1. What does ‘global multi-disciplinary’ mean to seekers and givers of
education today?
Current day society across the globe faces a diversity of challenges and priorities. Vastly differing
levels exist in terms of socio-economic development, resource availability, infrastructure,
governance quality and access to technology. These imbalances have resulted in differing
developmental priorities. The common priorities converge around innovations on clean (green)
energy development and use, resource sharing and conservation, distribution efficiencies, infra
development and technology investments. There is also the social dimension of improved tertiary
education, healthcare delivery, societal equity, good governance, and value based civic
development. Access to global markets and the rapid advances in communication and transport
have generated a differing set of challenges to different societies as they grapple with the desire for
protectionism (or dumping) versus the compulsion to liberalise, become more productive, open and
competitive. Economic development and a spurt in global trade has indeed been witnessed but it
has not entirely been efficient. Lessons have to be learnt in developing and sustaining a balance
between local market growth and export growth in order to hedge against international
recessionary trends. Amidst all this, the need for ethical practices and methods are at an all time
high.
Socially responsible, holistically educated and development oriented citizenry will act and deliver on
these challenges – both in individual societies as well as on a global scale. It will be the responsibility
of educators to create such citizenry through a contemporary, customised and inter-disciplinary
approach to education. Technology will have to infused with new age planning, governance and
social models. Educational institutions must also provide students a multi-cultural environment as
well as access to global campus locations and different learning experiences This is the new-age
‘global multi-disciplinary’ university. These will be renowned for producing professionals who are
not just experts in their chosen fields of study but are also trained in an inter-disciplinary approach
on the challenges and imperatives for global societies today. They will thereby create citizens with
better societal impact value – both economic and qualitative.
We as MIU aspire to be truly global and multi-disciplinary. We will provide an eclectic educational
experience that will create this new class of globally aware citizenry. Not only will we have
technology and management as core pillars, we will also in due course have equal focus on law,
governance, planning, social sciences, ethics, humanities and liberal arts. MIU will be therefore
multi-disciplinary with a view to achieving inter-disciplinary synergies. The differentiator we will
create is essentially through our academic infrastructure design. This will enable the inter-
disciplinary approach to learning through centres of excellence that draw a diverse set of
competencies to conduct applied research on contemporary subjects. Solutions will be found in such
eclectic environments rather than conventional models.
MIU will also enable access for students to the Manipal family of institutions across the globe in
addition to the fund of academic collaborations we have with several leading foreign universities
across the world. The international mix of faculty and students will create the atmosphere for
students to interact and appreciate the diversity of global culture.
Basu Athreya