The Higher Education Review

Gaurav Rustgi, Director

Holding B.Tech and MBA degree, Gaurav Rustgi is currently serving as the Director at DDR College of Pharmacy. He is dedicated to providing help to students as well as professionals who are having a difficult time in their respective careers by organizing efficient lessons and exercises which will facilitate them to emerge as a better person in future.

The 21st-century learning environment demands to indulge students in optimum research and innovation so as to broaden their knowledge horizon. However, in contrast to the developed nations, research in the pharmacy education domain is still at a nascent stage in India where only a handful of the elite institutes are coming forward to emphasize on research activities and meet the global standard. Cultivating a robust research culture in its campus, Deen Dayal Rustagi College of Pharmacy is one such institute, which is modifying the conventional way of imparting pharmacy education. Incorporated in 2014, the institute has been instrumental in generating a pool of professionals who are instilled with right theoretical and practical skills and are enough capable of standing upon the changing demands of the industry.

Situated in Khandewla, a tranquil village, away from the hustle and bustle of the Gurugram city, the campus of the institute comprises finest facilities to intensify the learning experience of the students. Framed with four storied building, the institute's facilities include well-furnished lecture

halls, canteen,well - equipped Laboratories, Machine Room, Central Stores, Museum, Sports spaces and so on. The library is equipped with 2756 Volumes & 255 Titles covering all specialization of Pharmacy. "Since the inception, we have been firmly dedicated to maintaining a high quality in education on account of which the staff members are encouraged to publish and present excellent research papers in various national and international conferences very frequently," shares Gaurav Rustgi, Director, DDR College of Pharmacy.

Approved by AICTE and Pharmacy Council of India, New Delhi, the institute is affiliated to Haryana State Board of Technical Education & Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences and offers programmes such as Bachelor in Pharmacy, Diploma in Pharmacy and Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology with an intake of 60 students per course. The students are made available to a wide range of sophisticated research laboratories for Pharmacology, Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance coupled with industry-oriented equipment, so that they can perform research activities without any pitfall and apply their theoretical learning into practice. "We ensure that our students are clear with the concepts and in this journey the significant contribution of the faculty members is quite impressive and inspirational," pinpoints Rustgi. Following the student-faculty ratio of 8:1, the institute promises an education, which is immensely individualized and effective.

An Epitome of Excellence

Providing assistance right from the initial days of the students to getting them placed in renowned organizations, the institute promotes a student-centric approach in its campus. "Putting utmost efforts, we intend to see our each and every student holding top designation positions in different parts of the world in future," says Rustgi.

The institute acknowledges a fair admission process and renders equal opportunities to all, given which candidates are selected on the merit basis through a centralized counseling and manual counseling that is organized for the students in the campus. After the students admitted to the institute, the faculty members look after the adjustment and feeling comfortable factor of the freshers, and gradually develop a friendly relationship with them, which further boost the teaching-learning process.

Rustgi claims, "Our faculty members believe in using various modern techniques rather than rigid chalk and board teaching, aiming for increasing the students' participation and involvement in the learning course". The students are asked to undergo 4 to 6 weeks summer internship by the institute, which in turn aids them in understanding the industry perspective and in preparing themselves for the coming challenges. In addition, the institute conducts preparatory programmes in the form of outbound training, industrial visit, fieldwork and takes initiatives for industrial-institute interactions like guest lectures, CEO comments & employment readings programmes with different modules including aptitude and attitude building exercise.

Moreover, the students of DDR College of Pharmacy are introduced to limitless scopes to grow and add credentials in the resumes through the value-added programmes offered at the campus. "Students are trained and groomed not only for placements at our institute. We take the onus to make them enable to survive in any situation of life, owing to which focus is also given on their personality development and cultivating a rational thinking capacity in them," states Rustgi. Run under the Chhaju Ram Deen Dayal Educational Society, the institute is inclined to remain amongst the top tier of the teaching institutions in India and contribute to the development of the worldwide community of researchers in educational evaluation. The society is also running Education & Management College as well.