Seeking global solutions through liberal arts

Krea University seeks to create 'paradigm' to prepare students for challenges ahead

In what can be described as good news for Indian students and parents, a group led by former ICICI head N Vaghul and former Ashok Leyland chief R Seshasayee has come together to set up what is loosely described as a “liberal arts” university (though it also offers a degree in the sciences) close to Chennai.

The project sets a benchmark in terms of ambition. It seeks to create a cohort of students who will find “Indian solutions to global problems” by interweaving disciplines and blending learning between the sciences and arts.

While hundreds of elementary and secondary schools have come up in the country over the past few years, including those offering an international curriculum, India has failed to add quality universities at this pace. A lack of seats at quality institutions has forced an increasing number of Indian children to search for options abroad. Earlier, many went for a master’s degree; now, large numbers leave for even undergraduate studies.

Further, there is the recognition that many do not know precisely what to study or what career path they should opt for at the age of 18. This has made parents aware of the value of an education that allows for flexibility and enables students to take a call on their deeper interests at a stage when they are more mature to do so.
 

These two factors have led to a number of Indian liberal arts courses offered by new private universities. These include Ashoka, the Jindal School of Liberal Arts, Flame, and Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts.

Now, a group of high-powered individuals have come together to set up a university named Krea — it means creativity in English and action orientation in Sanskrit — at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh (very close to the Tamil Nadu border), where they have been given a grant of 200 acres by the developer of Sri City. The upcoming campus is expected to be ready by 2019 and the first batch of 100-125 students will commence classes in August next year. An initial corpus of Rs 7.5 billion has been raised for construction and launch. 

Aiming high

Kapil Vishwanathan, vice-chairman of the executive committee and spokesperson for Krea, says the project takes a clean slate approach to what an undergraduate education should be and wants to create a “paradigm” to prepare students of today for the world they will find themselves in. Those involved in the project are not convinced that such a “paradigm” currently exists globally. The idea is not to take a tried and tested Western or Indian model and replicate it but to try something original. The idea is to create “thinking individuals” who can understand the human-human interaction, the human-machine interaction, and the human-nature interaction, and proceed to solve major problems facing humanity.

Vishwanathan adds they are realistic and do not expect to get where it is aiming for in the next five or even 10 years, recognising that great institutions are not built overnight.

The university will offer two programmes: One, a bachelor’s degree with a focus on history, political science, economics and literature; and two, a bachelor in science degree with a focus on life sciences, computer science, and environmental studies. The curriculum has been “re-imagined” by the academic council, comprised notable names including Princeton University’s Manjul Bhargava, former Reserve Bank governor Raghuram Rajan, renowned musician T M Krishna, and IIT professor Gaurav Raina. The governing council reads like a carefully picked Who’s Who of Indian business and has Anu Aga, Cyril Shroff, Anand Mahindra and Sajjan Jindal.

How?

What is the main ingredient required to make any such initiative successful? Faculty. No matter which university one speaks to, the biggest struggle for all vice-chancellors (VCs) across India is faculty.

Sunder Ramaswamy, 53, and VC of Krea, says his biggest challenge is no different — finding the right people to build the institution with him. The initial dedicated cohort will be 10-12 people, going up to around 30 by the end of year two. He says MBA institutions can be built with “parachuting” faculty but an undergraduate institution needs its own dedicated cohort, especially in the building phase.

He is currently in conversation with around 60 faculty members in India and abroad, who are considering lending their time. Salary packages will match the best in the business. A porous boundary is envisaged between the real world and the classroom world; so he is in conversation with professionals who might be willing to take a class or two in each semester.

Pramath Sinha, founding dean of the Indian School of Business and a founder of Ashoka University, says India can do with “1,000 Ashokas and Kreas”. He too says faculty remains the biggest challenge, but “Krea has the right governance model, one of the main ingredients required for success”.

Bottom line

Sinha adds while Krea might express it differently from an Ashoka, a common goal drives all — namely, figuring how best to prepare students for the coming world. “While it is difficult to predict in the future what professions and skills to educate somebody in, everyone agrees that one needs to produce critical thinkers, problem solvers, communicators. People who are adaptable and can reskill themselves,” he says.

Will the students who emerge from Krea actually offer unique solutions to the myriad global problems? Too early to answer but an attempt is on.