Vineet Gupta, Ashoka University co-founder believes that by recruiting top-notch faculty and creating the best possible environment for students to thrive in, Ashoka is emerging as one of the most exciting institutions in the Indian Education Eco-System.

Table of contents:

• Introduction to the article
• Video Interview with Vineet Gupta – Ashoka University Cofounder
• Why India needs more universities like Ashoka and Plaksha?

Within less than a decade of commencing operations, Ashoka University has gone from strength to strength and established itself as one of the top private universities in India. As per the QS University rankings in 2021, Ashoka University has ranked among India’s top 5 private universities, among the top 250 universities in Asia and among the top 30 universities in India as well. In terms of international faculty, Ashoka University ranked no.1 among all 118 universities. “From the initial days when Ashoka was conceptualized, we were clear in our vision that we wanted it to be one of India’s top universities in the years to come. By recruiting top notch faculty and creating the best possible environment for students to thrive in, Ashoka is emerging as one of the most exciting institutions in India’s education ecosystem”, said Vineet Gupta Ashoka University Founder.

Why more universities are needed in a similar mold?

Breadth and Depth – Ashoka University is one of the best liberal arts universities in Asia and is one of the few institutions in the country to have a liberal arts approach. Students can come in undecided and explore different disciplines before they decide what they want to major in. This idea of breadth and depth is critical in today’s day and age where students have to connect the dots between different disciplines in the careers. Founder Vineet Gupta Ashoka University believes this is required since very few students truly know what they want to specialize in. The fact that they can explore helps them make better choices and hence excel at their chosen field.

Development of 21^st century skills – Ashoka helps students nurture key skills of critical thinking, problem solving, listening, communication, leadership and collaboration to ensure that every student who graduates from the institution is well equipped to not only excel at the workplace of their choice but also have the ability to change and adapt as they move on in their careers.

Top notch faculty – To build a globally recognized institution, faculty quality is key. Ashoka University has attracted top scholars in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Faculty is at the heart of imparting great education. Ashoka’s emphasis on faculty recruitment and retention is exemplary.

Collective philanthropy – Ashoka is built on a model of collective philanthropy which helps it to raise resources liberally. The collective model also brings in excellence as a common binding theme among founders and builds a strong model of governance and accountability.

Research – Ashoka University has started several research centers in areas which are unique in collaboration with other not for profit foundations, government and universities. “At Ashoka, we have started research efforts in areas that are inter-disciplinary and can impact development. This can not only produce great knowledge and scholarship but also contribute to nation-building”, added Vineet Gupta, Ashoka University Founder.

Ashoka University’s Economics Department was ranked no. 1 in terms of research in 2020 by the International Database RePEc.

Under the New Education Policy, a lot of reforms have been introduced, but for this policy to succeed, more institutions have to be modeled on the likes of universities like Ashoka. By keeping the best interests of the students and teachers at the forefront, Ashoka University is setting a gold standard for other institutions to follow.

Also read: Vineet Gupta of Plaksha University – Innovation in Technology Education.