Krea University
క్రియా విశ్వవిద్యాలయ (Telugu)
क्रिया विश्वविद्यालय (Hindi)
Established2018; 6 years ago (2018)
ChancellorLakshmi Narayanan
Vice-ChancellorNirmala Rao
Address
5655, Central Expressway
,
Sri City
,
Andhra Pradesh
,
India
Websitehttps://krea.edu.in

Krea University is an Indian state private university located in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. The Institute for Financial Management and Research was formally integrated under the aegis of Krea University. Krea University houses two schools, School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences (SIAS) and IFMR Graduate School of Business (IFMR GSB) and pioneers Interwoven Learning.[1]

It was founded in 2018 by a team of professionals from academia and beyond including Raghuram Rajan, N Vaghul, R Seshasayee, Kapil Viswanathan, Sajjan Jindal, Anand Mahindra and many more.[2][3] The existing IFMR Graduate School of Business was brought under the umbrella of Krea University.

History

The university was established in 2018 under the Andhra Pradesh Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2018.[4]

‘Krea’ means ‘an action-oriented approach’ in Sanskrit. The university follows a homegrown pedagogy of ‘Interwoven Learning’.[5] It was officially inaugurated on November 18, 2018.[6]

Governance

Leadership

As of August 16, 2022, Professor Nirmala Rao took charge as Vice Chancellor of Krea University.[7][8] She was preceded by Dr Mahesh Rangarajan (July 2021 to February 2022).[9] He was preceded by Dr Sunder Ramaswamy (2017-2021). Lakshmi Narayanan, former CEO and Vice-Chairman of Cognizant, and past Chairman of Nasscom, is the Chancellor, with effect from October 16, 2023.[10] He was preceded by N Vaghul.

The Governing Council includes Raghuram G Rajan, Anand Mahindra, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Aditya Mittal, Dheeraj Hinduja, Sajjan Jindal, Anu Aga, John Etchemendy and Vishakha Desai.[11] Dr Tara Thiagarajan,[12] former CFO of TCS S Mahalingam, founder of Ramco Group PR Venketrama Raja, Vice Chairman of TVS Capital Funds D Sundaram, EY chairman and CEO Rajiv Memani,[13] Professor and Head of the Department of French and Director Centre for European Studies at the University of Mumbai, Dr Vidya Vencatesan, and Nobel laureate Esther Duflo are also on the council.[14] C Srinivasa Raju, S Ramadorai, Raghu Sundaram and Kalpana Morparia are other distinguished members of the Krea Governing Council.

Campus


Located 50 km north of Chennai, the Sri City space was planned as a ‘Circular Campus'.[15] Campus tour videos by students reveal an open air amphitheater in the heart of the campus.

Residence halls have a common room on each floor. These feature study carousels, board games, televisions, refrigerators and microwaves. Students also have access to a dedicated convenience store within the campus.

In 2022, Union Minister of State for Education Dr Subhas Sarkar inaugurated a new academic block at the Sri City campus. Spread over 25,000 sq ft, it houses laboratories for physics, bio-sciences and chemistry departments.[16]

The HT Parekh Library located on the campus was recognized as a World Bank repository. The 10,000 sq ft library houses over 28,500 books that also include 50 Indian and international journals in print and over 60000+ e-journals.[17]

The main academic block at Krea University is called the JSW Academic Building. The building was inaugurated in 2023 by Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, JSW Foundation and Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Group of Companies. The JSW Academic Building is a built up area of  110,000 sq ft. The ground +3 floors of sustainably built space houses classrooms, faculty cabins, PhD workstations, admin workspaces, meeting rooms, seminar halls, tutorial halls, media lab, science labs, dance studio, and a student lounge.[18]

Sports facilities include a basketball court, futsal field, football field, and cricket nets. Indoor games like badminton, table tennis, pool, and foosball are also available.

There are separate air-conditioned dining spaces for faculty and students. The campus also has standalone shops in the canteen, a coffee shop, and a cafe.[19] [20][21]

Courses and curriculum

Undergraduate

Krea University offers four-year residential undergraduate programmes in the liberal arts and sciences leading to BA (Honours) and BSc (Honours) degrees, with an option to pursue a three-year BA and BSc course at the School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences.[22]

For students fresh out of school, IFMR GSB offers a five-year Integrated BBA+MBA course.[23][24]

Postgraduate

IFMR GSB offers a two-year MBA programme where students can choose from eight different specializations.[25] Capstone Business Simulation is part of the MBA programme.[26]

IFMR GSB has curated an Executive MBA programme with specialisation in finance, supply chain, human relations and industry relations for executives of L&T Construction.[27]

Doctorate

IFMR GSB offers PhD programmes from Madras University, including Organisational Behaviour & Human Resource Management, Strategic Management, Finance, Information Systems & Data Science, Economics, Marketing, Operations and Management.[11][25]

SIAS at Krea University offers a PhD programme in the Humanities and Sciences.

Certificate Courses

The Executive Education Programme at IFMR GSB also offers Certificate Programmes in Data Science, Blockchain Management and Leadership and Fintech.

The Data Science certificate courses have been ranked amongst the “Top Ten Data Analytics Programs” in the country.[28]

Partnerships

Krea University partnered with the University of Bristol to collaborate in the area of Sciences and Humanities at both student, faculty and research level. It also includes a 3+1 progression partnership for students at Krea, in flagship programmes offered by the University of Bristol.[29]

Researchers from the Yale Economic Growth Center work closely with Inclusion Economics India Centre at Krea University.[30]

For the Summer 2022 program, undergraduate students nominated from Krea University participated in the Data and Policy Summer Scholar Program at the Harris School of Public Policy at UChicago.[31]

Krea University has partnered with the Dalai Lama Centre For Ethics and Transformative Values to introduce ethics in its UG curriculum.[32]

WayCool Foods has partnered with IFMR GSB at Krea University to kickstart a leadership development programme called LEAP (Learn. Emerge. Accelerate. Progress).[33]

Krea University has inked a partnership with Kauvery Hospital to operate and maintain a health centre and pharmacy at the campus in Sri City.[34]

Faculty

Some of the faculty at Krea University include:

Learning Centres

Krea University is home to the Centre for Writing and Pedagogy.[51] They have conducted various workshops over the years across India.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre conducted various workshops on online writing and writing pedagogies during the pandemic, in academic institutions such as Azim Premji University.[52] [53]

In 2019, they conducted a workshop for teachers titled ‘Script Sound Sense: Teaching Critical Reading and Writing’.[54]

Research Centres

LEAD

A non-profit research organization conducting high-quality scalable action research and outreach in development economics and finance. Programmes enabled include Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE), Inclusive Cashless Payment Partnership (CATALYST) and Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) India.[55]

Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)

A global research centre working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. In South Asia, it has partnerships in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Much of Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo's work on randomized control trials for shaping policy in India was done at J-PAL South Asia.[56]  

Moturi Satyanarayana Centre for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences

A Centre of excellence for advanced research in humanities and social sciences. The centre was inaugurated by vice president of India Venkaiah Naidu.[57] It commemorates veteran freedom fighter, Member of the Constituent Assembly, the Provisional Parliament two-time Rajya Sabha member Moturi Satyanarayana.[58]

Sapien Lab Centre for Human Brain and Mind

The centre was inaugurated by K. Vijay Raghavan, former principal scientific adviser to the Government of India. It seeks to track and understand the impact of the changing environment on the human brain, and its consequences for the individual and society. The studies will be used to mitigate risks and enhance outcomes.[59]

Water, Environment, Land and Livelihoods Labs (WELL Labs)

WELL Labs was started in April 2023 as an autonomous centre based in IFMR. Dr Veena Srinivasan, a water expert with 20 years of experience, is the founder. In collaboration with Krea University and other centres at IFMR, the lab will address challenges pertaining to land and water. Their priorities include translating research outputs to measurable societal impact.[60]

Centre for Digital Financial Inclusion (CDFI)

A social enterprise developing and supporting digital innovations for social impact.[61]

Inclusion Economics India Centre

In 2022, IFMR and Inclusion Economics[62] at Yale University signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct policy-engaged research that promotes inclusive economies and societies. The collaboration will focus on data collection, research, close engagement with policymakers, and communication of data-driven insights to inform and encourage evidence-based dialogues on economic and social inclusion. Krea University will provide strategic oversight.

Academic achievements, research and events

Student achievements

Sai Balaji, a second year BA student of economics and psychology at Krea University, was selected to be part of the Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relationships in February 2022.[63]

Naveen Prasad Alex, A student of biological sciences at Krea University was selected as the junior fellow of New York Academy of Sciences. Naveen is also known for being one of the youngest butterfly researchers from the country. His research on butterflies was well talked about during the 26th edition of the Kerala Science Congress being organized at Kerala Agriculture and Veterinary University (KVASU) at Pookkodu [64]

Divya B, a student of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society, cleared the admissions process at Krea University and was supported with a full scholarship for academics and hostel fees.[65]

Naga Satish Pasupuleti, a 19-year-old student of Krea University, became the youngest person in the world to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro twice in two days and eight hours from June 28.[66]  

Events

Former Governor of West Bengal, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, was the chief guest at the 2023 convocation of Krea University. Over 385 students received their degrees.[67]

In 2023, students at Krea University organised and hosted the very first TEDx event on campus which included various eminent speakers and discussions.[68]

IFMR GSB organised the Research Symposium on Finance and Economics (RSFE) 2022.[69][70] This is an annual event where researchers and academics from all over the globe meet to discuss imperative trends in the field.

Krea University conducted a webinar titled ‘R&D and National Prosperity' as a part of the ‘Krea Science Talks’ series.[71]

References

  1. ^ Vij, Gauri (24 March 2018). "Krea University will foster debate, immersive learning". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  2. ^ "University to create 'thinking Indians'". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  3. ^ Archana, Alekh (24 March 2018). "Raghuram Rajan, corporate leaders to set up Rs750 crore university". mint. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Raghuram Rajan, corp leaders team up for Rs 750-cr liberal arts varsity". The Economic Times. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Smooth launch of India's pioneer interwoven arts & sciences university: Krea University". EducationWorld. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Krea University officially inaugurated". Financialexpress. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  7. ^ PTI (26 July 2022). "Nirmala Rao to take over as Krea University VC on Aug 16". ThePrint. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  8. ^ BLoC, Team (26 July 2022). "Nirmala Rao is the Vice-Chancellor of Krea University". BLoC. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  9. ^ Basu, Sreeradha. "Krea University appoints Dr. Mahesh Rangarajan as Vice Chancellor". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  10. ^ Bureau, BL Chennai (16 October 2023). "Lakshmi Narayanan appointed Chancellor of Krea University". BusinessLine. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Krea University: Creating a generation of 'thinking Indians'". Hindustan Times. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  12. ^ Team, Editorial (30 September 2021). "Dr. Tara Thiagarajan joins Krea University Governing Council". Higher Education Digest. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  13. ^ BLoC, Team (17 August 2020). "EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani joins Krea University governing council". BLoC. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Nobel laureate Esther Duflo joins Krea University's governing council". The Week. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  15. ^ "KREA University Masterplan, Sri City, India". Urban Systems Design | MEP & Environmental Engineers. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  16. ^ PTI (27 August 2022). "Academic block inaugurated at Krea University". ThePrint. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  17. ^ "IFMR, Chennai". EducationWorld. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  18. ^ "JSW Academic Building inaugurated at Krea University to foster excellence in education". India Education | Latest Education News | Global Educational News | Recent Educational News. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  19. ^ Krea University: CAMPUS TOUR!!!!, retrieved 27 September 2023
  20. ^ Krea University Campus Tour ✨2022 Academic Block, OAT, Perimeter Walk..., retrieved 27 September 2023
  21. ^ Krea University Campus Tour by a PARENT | Sri City |, retrieved 27 September 2023
  22. ^ "KREA University". www.careerlauncher.com. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  23. ^ "IFMR GSB launches BBA integrated MBA programme". Financialexpress. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  24. ^ Bureau, BL Chennai (10 January 2023). "IFMR GSB unveils BBA Integrated MBA programme". BusinessLine. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  25. ^ a b Vasudha (3 March 2020). "IFMR Full-time and Part-Time Courses: Check the IFMR Advantage and Placement Opportunities". PaGaLGuY. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  26. ^ "This Business Analytics & Big Data Certification Can Lead To a High-Paying Job in Data Analytics". Analytics India Magazine. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  27. ^ BLoC, Team (24 April 2019). "IFMR hosts special MBA for L&T executives". BLoC. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  28. ^ Deoras, Srishti (4 November 2019). "Top 10 Full-Time Data Science Courses In India - Ranking 2019". Analytics India Magazine. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  29. ^ "Krea University Inks Partnership With University Of Bristol". BW Education. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  30. ^ Porayouw, William (17 February 2022). "Yale looks to India and South Asia as global research expands". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  31. ^ "International Partnerships | The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy". harris.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  32. ^ "Krea university partners with Dalai Lama centre". The Hindu. 12 November 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  33. ^ "WayCool partners with IFMR Graduate School of Business for leadership programme". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Krea University partners with Kauvery Hospital for campus health facilities". Business News This Week. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  35. ^ "Saxon, Prof. David Harold, (born 27 Oct. 1945), Kelvin Professor of Physics, 1990–2008, now Professor Emeritus, Dean, Physical Sciences, 2002–08, University of Glasgow", Who's Who, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2007, retrieved 5 October 2023
  36. ^ Sivakumar, S. (19 August 2023). "Quantum gates: Devices that translate quantum effects to computing awesomeness". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  37. ^ Kamath, Vinay (23 March 2023). "'IFMR GSB's finance specialistion is our strong legacy'". BusinessLine. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  38. ^ "Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi". ThePrint. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  39. ^ Chakrabarti, Kalyan S.; Olsson, Simon; Pratihar, Supriya; Giller, Karin; Overkamp, Kerstin; Lee, Ko On; Gapsys, Vytautas; Ryu, Kyoung-Seok; de Groot, Bert L.; Noé, Frank; Becker, Stefan; Lee, Donghan; Weikl, Thomas R.; Griesinger, Christian (1 July 2022). "A litmus test for classifying recognition mechanisms of transiently binding proteins". Nature Communications. 13 (1): 3792. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-31374-5. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 9249894. PMID 35778416.
  40. ^ Ray, Panchali (31 December 2021). "Feminist writer bell hooks works resonated across the globe". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  41. ^ "'India's navrang bird can help us strengthen solar energy'". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  42. ^ "Guest-Editorial – Building the Boat While Sailing it: Writing Pedagogy in India". Café Dissensus. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  43. ^ Take 2 : A dialogue - Prof Shobha Das and Prof Sumitra Ranganathan on International Women's Day, retrieved 5 October 2023
  44. ^ Lecture on What Art We? (Indian Aesthetics) by Dr Srajana Kaikini, retrieved 5 October 2023
  45. ^ tli. "Swarnamalya Ganesh, Guest Author, The Logical Indian". thelogicalindian.com. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  46. ^ Soundarrajan, Sabarirajan. "Kruu - Connecting global creative minds". facebook.com. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  47. ^ "'World War II was the foundational event for Indian aviation': Aashique Ahmed Iqbal". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  48. ^ "'World War II was the foundational event for Indian aviation': Aashique Ahmed Iqbal". Moneycontrol. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  49. ^ "As crisis grips education in India, a two-day conference deliberates on the way forward". IndiaBioscience. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  50. ^ "V Anantha Nageswaran to be govt's next chief economic adviser". The Times of India. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  51. ^ News9 Staff (21 May 2022). "Lack of transgender-friendly system blocks education of such kids". NEWS9LIVE. Retrieved 30 July 2022.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  52. ^ "Azim Premji University". alumni.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  53. ^ "As crisis grips education in India, a two-day conference deliberates on the way forward". IndiaBioscience. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  54. ^ Agencies, TPT Bureau | (29 July 2019). "Krea University Conducts Workshop for School Teachers". The Policy Times. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  55. ^ "demonetization India poor impact villages study". www.thehindubusinessline.com. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  56. ^ "'The kind of questions they ask… The 17-year-old of today is nothing like the 17-yr-old of a few years ago'". The Indian Express. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  57. ^ "Vice President Venkaiah Naidu calls for multidisciplinarity in higher education". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  58. ^ "Krea University Launches Centre for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences". News18. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  59. ^ "Sapien Lab Centre for Human Brain and Mind launched at Krea University". The Hindu. 4 August 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  60. ^ Innovation, Centre for Social and Environmental (22 July 2023). "Introducing WELL Labs!". Centre for Social and Environmental Innovation, ATREE. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  61. ^ "Centre for Digital Financial Inclusion (CDFI)". www.cdfi.in. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  62. ^ "Inclusion Economics". Yale Economic Growth Center. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  63. ^ "Krea Univ Student At Harvard Conference". The Times of India. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  64. ^ "Kozhikode boy walks into elite science society". Deccan chronicle. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  65. ^ Vatyam, Nirupa (6 July 2020). "Telangana: Merit shows Divya the way from cotton fields to university". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  66. ^ "Peaks and perks of perseverance". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  67. ^ "385 students receive degree certificates from Krea University". The Times of India. 5 July 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  68. ^ "TEDxKrea University | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  69. ^ "Research Symposium on Finance and Economics invites experts to discuss finance". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  70. ^ "Chennai: 'ESG becoming a key factor for investment'". The Hindu. 16 June 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  71. ^ team (9 December 2021). "Krea University holds webinar on 'R&D and National Prosperity". Business News This Week. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
Categories