‘Private universities ahead of public ones in internationalisation’: Adamas University VC

Adamas University, located on the outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal, is fast emerging as a centre of excellence with its focus on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary education, research and industry collaboration. Vice-chancellor Suranjan Das, during a conversation with Careers360, shared his vision of promoting internationalisation, building a strong industry-university partnership, scaling up research and consultancy activities and finally, nurturing socially-conscious and job-ready citizens. Edited excerpts:

You were always associated with public universities. Why did you decide to move to a private university?

Well, one always likes to have a change. I have spent 45 years of my professional life in public universities, and as with any institution, there are both good and bad sides to a public system. After completing my second term at Jadavpur University in May 2023, I received an offer from Adamas University, whose impressive academic growth and the vision and mission of its chancellor Samit Ray had already caught my attention. I thought it might be a good idea to explore a greenfield institution and as I have always liked to take challenges.

I had also realised a particular pitfall in a public institution. This essentially relates to the delay in taking a decision.

In a public university, there are institutionalised procedures which mandate every important issue to go through various committees with participation from all stakeholders. This certainly ensures democratic governance, but it also causes a long decision-making process. Sometimes, by the time a decision is made, the context has already changed. In this age of globalisation and intense competition, the ability to act swiftly is crucial, even if the decision taken is not always perfect.

But in a private university, if I want to take a decision or initiate a new scheme, I need to convince the chancellor. Once I get the go-ahead, which is always quick, I have the liberty to move ahead quickly. Also, compared to other private universities, it has a much better campus.

In this university, instead of individual departments like history, economics, biotechnology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, education, mechanical engineering, here we have schools — School of Liberal Arts, School of Technology, School of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences, School of Law, School of Education, and so on. Within each of these schools there are individual departments. This structure made it easier for Adamas to align itself with the National Education Policy (NEP), which emphasises multidisciplinary and flexibility in the teaching-learning process.

From the beginning, Adams has stressed international connectivity, another crucial aspect of NEP. Adamas has over 80 active MoUs with international institutions across the globe. In my past experience, implementing such MoUs in public universities was often difficult due to various structural constraints. But at Adamas, I’ve found it to be much easier, again because decisions can be taken swiftly. Having been a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the President of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), I’ve seen firsthand how vital internationalisation is if Indian higher education wants to establish a global presence.

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What about the students? How diverse is the Adamas campus?

It’s quite diverse compared to many other private universities in the region. We have students from the northeast, west, south, and, of course, from the East. This socio-cultural diversity gets reflected in cultural festivals where students present their culture, food, and art.

You see, I did my D.Phil at Oxford University, and what struck me there was its cosmopolitan character. I had already started teaching at Calcutta University before I went to Oxford. But Oxford gave me a second student life. Cultural cosmopolitanism is something I deeply value — and at Adamas, I see glimpses of that. Here, I can engage with students and faculty from across the country, which, sadly, is something that’s gradually diminishing in many public universities.

At Adamas, I see the scope and intent to attract students and faculty from beyond the region. That openness to diversity, both geographical and cultural is something I consider vital for any institution to be nationally and globally relevant.

Do you have students from across the globe?

Yes, we have a very active student exchange programme. Apart from students coming from abroad for credit-transfer courses, last year students from the US came to our campus to learn Bengali. Besides, through collaborative research projects, scholars from abroad have been spending time on the campus. Similarly, our students also get the opportunity to spend time in a foreign campus on the basis of credit transfer. Currently, we have students in Warsaw, Malaysia, parts of the Middle East, and even in the western world.

One thing that’s important to understand is that while universities can support internationalisation, students today often need to mobilise their own financial resources to take advantage of this opportunity. In public universities, most of the students come from social backgrounds where that’s a challenge. At private universities, on the other hand, students are often better placed to supplement institutional support with their own resources. So, for example, we have an MoU with Warsaw University or La Sapienza University of Rome and INTI International University in Malaysia. If a student wants to go to these universities for a semester or a particular period, the university can offer some help, but they also need to contribute. That’s generally more feasible for students here than those in a public university. That’s one reason why, across India, private universities are outperforming their public counterparts in terms of internationalisation.

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Do you face any challenges with faculty retention?

Yes and no. It’s true that, generally, private universities have a higher attrition rate. That was the case at Adamas as well, before I joined. But over the past two years, it has come down significantly.

In a globalised world, you can’t stop someone from leaving if she/he gets a better offer. Public universities tend to retain faculty longer because of job security and a sense of stability. Private universities may not offer the same kind of security, but they do provide other benefits, like flexibility, quicker decision-making, and performance-based rewards.

I’d also say the mindset of the new generation has changed. Today’s youth aren’t primarily looking for job security; they’re looking for the best pay package, better opportunities, and a sense of job satisfaction. So, the traditional idea of ‘settling down’ in a job doesn’t appeal as much anymore.

Ultimately, faculty retention depends a lot on the management. At Adamas, the leadership is highly responsive to the needs and aspirations of faculty members. That makes a big difference — and it’s one reason the attrition rate here has steadily declined.

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There’s a trend of private universities recruiting faculty from public universities, especially those nearing retirement.

Yes, that is definitely a trend. Many private universities, particularly in northern India, are actively recruiting faculty members who are either on the verge of retirement or have just retired from public universities.

And that trend has now reached Bengal or eastern India too. In fact, I too joined Adamas after retiring from a public university. At Adamas, we have quite a number of senior faculty members who were leading academics in public universities and joined us either just before or after retirement. This trend stretches across disciplines and brings in a wealth of experience that benefits private institutions immensely.

What is your goal for Adamas?

We became the first state private university in Bengal to secure a NAAC A grade, and that is indeed a significant achievement. NAAC evaluates institutions on multiple parameters, and going through that process helped us identify both our strengths and areas needing improvement. My focus now will be more on promoting interdisciplinary learning aligned with NEP’s major-minor model. I want to provide a student the maximum number of choices in tune with their interest and the emerging needs of the economy. This is for building high-quality interdisciplinary research; advancing internationalisation; strengthening industry partnerships through Adamas Tech; boosting consultancy activities; and, most importantly, nurturing well-rounded creative and socially aware students who will not be mere job-seekers but members of a critical and constructive civil society.

Next, I want to promote excellence in research, and that again has to be interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary.

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Internationalisation of the Adamas education system is next on my list and I am already working on it. Fourth is industry-university partnerships. I want to expose my students to this industry so that experiential learning becomes a reality. Next, I want my university to become a hub of consultancy activities – unless a university has enough consultancy activities, it can’t generate revenue; it is the only source of good revenue.

How do you assess the current state of higher education in West Bengal?

I firmly believe that, despite challenges, the standard of higher education in West Bengal remains high. We are certainly at the forefront of India’s academic structure. Just look at the national rankings. Two of our universities have been consistently occupying the front ranks – Jadavpur University and the University of Calcutta. A number of colleges also hold the first spots in the national academic ladder. Our research output, the number of research centres, and even recognition from international journals like Nature, which identified Kolkata as one of the richest science cities, all point to our academic strength.

We now need to constantly adopt new pedagogy, reform the faculty recruitment process, strengthen academic management, build national and international networks, and enrich student experience through a balanced exposure to academics, sports, and industry. The potential is immense, and challenges only drive us forward.

I would also like to say that there is a need for a public-private partnership. In the current scenario, if higher education is to be taken to a new takeoff point, there has to be collaboration and cooperation on all fronts; the expertise of the public and private universities should be brought together. Only then can a strong and vibrant knowledge society be developed, and I am very optimistic about it.