Faculty Spotlight: NCU’s Intellectual Architects Shaping Innovation and Expertise
As most of us know, “Faculty” is the term that is used to refer to the academic staff at an institution of education. Whereas in primary and secondary schools, the faculty are teachers; in postsecondary institutions, professors comprise the faculty. In a broader sense, faculty can also include researchers, scholars, and lecturers, depending on the school or university. If we focus our attention on universities, we can safely say that faculty members are indeed the driving forces of universities. They are the ones who deliver comprehensive knowledge and the required training for students. Indeed, these subject matter experts truly promote the reputation of an institution with their sheer wisdom! And that is what we are going to focus on in this article below where we shall put the spotlight on the Faculty of one of the Best Private Universities in Haryana – namely, The NorthCap University (NCU), Gurugram – and share with you how their intellectual architects are truly shaping innovation and expertise among its students and vouchsafing the reputation of NCU as a world-class university, in a large measure by their sheer presence and collective wisdom!
To begin with, a few words about The NorthCap University (NCU), Gurugram will not be out of place here:
Coming into existence in the year 1996, The NorthCap University (NCU) is today a progressive multidisciplinary university located in the very heart of Gurugram, Haryana. The university’s rich heritage of 25+ years, 11000+ alumni and robust academic infrastructure enables it to have deep linkages with government, industry, and research bodies. The university operates three well-defined schools in its state-of-the-art urban campus and hosts a diverse student body in the disciplines of engineering & technology, management, liberal arts, law, and applied sciences.
The University is a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) Grade A accredited university that serves as a research and talent catalyst between students and industry. Ably guided by eminent academicians and industry leaders, it follows an immersive pedagogy to deliver undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs. What’s more, this university is a comprehensive partner of Arizona State University which is ranked as the #1 university in the U.S. for innovation, outreach, and stewardship. This strategic collaboration chiefly focuses on innovation, internationalisation, and digitisation. As part of this partnership, NCU students enjoy summer immersion programs and accelerated master’s programs right within the territorial area of the USA.
As regards its accreditations and recognitions, NCU is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Bar Council of India (BCI). The University is a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) UK, a member of the American Society for Quality, and is also accredited by Accreditation Services for International Colleges (ASIC), UK. Enjoying a 5-Star QS Ranking for Teaching, Employability, Academic Development, Online Learning, and Inclusiveness, NCU today ranks among the Top 30 Best Performing Universities as per Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) rankings.
That’s quite a bit about its reputation as one of the Best Private Universities in Haryana! And as briefly hinted earlier, one of the big reasons for this favourable reputation is The NorthCap University’s illustrious Faculty! So let us introduce you to the respective Heads of the three main schools of learning at this university that will give you an idea about the quality of academic leadership that is obtained at this well-known university in Gurugram. The names of these three schools are the School of Engineering & Technology, School of Management & Liberal Studies, and School of Law.
The School of Engineering & Technology is headed by Prof. Nupur Prakash who has been serving the NorthCap University Gurugram as Vice Chancellor since July 2021, after completing her term as founder Vice Chancellor of Delhi’s first women’s technical University called Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (Govt. of Delhi). A strong proponent of STEM education among girls, she has spent several years holding key leadership positions as an academic leader, researcher, and institution builder. She has served as a Scientist at CSIO Chandigarh (a CSIR lab), Dean of Engg & Technology, Dean School of IT at GGS Indraprastha University, and Principal, at Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Govt. of Delhi.
Prof.(Dr) Nupur Prakash possesses work experience of around 37 years in teaching, research, and administration. She graduated from IIT Roorkee (erstwhile University of Roorkee) with a degree in B.E. (Electronics & Communication Engineering) and M.E. (Computer Science & Technology) from IIT Roorkee. She was awarded with the Chancellor’s Medal for being the best student of the outgoing batch. She holds a PhD degree in Artificial Intelligence from Punjab University, Chandigarh.
Prof. Nupur Prakash has received several awards for outstanding contributions to higher education in the last two decades. Recently she received the “Indira Parikh Award 2022” for being among the top 50 women Education Leaders in the Country. She was also conferred with the title of ‘Elite Academician 2022’ by the IEEE Industry Applications Society, USA.
The School of Management & Liberal Studies at The NorthCap University (NCU), Gurugram is headed by Professor Prem Vrat, who is also the Chairman Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad and Ex. Chairman, BOG of IIT Mandi. An outstanding academic, Prof. Prem Vrat is the Pro-Chancellor; Professor of Eminence, and Chief Mentor at The NorthCap University, (ITMU earlier) Gurugram. Just before joining ITMU as the Vice-Chancellor, in September 2011, he was a Professor of Eminence at the MDI, Gurugram. Prof. Vrat was Founder-Director, of IIT Roorkee; Vice-Chancellor, of U.P. Technical University, Lucknow; Professor; Head of Centre for Management Studies, Coordinator of Applied Systems Research Program, Dean, of Dy. Director and Director (Officiating) at IIT Delhi; Professor and Division Chairman at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok. He is an Honorary Professor at IIT Delhi and was a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at AIT, Bangkok. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors of WIT, Dehradun. He is an AICTE- Distinguished Chair Professor. He was the first alumnus of IIT Kharagpur to have become an IIT Director. He was an Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Engineering Production, University of Birmingham, UK, and an International Visiting Fellow at the University of Western Sydney, Australia, and has visited 22 countries. He has been teaching, conducting research, and offering consulting for the past 55 years. He was a National Merit Scholarship holder during his B.Tech.
He has guided 50 PhD theses, 118 M Tech. and 65 B.Tech. major projects on Industrial Application of Systems Approach and Management Science. He has published more than 515 research papers in reputable journals and proceedings at international and national conferences. His research papers have received more than 10026 citations with an h-index of 43, i-10 index of 97, and g-index of 98, and the maximum citation of a paper is 1990 (as per Google Scholar). His research papers received on average about 650 Google Scholar citations each year (7-year average). He has authored/co-authored 7 books and completed 5 sponsored projects and 36 consultancy assignments. His book, ‘Productivity Management: A System Approach’ received awards from DMA as well as ISTD. His book, ‘Materials Management: An Integrated Systems Approach’ published by Springer Nature is available worldwide both in print and e-book versions. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, World Academy of Productivity Sciences, ISTE, and the IIIE. Recipient of multiple awards and recognitions, Professor Vrat was conferred Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa) by Bundelkhand University; Distinguished Alumnus Award by IIT Kharagpur; Distinguished Service Award by IIT Delhi; Outstanding Contribution Award for National Development by IIT Delhi Alumni Association; Uttaranchal Ratan Award; Lillian Gilbreth Award; 15 Best Paper medals and prizes. Prof. Prem Vrat was conferred the National Systems Gold Medal by the Systems Society of India (SSI), and Honorary Membership of IIIE, the highest recognition by IIIE. SAE India Foundation bestowed on him the ‘Guru’ Award for his outstanding contributions. He was conferred the ‘Life -Time Achievement Award’ at the 18th Annual International Conference of the Society of Operations Management at IIT Roorkee in December 2014. He received the Dr. M.C Puri Memorial Award of ORSI for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of Operational Research in India and the Life-Time Achievement Award 2017 by the Indian Institution of Industrial Engineering for Outstanding Contributions to the Industrial Engineering Profession and Society. Re-Think India conferred on him the ” Visionary Edu-leader of India” Award on 11 December 2017 given by Former President Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Systems Society of India and Dayal Bagh Educational Institute at DEI, Agra on 5th March 2018. U.P Chief Minister felicitated him on 26 July 2019 for his valuable contributions as Vice-Chancellor of UPTU, during his tenure. IEOM Society International based in the USA conferred on him “The Distinguished Educator Award”, in 2021 for his distinguished achievements, contributions, and life-long dedication to the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Profession. He received “The Great Indian Teacher Award (GITA 2021) conferred during the LEAD Global Conclave on 4th September 2021. He received the APAC Educational Leadership Award in recognition of an exceptional Leader who made a difference and extraordinary contribution to the education sector on 3rd December 2021. He was selected for the prestigious “Atma Ram Puraskar” by the Central Hindi Institute under the Ministry of Education, Government of India for 2018. IMT Ghaziabad conferred on him the Lifetime Achievement Award on 27th July 2022 in POMS, India ICESCO. He was conferred the QCI Quality Champion Award by NBQP under the outstanding Jury Selection category in 2022.
He has been on the Board of Governors of many technical institutions and universities, and the editorial boards of many National and foreign journals. He was Chairman (NWRC) of AICTE; Chairman, of PEC of NPEEE; Chairman, of the Working Group on HRD in IT, Member, of JNU Court; Member of Ad hoc Task Force (ATF), Independent Director on the Board of Air India; Co-Chairperson, RAC-DRDO, Member, Advisory Group of Experts for Technology Upgradation in Indian Railways, and Member, EC of YMCA University and CUH. He was Chairman INAE Forum on Engineering Education, a Member Board of Governors of NITIE and a Member Task Force by MOE on Engineering Education in Regional languages, Chairman, of the National Credit Framework, and Chairman of the AICTE- Visvesvaraya Best Teacher Awards Committee for 2020 and 2021.
The School of Law at The NorthCap University (NCU), Gurugram is headed by Prof. Pushpesh Pant, Professor Emeritus. Prof. Pushpesh Pant is a noted Indian academic, food critic, and historian. He retired as a Professor of International Relations from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He is one of India’s leading experts on International Relations, as well as Indian cuisine, and as a columnist has written for many major publications like Forbes, Open, Outlook, Times of India, and The Tribune. He has authored many bestseller books like The Cookbook (2011), which was named by The New York Times as one of the best cookbooks of the year. He was also featured in an interview in The Australian and has published widely on travel and tourism, with over a dozen books to his credit. An awardee of the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2016, Professor Pant has been highly instrumental in taking The NorthCap University to new heights, making it one of the best colleges for law in India.
Led by such illustrious academic giants, each of these schools at The NorthCap University (NCU), Gurugram is populated by highly qualified and richly experienced faculty members … nay, intellectual architects … who are collectively shaping innovation and expertise among the university’s students and thereby vouchsafing the reputation of NCU as a world-class university, in a large measure by their sheer presence and wisdom. To know more about The NorthCap University, Gurugram you may visit its official website https://www.ncuindia.edu/