The Higher Education Review

Dharashive V. M., Principal

Completed Graduation in Pharmacy from Shivlingeshwar College of Pharmacy, Latur in 2009 and Post-Graduation from Nargund College of Pharmacy, Bangalore in 2011, Dharashive V. M. is currently serving as the Principal at Shivlingeshwar College of Pharmacy. He is also pursuing Doctorate from Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded.

Latur district in Maharashtra is infamously known as a town that kept its water queues in order by the instrument of Section 144. In fact, an entire train had been exclusively arranged to ply water to these parts of the country. In 2015, the drought was at its peak and many famers of this agricultural district struggled to meet the day-to-day expenses. Shivlingeshwar College of Pharmacy located in a rural area of Latur district was one among the few establishments that helped the people of Latur in its toughest of the times. "Many of our students were unable to pay their fees, as most of them were from farming background. In such difficult situation, we decided to avail student fees by providing them scholarship of more than Rs. 15 lakh," recalls Dharashive V. M., Principal, Shivlingeshwar College of Pharmacy.

Owing to the demonstrated academic excellence, it took not much time for the college to carve a niche for itself in the pharmacy education arena. Being the first private college to conduct and run six years integrated course of Pharm D. successfully in the region, the college also offers B. Pharm course which is affiliated

to Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University. Scattered in 28 acres of land, the campus of the college renders students with a beautiful surroundings and pollution free ambiance to study.

"Shivlingeshwar College of Pharmacy prides itself on having the most experienced and knowledgeable teaching staff who are responsible for shaping the bright futures of tomorrow's pharmacists"

Dharashive opines, "At Shivlingeshwar College of Pharmacy, we strive to create a positive and vibrant environment for our students, which we consider will motivate them to participate freely in the class and learn better." The facilities that are encompassed in the campus includes strategically designed three storey college building, well-resourced and spacious laboratories, a magnificent library with latest edition books, journals and e-journals, lecture halls equipped with latest audio-visual gear, separate hostels for boys and girls and so on. The selection process of the students is however strictly governed by Government of Maharashtra through Director of Technical Education (DTE), which is purely based on the scoring of students in Maharashtra State - Common Entrance Test (MH-CET) and percentage of marks in subject of Physics, Chemistry and Biology/Mathematics in Higher secondary examination (HSC). Hence, as the entire selection process is monitored by DTE, best students are admitted irrespective of their economic and social status.

Emphasis on Practical Interventions

Shivlingeshwar College of Pharmacy prides itself on having the most experienced and knowledgeable teaching staff who are responsible for shaping the bright futures of tomorrow's pharmacists. "Selection of the bright candidate is not enough to create skilled and curious pharmacists; it's the teacher who ultimately guides the students to the path of perfection," pinpoints Dharashive. The students are taught using advanced and latest teaching techniques making sure that they are

clear with the concept at class and later are enable to apply those theories into practice. For the 3rd year students, the college even organizes one month industrial training where they get the opportunity to get a broad exposure to the industrial aspects of pharmacy. Dharashive shares, "Apart from industrial training we also invite experts from reputed industries for guest lectures in an attempt to fulfill the gap in the prescribed syllabus and make our students industry-ready."

Additionally, the college acknowledges a system called Continuous Student Improvement Program, aiming to constantly upgrade the students with new developments in the pharmacy industry. Under this program, various guest lectures and workshops for pharma field related subjects such as pharmacovigilance, clinical pharmacy, cGMP, research and development, regulatory and general training programs like personality development and communication skill improvement are conducted by the college regularly. The students also gain the scope to present their talents, in the college arranged National scientific event named "Vishwa-Pharma".

Existing for 14 years now, the institute has generated a number of pharmacy graduates and has strong alumni connections that are spread across the pharma sector holding leadership positions. "Ensuring that we don't lose contact with our past students, in every three years, the college conducts Alumni Meet Program that helps the present students to get industry insights from their senior and super-seniors. This strong bond also assists in facilitating the placement and industry-institute interaction activities," states Dharashive. Although optimum students prefer to pursue higher studies after completing their degrees at Shivlingeshwar College, the college takes initiatives for those who aspire to get placed through campus placement drive and invite companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). In the upcoming years, the college targets to emerge as a center of excellence, providing holistic academic standards in Pharmacy.