim for.

We pride ourselves on curating curriculums in sync with the ever-changing market demands. We do that by upholding our faith in consistent integration with industrial chambers, industrial heads, corporate advisory boards, experts, and researchers. We are in association with the CII, FICCI, Ph.D. Chambers of Commerce, AIMA, etc. to keep ourselves abreast of ongoing demands in academics and research.

 8.  Can you tell us more about the IBM Skills Academy program at CT University, and how it benefits students pursuing careers in technology?

CT University has inked an MOU with IBM to nurture budding technocrats and produce highly skilled IT professionals who can serve the nation and society as well. CTU's ulterior motive is to make students technically strong and bridge the gap between education and industry. It is acknowledged by IBM and CTU that IBM Software Skills are necessary in IT education and training centers. The objective is to have several graduating professionals skilled in IBM software. At the IBM Centre of Excellence, students build AI and machine learning projects and are trained for industries, through an industry-oriented curriculum. They are trained by IBM faculties and have direct access to IBM portals and tools. Students are awarded Digital Badges and Certificates based on Pearson tests. After successfully submitting projects and assignments, students are eligible to earn 3 Global e-certificates of course completion.

 It is a guaranteed fact that their placements and packages will be much better and higher than those of UGs and PGs from other universities.

 9.  Can you share any success stories or case studies of students who have participated in the IBM Skills Academy program at CT University?

 Under IBM’s program of "earn while you learn", two students from B.Tech. CSE were placed successfully (one of them was placed at the package of 51 LAKHS). Apart from that, many of them have earned digital badges verified by Credly. To bring out the competence of students, CTU organizes project-making competitions at regular intervals. These competitions help them learn new trends, and methods and keep up with global AI and machine learning standards.

 10.  How does CT University Ludhiana engage with the local community and contribute to the region's economic and social development?

Following an indigenous Indian value of furthering assistance to the less fortunate, CTU works around the clock to develop, initiate, and launch projects for critical change in society. We have launched various responsive local initiatives to enable a resilient and secure society. To contribute to real and sustainable societal change, CTU has adopted five villages.

CTU has relooked at traditional ways of addressing crises in society. It has brought up modern ways to advance human growth and extend projects to realize maximum human potential. We conduct regular medical camps, legal aid awareness camps, gender sensitization camps, blood donation camps, free education camps, etc. at the university and nearby villages.

 11.  What are the university's plans for growth and expansion in the future?

We at CTU believe our growth directly depends on our students' growth and success rates. We strive to produce world-class leaders, researchers, and critical thinkers with futuristic and progressive foresight to adapt to changes wherever and whenever needed. In order to accomplish this, we initiate and launch multiple initiatives. One of our most revolutionary initiatives is the CT Business Foundation, which works as an incubator at the university for start-up ideas. We provide free mentorship, legal assistance, internet services, space, and financial assistance. Through this platform, we bridge the gap between venture capitalists, angel investors, and startup ideas incubated at the university. We are in collaboration with Startup Punjab, a government entity, Invest Punjab, and IM Punjab for our students to realize their dream projects.