Deakin with Amrita

The seats in Sri Krishna Hall were occupied till the last row. Students looked around in anticipation. “Dignitaries from Australia??” someone asked. “But we had a tie up with an American university right??”. All the confusions subsided as our dean, Prof. Kulkarni introduced our distinguished guests.

The guests were none other than the dignitaries from Deakin University, Australia. We had Ms Robin Buckham Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International and Development) and Professor Gael McDonald, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business and Law), Professor - School of Management and Marketing visiting our campus.

Amrita University has been aiming to inculcate a research-oriented culture in its faculty and students.Hence an association with an esteemed university like Deakin University, would enable an entirely new learning platform  for both.

Ms Robin Buckham gave a bird’s eye view of Deakin University. She mentioned that they have four campuses in Australia which have around 42,000 students. 11,000 of these take their courses online. She complemented the scenic beauty of our campus even comparing it to one of their own. She believed that collaboration between universities is like a marriage relationship, where both the partners remain committed to each other.

Professor Gael McDonald later walked us through “Leadership lessons” by connecting it to the man who personified it – Steve Jobs. The session involved several incidents from Jobs life which showcased the qualities that a leader should possess. A thought provoking session came to an end by giving the sales figures and the profits earned by Apple Inc in the first quarter of 2012.

                                                                By Nikhil P, Rahul Sukumaran (Team Colloquia Members)