Vice-President of India launches Krea University

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 19: Krea University, backed by some of the best academics in the world and the top industrialists in India has been inaugurated by the Vice President of India. Based in Sri City (near Chennai), Krea University offers BA (Hons) & BSc(Hons) degrees in a host of disciplines ranging from economics to computer science. The University has opened its admissions process for the first cohort of undergraduate students who commence classes in August 2019.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu said, "Happy to know that the core of this University's philosophy lies in a pioneering paradigm of Interwoven Learning, weaving together thought and action. Institutions like the Krea University, with sights set firmly on the achievement of brilliance and distinction at the global platform, will doubtlessly serve us in good stead in our quest for fast track progress and all round development".

Krea University brings a fundamentally different approach to higher education – Interwoven Learning – which brings together thought with action, arts with sciences, and the learnings of the past with preparedness for the future. In a world where employees are expected to re-skill themselves six times over the span of their career, Krea aims to produce graduates who remain resilient, agile and impactful. Krea’s curriculum also contains modules intended to instill in its graduates a sense of purpose, an appreciation for the societal impact of their actions, as well as a moral compass that keeps them steadfast as they navigate the complexities of the 21st century. Krea graduates will be equipped to pursue a world of opportunity of their calling – be it graduate studies, corporate careers, government, public service, NGOs, performing arts or entrepreneurship.

Krea University’s faculty includes globally renowned scholars in a wide range of disciplines, including natural sciences, computer science, social sciences, arts and environmental sciences. To bring a real-life and practical element to learning on campus, the faculty also includes “professors of practice”, whose learnings from their substantial achievements in various fields would be a great resource for students to draw upon. The faculty is drawn from the top universities across the world.

Krea University’s Vice-Chancellor Dr. Sunder Ramaswamy, said “Krea University’s BA (Hons) and B Sc (Hons) are truly unique, as the core curriculum provides an inter-disciplinary foundation before students specialize in a one discipline of their choice. There is also a strong real-life element woven into the curriculum, with real-world immersions where students learn by doing.”

Krea’s rigorous and holistic admissions process seeks to understand the full contours of a student’s personality, rather than focusing on “cut-offs” or singular criterion for rejection. As part of its unique selection process, short-listed candidates will be invited to a day of immersion at Krea, where they will work together in groups to solve a real-life problem at a site of business, cultural, historic, political or scientific significance. Krea is deeply committed to inclusivity and follows a need-blind admissions process, backed by a generous scholarship programme for students in need of financial support.

Krea University is the brainchild of academics such as Dr. Raghuram Rajan, the former Governor of Reserve Bank of India, Prof. Manjula Bhargava, the Fields-medal winning mathematician at Princeton, Prof. John Etchemendy, longest-serving Provost of Stanford University and Prof Srinath Raghavan, Senior Fellow at Centre for Policy Research. It is also backed by leading industrialists, with the likes of Anand Mahindra, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Anu Aga, Sajjan Jindal and R. Seshasayee serving on its Governing Council.

Krea University’s Chancellor and visionary banker M Vaghul said “Krea University is designed to prepare a new generation of leaders, who can think and act ethically, and make a positive impact on the world. They will be adaptable and resilient, and well equipped for the jobs of the future.”