The Future of Higher Education – Leadership Conclave
The future of higher education was the topic of discussion among the academic and industry leaders gathered in Coimbatore on Feb 13 and the 14, 2019 for the Future of Higher Education – Leadership Conclave, organized by the Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore in partnership with the All India Council for Technical Education. The conclave looked at the future of higher education from the point of view of the Indian academic institutions, future trends in technology, industry requirements for skilled employees and the international partnership.
Day 1 of the conclave that took place at The Residency Towers, Coimbatore discussed on the Opportunities groom Institutional, Technological, Industry and Global Perspectives and was inaugurated by the Chairman of KCT, Dr. B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, the conclave had 20 speakers, and more than 250 participants from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and the USA.


As the Chief Guest, Chancellor Viswanathan of VIT University said that India has enormous potentials to provide skilled technical manpower to the world. To make that happen, a concerted effort by the government at all levels is absolutely essential. He said that the ultimate goal should be to make education affordable for all and preferably totally free. He gave the examples of France, Germany and other countries of Europe in providing free higher education. He also said that


Day 2 at Kumaraguru Institutions discussed current challenges and

Academic leaders, who traveled from the State University of New York and other international institutions said that in order to meet the future needs of industry and society, the academic institutions should vigorously pursue innovation in teaching and learning, and interdisciplinary approaches to developing new programs. Dr. Mohammed Khasawneh of the State University of New York said that combining Data Science, Healthcare and Systems Engineering, they have created one of the most highly sought after programs at the university. He said that the graduates of such a program have been revolutionizing the way the hospitals have been delivering healthcare to patients.