Amity Business School, Lucknow : Interview with Prof. V. P. Sahi, Director
Prof. Vijay Pratap Sahi, Director ABS Lucknow and Amity School of Communication Enhancement and Transformation (ASCENT), is a Post Graduate in Business Management from Lucknow University. Prior to current engagement in the field of education, his illustrious career spans 36 years devoted to the media industry. He has had the rare distinction of starting from scratch two successful news dailies in Lucknow, namely the Northern India Patrika and The Times of India. With The Times of India, he started as the head of marketing and went on to become the General Manager & Branch head for ‘The Times of India’ Lucknow edition; a position he held for almost 2 decades.
He has lent his energy and wisdom to the benefit and growth of the people & industry in Uttar Pradesh, in capacity of the Sr. Vice President of the ‘Lucknow Management Association’ and is currently the President of the ‘National Human Resource Development Network’, Lucknow Chapter.
1. According to you, what are the most important things that a student has to keep in mind while selecting a B-School of his choice that will hold him in good stead in the future?
Every Business school is different and making choice which one to join is a rigorous exercise, however in my opinion the most important things that a student has to keep in mind are :
Placement – Placement is indicated as the single most important choice factor among students when it comes to selecting a b-school. But what is more important to look at is whether the recruiter included in the placement list includes your areas of interest, average salary and the positions at which students are recruited as employee from the respective business schools. Also one must look at how good the placement department is at preparing you for interviews and jobs
Quality of teaching and Infrastructure influence prospective students, and also showcases the image of b-school.
Programmes, Scholarships and internship offered: General management programme or specialisation based program. History of paid internships and PPO’s given.
Alumni network -Prospective students should realize how important the alumni network is when making the investment in an MBA. Alumni provide perspective, they can speak to the power of the brand of the school and merits and demerits of particular courses.
Times are tough for people of all income levels, so finances are certainly something one should take into consideration before starting any MBA program.
2. What are the top challenges that you want to solve today for your institution?
The primary purpose for students entering a B school is to build their careers.
The biggest challenge which we as a B school facing is managing the expectation of students.
Students have high expectations of what institutions should provide to support and enable their learning and enhance their career prospects. Today students have very high aspiration. They want to be placed in the best of the companies at a good position and certainly a handsome package, (many a times their choice of location as well!) at times not realising the tough job market situation or compromising of any of their criteria.
Also students are well aware of the way things work in IIT’s and IIM’s and they expect the same from us as well. Although we are making a good progress in bridging the gap but still there is a long way to go.
Have queries about Amity Business School, Lucknow? Ask them here –> http://bit.ly/1lCQvzt
3. Across the world, the practice & model of imparting education is undergoing significant changes with the advent of technology and its accessibility. How do you intend to tackle this challenge for the MBA landscape and adopt newer ways of teaching & conduct learning within your University?
We as an institute believe in moving with technology and adopting newer methods of teaching. Our maximum focus is on student teacher interaction and participation by them in the process of learning. We encourage our student’s participation in more application and practical learning, and for this purpose we have developed various project works for them which are a part of their continuous evaluation. We have the system of open electives which allows a student to customize his own areas of study, choose from nearly 20 courses across 13 academic departments, selecting courses that best meet their professional goals and make them industry ready. This is something which one will find in international B schools of good repute. Besides that we also offer student exchange program with our counter parts abroad.
4. What do you consider to be your biggest achievement till date, as a part of Amity University Lucknow?
– We have ‘A’ grade accreditation by NAAC (National Assessment And Accreditation Council) which is an autonomous body established by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country.
– Holding conferences and seminars which are of international level.
– Making the environment industry driven, employment oriented and research focused.
– Increase in number of recruiters YOY
– Amity Business Journal of international standard
5. What do you look for in a student when you recruit him for you MBA program?
Academic Performance, Aptitude, Communication Skills, Zeal to learn and Focus
Read more about Life@Amity Lucknow here ->