On 17th October 2015, REVA University, Bangalore inaugurated a training program that the country had never seen before – A one stretch training program for 24-hours covering day and night. Named 'Computer Aided Engineering Drawing (CAED) in 24 Hours,' the program was developed by the REVA faculty to facilitate Mechanical Engineering students with the Computer Aided Engineering Drawing knowledge. The program was designed for the first time in India and is one of its kinds in line with Bloom's Taxonomy and outcome based education system. Through this rigorous process, students were provided both practical and theoretical knowledge to push them one step closer to the technological industries as it would make the students industry ready for the challenges of 2D and simple 3D drawings.
When a class of 60 students and eight faculty members took turns to learn and teach both practical and theoretical aspects of Computer Aided Engineering Drawing along with periodically feeding 24 moral stories of five minutes each to keep the students excited and engaged, the 24 hours round the clock event, which looked like an unfeasible task, turned out to be a huge sensation. Dr. Talawar, Vice-Chancellor says, "This was highly receptive. We are now getting lot of request from students of other branches to implement the same model of training to them and our faculty are working towards developing such training modules in other subject areas also." While, the present day students are eager to understand new things and technologies to widen the horizon of their knowledge in the least possible time, programs like 'CAED in 24 Hours' not only provide students the necessary skills but also equip them to work in highly challenging industrial scenarios where deadline plays crucial role and demands more working hours.
A World-Class Education with Choice Based Curriculum
"We are committed to our students and society. I always insist our students to stay positive and utilize the facilities that we have provided to them for their benefits. Because, we never compromise on quality here," says Dr. P Shyama Raju, Founder and Chancellor, REVA University. Designed and developed by mix of eminent professors and industry experts, the programs being offered by the REVA University are planned after detailed study of their social relevance and job market. The university has adopted Choice Based Credit System and Continuous Assessment Graded Pattern (CBCS – CAGP) of education in all programs where students can choose subjects of their choice in addition to the core subjects of the study and prepare them with needed skills.
The Choice Based Credit System that promotes students' mobility and improves employability of students, demands a thorough internal assessment to track the performance of students. The university has ensured that it hires the best possible resources to tackle the routine quality checks. The latest addition of Dr. S. Y. Kulkarni as Principal Director, who brings rich experience of both industry and academia, is one such example. Talking about his new responsibilities, Dr. Kulkarni says, "As a Principal Director, my responsibility is to maintain the academic standard of REVA University by making students ready for the industry and as well as uplifting the knowledge of faculty members. REVA University has multiple specializations to offer, which is very challenging and we are all working towards creating a world-class education system for the students."
To provide world-class learning experience for the students, REVA University actively seeks industry participation and foreign university collaborations. While, tie-ups with Oklahoma Central University, Western Connecticut State University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville are some of the international collaborations to mention, the university has signed MoUs with corporate giants such as Oracle, Texas Instruments and Synopsis. "Employers are looking for people who stand out from the crowd. Hence we strive towards providing graduates real life skills that can be applied to their organizations by conducting seminars, workshops and orientations with the support of industries. We are also planning to introduce corporate training programs and soon we will have provision to train our students according to the requirements of individual companies," claims Dr. N. Ramesh, Director – Planning, REVA University. The university's efforts to provide the necessary skills to sustain in today's competitive market is evidentially noticeable as they place more than 90 percent of eligible students and now REVA is striving towards a 100 percent placement record.
REVA's Infrastructural Brilliance – A Review
As a reputed builder and developer who has transformed the South Indian real-estate landscape through the establishment of DivyaSree Developers, Dr. P Shyama Raju has a firm grasp of the modern day industrial demands and the talent shortage that exists in today's graduates. Hence, from building necessary infrastructure to establishing effective industry tie-ups, he has spared no expense. An eye catching feature of the REVA campus is the quirky style of its buildings and the consistency in design with the style and structure. An apt example of this is the 'REVA Library and Information Center.' Located in an independent spacious block is a marvelous sight to behold, like a marbled mound of white and grey rising above the tree line. The multilevel library spans over four stages where three levels exclusively form a data bank containing rich collections of academically stimulating knowledge inducing books and journals for the sole readership of the students and staff.
The management has also taken suitable steps to keep up with the latest technologies and this can be inferred by how well the labs like computer labs, CAED, machine labs and electronics labs have been equipped with the latest and high-end hardware and software that ensure uninhibited performance. Learning potential is maximized by bringing into consideration and more than 600 highly trained faculties ensure subjects and concepts are taught in a simplified and efficient manner. The availability of state-of-the-art research facilities in campus allows individuals pursuing advanced degrees such as PhD to setup powerful centralized server based systems, which significantly help with their research speed. Currently, the REVA University offers 16 fulltime PG programs and 15 Graduate and PG Diploma programs in Engineering, Architecture, Science and Technology, Commerce, Management Studies, Legal Studies, Arts and Humanities in addition to research degrees leading to PhD in 18 different disciplines.
The Genesis and the Way Forward
Looking at the pace at which REVA University has grown, exerting dominance through careful planning and execution, it is safe to say that REVA is establishing itself as one of the premier universities in Bangalore. The 'rags to riches' cliché might be overused, but there is no better way to describe the story of Dr. P Shyama Raju, who rose from a very humble background and ventured into projects related to construction and public work after graduating with a degree in Commerce about 40 years ago. Today, he provides a lesson in integrity and adaptability. Through hard work and a reputation for remaining true to his internal moral compass, he was able to build a business empire that includes over two dozen group of companies.
Established in 2002 on a sentimental ground and with commitment to corporate social responsibility, the Rukmini Educational Charitable Trust – a brain child of Dr. Shyama Raju has setup many high quality educational institutions in Bangalore including the recent REVA University, which is established in 2013. Indeed, Dr. P Shyama Raju' s resolute will is to fulfil the dream of his late wife, Rukmini Shyama Raju, an illiterate yet knowledgeable woman who wanted to impart education to millions of underprivileged children as she knew how important a role education plays in the society. Today, REVA University accommodates more than 10,000 students in its campus and many among them are students who come from lower strata of the society but with high merit. The trust spends huge amount of money to educate students with financial struggles by providing scholarships and fee concession.
"Being transparent, dedicated, and hardworking, valuing time more than money is the way to success. I want my students to be successful wherever they go. In the next few years, by focusing more on research, I hope, REVA University will be seen in the global arena of higher education," concludes Dr. Shyama Raju. It is evident that features such as education par – excellence, intellectual capital comprising a team of experienced academicians, international collaboration to provide global edge and network with most of the leading corporate organizations make REVA University a conduit for employability for thousands of aspirants to pursue their higher education dreams.
Dr. P. Shyama Raju, Chancellor
With his missionary zeal, visionary outlook and philanthropic approach coupled with four decades of long entrepreneurial leadership Dr. Shyama Raju transformed REVA Group of Institutions as excellent temples of learning. Considering his accomplishments in Education, Social Service and Infrastructure development, the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, awarded him the Honoris Causa Degree on the occasion of 14th Annual Convocation 2015. The BERG (Business Excellence and Research Group), Singapore applauding Dr. Shyama Raju as distinguished and innovative educationist presented him second BERG Educational Awards on October 9, 2015.
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