"Design Your Degree” was organized at Faculty of Management Studies, University of Lucknow
Lucknow desk (R L Pandey).Today, on 19th April 2025, an Interactive session on NEP 2020 entitled “Design Your Degree” was organized at Faculty of Management Studies, University of Lucknow. The idea of this program was conceived by Prof. Alok Kumar Rai, the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, University of Lucknow, who invited Prof. Umesh Rai, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu, the Innovation Man and promoter of social impact inventions.
Prof. Umesh Rai is an eminent figure in the field of Zoology and a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India. Professor Umesh Rai has over three decades of academic excellence and leadership experience. In academia he has served in pivotal roles at the University of Delhi, including as Director of South Campus and Head of the Department of Zoology.
The programme started with a welcome address by Prof. Sangeeta Sahu, Dean, Faculty of Management Studies. Prof. Shalie Malik, Department of Zoology, coordinated the programme. The session was attended by Deans of various Faculties, Heads of various departments, the Directors and Coordinators of various Institutes and Centers of the University of Lucknow, teachers from different departments and the associated colleges, research scholars and post graduation students.
In an Interactive session, Prof. Umesh Rai introduced the innovative and path breaking "Design Your Degree", a Four-Year Undergraduate Program that embodies the spirit of freedom and flexibility in education, which was initiated under his leadership at University of Jammu. This programme offers autonomy to curate the students’ academic journey, aligning it with their individual talents and goals.
In his talk he emphasized on fostering culture of hands-on experiences, peer learning, and the pursuit of knowledge beyond traditional confines. Prof. Umesh Rai discussed the template provided by UGC with a focus on major, minor and interdisciplinary subjects. He discussed on the transformational initiatives such as- holistic and multidisciplinary education, creativity, critical thinking and communication skills. Also, he extended his views on academic flexibility, experiential learning, research based internships and learner centric pedagogy which is the key to academic excellence.
Prof. Umesh Rai focused on the real life projects, entrepreneurial initiatives which were the key components of “Design Your Degree”. Prof. Umesh Rai invited the students to undergo internship at University of Jammu to broaden their horizon of learning.
The speaker received an overwhelming response from the audience. The interactive session was longer than the presentation, which clearly indicates the success of the program. Prof. Umesh Rai ignited the minds of the audience and left them to think on ‘Dissolving Boundaries, Evolving Education’. The program ended with Vote of Thanks by Prof. Shalie Malik.