Krea University

Krea University
క్రియా విశ్వవిద్యాలయ (Telugu)
TypePrivate liberal arts college and research university
Established1970; 54 years ago (1970) (as Institute of Financial and Management Research) 2018; 6 years ago (2018) (as Krea University)
Endowment₹672,800,000
Vice-ChancellorNirmala Rao
Students1357
Address
5655, Central Expressway
,
Sri City
,
Andhra Pradesh
,
India

13°32'53.7"N 80°00'00.8"E
CampusRural, 40 acres (16 ha)
LanguageEnglish
Colors   Shades of blue
Websitehttps://krea.edu.in

Krea University is an Indian private university located in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh focused on liberal arts, sciences and management. It was established in 2018 by a team of high-net-worth individuals and academicians including Raghuram Rajan, Sajjan Jindal, Anand Mahindra.[1][2] The Institute for Financial Management and Research was incorporated under the aegis of university, which along with the School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences (SIAS) are the two schools housed in the campus.[3]

History

The university was established in 2018 under the Andhra Pradesh Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2018. It was temporarily housed in the IFMR campus, before shifting to its current campus in Sri City.[4]

Roots in IFMR (1970s-2018)

Main article: Institute for Financial Management and Research

The university was initially housed under the Sri City campus of Institute for Financial Management and Research, which was established in 1974 as a not-for-profit society focused financial and management research.

In 2021, Mahesh Rangarajan, from Ashoka University, took over as the vice-chancellor of the university. He then resigned from the position in less than a year citing personal circumstances.[5]

Campus

Krea University's Residence Halls view from the Perimeter Walk

Located 70 km north of Chennai, the Sri City campus was planned as a ‘Circular Campus'.[6] This forty-acre campus consists of two academic buildings where classes and research takes place: The JSW Academic Building, and the New Academic Block, which is connect to the university's main library.[7][8]

The JSW Academic Building, is the main hub of learning in the campus. Established in 2023, it has a built up area of 110,000 sq ft. that houses various classrooms, laboratories and centers of administration and research. It contains Seminar Hall 1, Kothari Hall and Seminar Hall 3, and various workspaces.[7][8]

HT Parekh Library, the university's main library, is a 10,000 sq ft library with over 30 thousand books. There are more than 50 Indian and international journals in print and over 60000+ e-journals under the library's catalog. The library is recognized as a World Bank Open Knowledge Repository.[9]

The New Academic Block, inaugurated in 2022 consists of laboratories for physics, biological sciences and chemistry research. It also houses the faculty rooms and more workspaces.[10]

University during monsoon season, covering parts of Residence Halls 1 and 3

Students are housed under 8 residence halls across the campus, some of which are divided by gender and some are mixed-gendered. Campus encloses two dining spaces, Old Dining Hall and New Dining Hall. It also includes various cafeterias and restaurants that are spread around campus.[11][12][13]

At the heart of Sri City campus is the Open-air Amphitheatre(OAT), where cultural and social events are hosted.[14]

Organization and Administration

Leadership

Nirmala Rao, the current Vice-chancellor of Krea University

Professor Nirmala Rao is the current Vice-Chancellor of Krea University.[15][16] She was preceded by Dr Mahesh Rangarajan (July 2021 to February 2022)[17] and Sunder Ramaswamy (2017–2021). The current Chancellor of university is Lakshmi Narayanan, former CEO and vice-chairman of Cognizant. He was preceded by N Vaghul, who resigned from his tenure in 2023.[18]

The Governing Council includes various high-net-worth individuals around the world like, Anand Mahindra, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Aditya Mittal, Dheeraj Hinduja, Sajjan Jindal, Anu Aga, and eminent academicians of all fields of study including John Etchemendy, Vishakha Desai  Dr Tara Thiagarajan and Nobel Prize laureate Esther Duflo.[19][20][21]

Academics

Undergraduate education

JSW Academic Building, the place that houses the undergraduate programs.

Krea University's School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences offers four-year residential undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences leading to BA (Hons.) and BSc(Hons.) degrees, with an option to pursue a three-year BA and BSc course at the School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences.[22] The bachelor's program follows a trimester system, where each term is for 12 weeks. Apart from the first year general requirements, the program follows an open curriculum and currently offers 400 to 450 courses across more than 20 disciplines. It enables students to choose any combination of major, minor and concentration. Student don't declare their majors until the middle of their sophomore year.[23]

First Year Courses

At SIAS, students irrespective of their intended major are required to satisfy the general requirements of 11 core and skills courses that includes scientific reasoning, mathematical reasoning, social science, history, philosophy, data sciences and computation. They are of 3-credits each and are usually taken by students by their 4th trimester.[23]

IFMR Integrated-MBA Program

Since 2023, the IFMR Graduate School of Business offers a five-year Integrated MBA program, where students have exit options at their junior and senior year to get a BBA or BBA(Hons.) degree.[24][25] Cohort of 2024 consisted of 71 people from 13 states and 5 countries across the world.

Graduate and Doctorate education

The School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences, offers graduate education in the form of doctorate and a one-year postgraduate certificate to students who complete the 3-year Bachelors program before 2026.

IFMR GSB offers graduate education in the form of master's and doctorate programs.[26][27] IFMR GSB also provides an Executive MBA programs with specialization in finance, supply chain, human relations and industry relations for executives of L&T Construction.[28] IFMR GSB offers PhD programs from Madras University, including Organizational Behavior & Human Resource Management, Strategic Management, Finance, Information Systems & Data Science, Economics, Marketing, Operations and Management.[29][26][30][31][32]

Admissions and Tuition

In the School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences, the class of 2024 consisted of 260 students coming from 21 states in India and 5 countries around the world. Admissions are made based on an online application and aptitude test. Shortlisted students then go through personal interviews and Krea Immersive Case Analysis. The School follows a need-blind policy for admissions and meets the demonstrated need of all students.[33][34] The tuition for students at SIAS in 2024 is ₹815,000 ($9,700) per year. Room & board and other fees are ₹200,000 ($2,380) per year, as of 2024.[35]

The flagship program at IFMR Graduate School of Business, MBA consisted of 250 for the cohort of 2024. The tuition for students of the MBA program is ₹1,456,000($17,000). The program provides various need-based and merit-based scholarships for students along with named and endowed scholarships.[36][37]

Reputation and Partnerships

The IFMR Graduate School of Business has ranked in the top 100 of NIRF Management rankings since its inception. Krea University received recognition as one of the institutions leading the wave of liberal arts education in India from Forbes.[38]

Krea University has partnered with universities and academic institutions around the world. The partner universities include Northeastern University, University of Chicago, Case Western Reserve University, University of Bristol, Sussex University and Sciences Po.[39] Krea has partnered with the Dalai Lama Centre For Ethics and Transformative Values to introduce ethics as part of its undergraduate program's curriculum.[40]

Corporate partnerships include WayCool Foods, which has partnered with IFMR GSB at Krea University to form the LEAP program and Kauvery Hospital to operate and maintain a health centre and pharmacy at the campus in Sri City.[41][42]

Research Centres

Krea University is home to various research centres in vast fields of study. Some of them are:

  • 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.[43]
  • 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.[44]
  • 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.[45] It commemorates veteran freedom fighter, Member of the Constituent Assembly, the Provisional Parliament two-time Rajya Sabha member Moturi Satyanarayana.[46]
  • 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.[47]
  • 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.[48]
  • Centre for Writing and Pedagogy: Krea University is home to the Centre for Writing and Pedagogy.[49] 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 across the world.[50][51][52]
  • Centre for Digital Financial Inclusion (CDFI): A social enterprise developing and supporting digital innovations for social impact.[53]
  • Inclusion Economics India Centre: In 2022, IFMR and Inclusion Economics[54] 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.

Student Life

As a residential college in a rural setting, the student life at Krea University is confined to the campus premises. The college has 8 residence halls, and houses many facilities for the students' social life. Krea students run various newsletters, magazines and journals. Leher is a student-run independent newspaper in Krea.[55]

Student Clubs

There are over 30 active student clubs at Krea University, with financial oversight of each club delegated by the Office of Student Life (OSL). Clubs are student-run and have their own charter and constitution governing them. There are a variety of clubs on campus, including various discipline-specific clubs, clubs that focus on social service, political advocacy and awareness, competitive athletics, professional development and networking, performing arts, academic debate. The most famous amongst them is Rangasthala, the theatre club of Krea. They host a student-led play every term. Students of the theatre club have won various competition across India.[56] The university hosts their annual Club Rush early in the fall semester for all students interested in joining clubs or other student organizations.[57]

Apart from clubs, Krea also has informal societies and student groups focused on various topics from Taylor Swift to foosball.

Ukiyo, 2023 student fest of IFMR iMBA at the amphitheater

Student Events

Events are a frequent occurrence across the campus, with religious festivals and college fests playing a significant role in the students' social life. In 2023, students at Krea University organised and hosted its first TEDx event on campus which included various eminent speakers and discussions.[58]

Notable Faculty and Alumni

Notable faculty at Krea University include:

  • Prof S Sivakumar, Dean of Research and Professor of Physics.[59]
  • Professor Lakshmi Kumar, Dean, IFMR Graduate School of Business.[60]
  • Dr Prithvi Data Chandra Shobhi, Associate Dean and associate professor of history.[61]
  • Dr Kalyan Chakrabarti, Associate Dean(Students) and associate professor of Biological Sciences and Chemistry.[62]
  • Dr Panchali Ray, Associate Dean(Academic) and associate professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies.[63]
  • Ramachandra Guha, eminent historian and writer.
  • Dr Vinod Kumar Saranathan, PhD Yale, BA Ohio Wesleyan University; Professor of Biological Sciences.[64]
  • Dr. Anannya Dasgupta, Director, Centre for Writing and Pedagogy.[65]
  • Sayantan Datta, award-winning queer and science journalist; Assistant Professor for Practice, Centre for Writing and Pedagogy.[51]
  • V Anantha Nageswaran, Incumbent Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India; former Dean, IFMR GSB.[66]
Ram Guha, a key authority in the history of Modern India, is a Distinguished University Professor at Krea

References

  1. ^ "University to create 'thinking Indians'". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  2. ^ Archana, Alekh (24 March 2018). "Raghuram Rajan, corporate leaders to set up Rs750 crore university". mint. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  3. ^ Vij, Gauri (24 March 2018). "Krea University will foster debate, immersive learning". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. 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. ^ Jaganathan, KT (10 February 2022). "Krea University's VC Dr Mahesh Rangarajan is stepping down, after a tenure of less than a year".
  6. ^ "KREA University Masterplan, Sri City, India". Urban Systems Design | MEP & Environmental Engineers. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b "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.
  8. ^ a b "JSW Group enters into agreement with Krea University". Financialexpress. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  9. ^ "IFMR, Chennai". EducationWorld. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  10. ^ PTI (27 August 2022). "Academic block inaugurated at Krea University". ThePrint. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  11. ^ Krea University: CAMPUS TOUR!!!!, 31 March 2020, retrieved 27 September 2023
  12. ^ Krea University Campus Tour ✨2022 Academic Block, OAT, Perimeter Walk..., 2 September 2022, retrieved 27 September 2023
  13. ^ Krea University Campus Tour by a PARENT | Sri City |, 19 April 2023, retrieved 27 September 2023
  14. ^ "Futuristic Amphitheatre At IFMR GSB, Krea University". Modern Ghana. 16 December 2019.
  15. ^ PTI (26 July 2022). "Nirmala Rao to take over as Krea University VC on Aug 16". ThePrint. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  16. ^ BLoC (26 July 2022). "Nirmala Rao is the Vice-Chancellor of Krea University". BLoC. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  17. ^ Basu, Sreeradha. "Krea University appoints Dr. Mahesh Rangarajan as Vice Chancellor". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  18. ^ Bureau, BL Chennai (16 October 2023). "Lakshmi Narayanan appointed Chancellor of Krea University". BusinessLine. Retrieved 16 October 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ "Dr. Tara Thiagarajan joins Krea University Governing Council". Higher Education Digest. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Nobel laureate Esther Duflo joins Krea University's governing council". The Week. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  21. ^ "The SIAS Student Government elections for the academic year 2024-25 concluded successfully on Sunday, 8 September 2024". Instagram. 12 September 2024.
  22. ^ "KREA University". www.careerlauncher.com. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  23. ^ a b "'Our curriculum is forward looking': Krea University dean". Careers360. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  24. ^ "IFMR GSB launches BBA integrated MBA programme". Financialexpress. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  25. ^ Bureau, BL Chennai (10 January 2023). "IFMR GSB unveils BBA Integrated MBA programme". BusinessLine. Retrieved 14 September 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ BLoC, Team (24 April 2019). "IFMR hosts special MBA for L&T executives". BLoC. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  29. ^ "Krea University: Creating a generation of 'thinking Indians'". Hindustan Times. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Research Symposium on Finance and Economics invites experts to discuss finance". The New Indian Express. July 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  31. ^ "Chennai: 'ESG becoming a key factor for investment'". The Hindu. 16 June 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  32. ^ Deoras, Srishti (4 November 2019). "Top 10 Full-Time Data Science Courses In India - Ranking 2019". Analytics India Magazine. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Financial Assistance sias ug". Krea University. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  34. ^ "SIAS-Selection process". Krea University. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  35. ^ "Fee Structure and schedule sias". Krea University. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  36. ^ "Krea University's IFMR GSB begins MBA cohort with over 250 students at Prarambh 2024". The Indian Express. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  37. ^ "Scholarships". Krea University IFMR GSB. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  38. ^ Penprase, Bryan. "A New Batch of Indian Universities". Forbes. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  39. ^ "International Partnerships | The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy". harris.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  40. ^ "Krea university partners with Dalai Lama centre". The Hindu. 12 November 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  41. ^ "Krea University partners with Kauvery Hospital for campus health facilities". Business News This Week. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  42. ^ "WayCool partners with IFMR Graduate School of Business for leadership programme". The Times of India. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  43. ^ "demonetization India poor impact villages study". www.thehindubusinessline.com. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  44. ^ "'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.
  45. ^ "Vice President Venkaiah Naidu calls for multidisciplinarity in higher education". The Times of India. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  46. ^ "Krea University Launches Centre for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences". News18. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  47. ^ "Sapien Lab Centre for Human Brain and Mind launched at Krea University". The Hindu. 4 August 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  48. ^ Innovation, Centre for Social and Environmental (22 July 2023). "Introducing WELL Labs!". Centre for Social and Environmental Innovation, ATREE. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  49. ^ 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)
  50. ^ "Azim Premji University". alumni.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  51. ^ a b "As crisis grips education in India, a two-day conference deliberates on the way forward". IndiaBioscience. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  52. ^ Agencies, TPT Bureau | (29 July 2019). "Krea University Conducts Workshop for School Teachers". The Policy Times. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  53. ^ "Centre for Digital Financial Inclusion (CDFI)". www.cdfi.in. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  54. ^ "Inclusion Economics". Yale Economic Growth Center. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  55. ^ "Leher | Student run newspaper". Leher. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  56. ^ "Rangasthala - The Theatre Club of SIAS". Krea University. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  57. ^ "Clubs and Commitees sias". Krea University. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  58. ^ "TEDxKrea University | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  59. ^ "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, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.33965, retrieved 5 October 2023
  60. ^ Kamath, Vinay (23 March 2023). "'IFMR GSB's finance specialistion is our strong legacy'". BusinessLine. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  61. ^ "Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi". ThePrint. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  62. ^ 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. Bibcode:2022NatCo..13.3792C. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-31374-5. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 9249894. PMID 35778416.
  63. ^ Ray, Panchali (31 December 2021). "Feminist writer bell hooks works resonated across the globe". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  64. ^ "'India's navrang bird can help us strengthen solar energy'". The Times of India. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  65. ^ "Guest-Editorial – Building the Boat While Sailing it: Writing Pedagogy in India". Café Dissensus. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  66. ^ "V Anantha Nageswaran to be govt's next chief economic adviser". The Times of India. 29 January 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.