Ques 1. "What motivated you to pursue a career in higher education administration, and what attracted you specifically to your role as a Dean?"

The energy and potential that youth possess is a valuable treasure and if it is channelized appropriately, it can transform society. The motivation for joining higher education was active engagements with the youth and motivating students for prioritizing mental wellbeing. What started as an initial interest in continuous learning and teaching the discipline of Psychology, gradually culminated into a deep interest in taking psychology out of the textbooks and cultivating interest for the discipline in students across all streams. Having taught the discipline to students of Management, Humanities, Engineering and tracking their professional trajectories while hearing from them the immense personal and professional benefits of studying the discipline, I was motivated to encourage interdisciplinary teaching and learning and research. My Role as the Dean empowered me to make policy, curricular and operational amendments to the academic delivery.

Ques 2. "What are the most significant challenges currently facing higher education, and how is your institution actively addressing these challenges?"

In my opinion, the most significant challenge that most educational institutions are facing are coping with and embracing technological developments and catering to the dynamic workplaces. Employability skills that students would need to possess also drastically change with upgrades in technology, therefore institutions needs to focus on technological skills, adaptability skills, life skills and encouraging a temperament of life- long learning. Keeping the students engaged would require newer methods of curriculum delivery and integration of experiential learning would be immensely beneficial as adult students would learn better by doing.

Ques 3. "As Dean, what are your key responsibilities, and how do you manage the balance between these responsibilities and other facets of your role?"

They dual key responsibilities include student lifecycle management for all PhD Research scholars pan University, Leading the School of Liberal Arts, policy and curriculum upgradation and implementation and Driving the research goals of the University.

Ques 4. "What specific initiatives or programs has your institution introduced to support student mental health and manage stress levels, particularly in the context of rising concerns among students in India?

The University has several initiatives for supporting mental wellbeing of the students, faculty and staff. These include having a dedicated Psychological support centre, regular workshops for students and faculty, awareness drives, stress management workshops, employee engagement activities fir reducing stress, organizing Vartha (the country’s biggest summit for mental health professionals working in schools). The University has active MoUs with several NGOs, hospitals and organizations through which several outreach programs are organized. During Covid, the Department of Psychology ran a covid helpline for psychological support and also hosted awareness programs on national radio channels. Currently, students of all Schools at the University have the option of choosing Psychology programs as their minors."

Ques 5. "What guidance would you offer to individuals aspiring to enter the field of higher education administration, and what changes do you foresee in the field's trajectory in the coming years?"

Education administration would focus on process optimization and technology integration. People entering the field must have an undying spirit of enquiry and must have the skill to adapt and multitask. We have exciting times ahead and enormous opportunities for the young professionals who choose to join the workforce.