MUMBAI: Times of India group shall launch its Bennett University in July 2016 in Greater Noida, a senior official at Bennett, Coleman & Company said. The 175 year old company shall build the campus in an area of 68 cares, and shall offer courses in engineering and management.
Apart from providing reputable services in academics, the university also intends to tie up with some fore-running global institutional partners.
Shrijeet Mishra, Executive Director on board of BCCL said that the institute shall have the most respected faculty members, professors and internationally acclaimed academic partners in the venture. The admission procedure for next year's intake in engineering and management courses shall begin from next week onwards.
The intake in the 1st year shall be 300, which shall be spread across four disciplines, namely, Computer Science, Mechanical, Civil and Electronics, offering B. Tech degree. There shall be an MBA course as well. The students who graduate will get an opportunity to be placed in Times Group, and also to find jobs outside.
The goal of launching the University is to provide its students a premium learning experience, supported by reputed research driven faculty. The Bennett University during the next five years will offer courses in Law, Architecture, Liberal Arts, Design, Research, and Applied Sciences.
Yajulu Medury, Vice-Chancellor (Designate) of Bennett University said that during the course of the next 5 years, the university shall extend its undergraduate, post graduate and PhD programmes to include Engineering, Management, Media, Law, Design, Architecture, Liberal Arts and Applied Sciences. This shall be done in addition to offering the best hostel facilities to the resident students.
The Group intends to invest over 800 crores in setting up the university, by means of internal borrowings. The total expected strength shall include 12000 students and 600 faculty members.
Mishra stated that the Times Group has been actively involved in higher education programmes in the country since decades. It has been successfully running a journalism school since many years, and had also launched a revolutionizing Teach India Campaign a few years back. Also, a new venture called the Times Pro has been offering short termed courses in Banking, Finance and Accounts.
He pointed out that there remains a significant gap between supply and demand of quality education, and that the Bennett University shall be an entrepreneurial step towards bridging this gap.