The Higher Education Review

Started as an Engineering College in 1997,Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr.Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, which earned the Deemed to be University status in 2008, was the result of a modest introspection of philanthropic and well-known industrialist couple, Dr. R. Rangarajan and Dr. Sagunthala Rangarajan. Having a successful and prosperous industrialist portfolio, the couple felt the urge to contribute some thing to turn the nation stronger and this idea shaped the path to venture them into the educational sector. With the conviction and unparalleled efforts demonstrated by the Founder President and Foundress till date, the Institution Deemed to be University has been ranked 1st in the Education category according to the Brand Trust Report 2017.

There are several such awards and recognition received by the university over the years, which have caught the eyes of students' community as well as of the peer institutions around the country. Recently, the Deemed to be University conferred the 1st position in India and 74th in the world by Times Higher Education(THE)Young University Ranking 2017 and 43rd Position in THE Asia University Rankings 2017. Vel Tech was placed 58th in India as per NIRF India Rankings 2017 under Engineering category and 65th under University category.

Initiated with offering only three Under Graduate programs and with an intake of 160 students, today the Deemed to be University encompasses a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes in Engineering and technology, Arts &Science and Management Studies. Prof.Dr. Beela Satyanarayana, Vice Chancellor, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology adds,“as of October 2017, total research grants the university received from the sponsoring agencies like DST, DRDO, CSIR,DAE,GITA(Indo-Taiwan,Indo-Korea),ISRO and so on,come around Rs.35 crore”.

Welcoming more than 6000 students in various disciplines now, the Institution Deemed to be University still maintains the teacher-student ratio as 1:15 for UG and 1:12 for PG level. "We refer our 527 faculty members as the backbone of the Institution Deemed to be University, who earnestly take care to make the students'journey fruitful in the campus," claims Prof. Beela Satyanarayana. For the slow learners, the VelTech(Deemed to be University) conducts special remedial classes and fair learners are motivated to pursue value-added courses and to do projects for acquiring better design-implement experience. The opportunities and scopes provided by the Institution Deemed to be University are limitless, including exemplary scholarship in the form of the Mahatma Gandhi National Merit Scholarships ranging from 25 percent to 100 percent of the Tuition and Hostel fee to students from various states in India.

A Paradise for Learners and Inventors
To facilitate student-learning activities,the VelTech(Deemed to be University) has incorporated all the avantgarde facilities in the campus which render the students a serene environment to grow. Right from 20 research labs in different areas of specialization, hostels and lecture halls to smart classrooms, seminar halls and conference halls, the Institution Deemed to be University has kept a decent tuning in ushering theoretical and practical learning.

"The teaching pedagogy adopted by our faculty members is commendable where they deliver the course using appropriate instructional methods which include active learning methods in order to achieve the course outcomes," shares Prof. Beela Satyanarayana. Continuous assessment and evaluation methods such as tests, assignments, seminar and course end survey further are added attempts to measure the final knowledge gained by the students. Also, by following the Choice Based Credit System, the Institution Deemed to be University provides flexibility to the students to change their programme of study at any time of their study.

Instigator of Remarkable Enterprises
Acknowledged as an Institution Deemed to be University with a difference, VelTech Rangarajan Dr.Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology is the first member from India in Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) worldwide initiative,which aims to produce the next generation engineers. The CDIO based academic process undoubtedly generates knowledge able up-skilled

graduates with a professional attitude who are industry ready and who can implement and operate complex industrial machinery from the very first day of their joining. "The trend of startups is not hidden to us and hence we accordingly took essential steps in this regard,"mentions Prof. BeelaSatyanarayana. The Institution Deemed to be University owns a full-fledged Technology Business Incubator(TBI), recognized as Centre of Excellence, which received Rs.23 Crore from DST along with a separate Business Incubator cell supported by MSME.

"Since its establishment, VelTech is flourishing and boasts to spread its name in the industry through its unbeaten outcomes in the educational arena, "pinpoints Prof. Beela Satyanarayana. Signed more than 253 MoUs with government Institutes/ Universities, Industries / MNCs, International Universities, Public Sector Units and R&D labs, the Institution Deemed to be University strives to collaborate with more organizations in the pursuit to strengthen the placement prospects of the students. Moreover, the Industry Relations Division has interactions with more than 2000 industries and coordinates Industry sponsored Research, consultancy services,in plant training, internship programmes and industry oriented student projects.

Through uncompromising vision, leadership and guidance of the founders of the Institution Deemed to be University, VelTech has been accorded an 'A' grade by NAAC in 2016. "Our Institution governance is ample sensitive to changing educational, social and market demand which helps our students to get access to the latest learning modules. In future as well, we are dedicated to keep a consistency in improving our academic and research quality," concludes Prof.BeelaSatyanarayana.

Col.Prof.Vel.Dr.R.Rangarajan,Chairman of Vel Tech group of Institutions
He has a cherishable memory behind his success. Setting high standards with love for tireless hard work has enabled him to transform envisioned educational academia to architect into reality.

Prof.Dr.Beela Satyanarayana, Vice-Chancellor
Post Graduate in three different domains and a Ph.D.from IIT, Delhi, Prof.Dr. Beela Satyanarayana is the Vice-Chancellor of VelTech(Deemed to be University). Under his guidance, 25 Doctorate degrees were awarded apart from 120 research publications in journals/conferences and four books authored by him.