Q1. India is becoming a startup hub. How is LPU encouraging entrepreneurship?
Ans. I believe entrepreneurship begins much before a student starts a company. It begins when a young person learns to identify a problem, take ownership of it, experiment with solutions and create something of real value.
At LPU, students are encouraged to begin that journey while they are studying. We have student-run kiosks, food ventures, cafés and other businesses operating on campus. Spaces such as our Business Center, pre-incubation and incubation facilities allow students to work together, develop projects and take ideas towards viable enterprises. Faculty mentors, the LPU Group and our wider corporate and banking ecosystem provide another layer of support.
We also provide seed funding for promising projects and ventures. Our philosophy is to share the entrepreneurial risk: when the venture succeeds, the student can return that support; when an experiment fails, the institution shares that experience because failure is also part of innovation.
The learning can be very practical. Agriculture students cultivate crops and products, take them to market and generate revenue — combining experience, training and earnings. Similarly, electric green mobility operating within LPU grew from a startup initiative into a service addressing an actual campus transportation need.
This connects directly with EdRev — Education Revolution and our philosophy of earning while learning. We want to create enough genuine projects, professional assignments, internships and entrepreneurial opportunities for students to potentially earn 50–70% of their fee back while studying. Entrepreneurship here is therefore something students can practise, fund, operate and learn from during their university years.
Q2. Research is becoming increasingly important in university rankings. How is LPU strengthening its research ecosystem?
Ans. Research contributes to rankings, but its larger value lies in the knowledge and impact it creates. LPU today has a robust H-index of 200, reflecting the depth of our research and our strong standing among institutions in North India.
Our focus is increasingly on socially relevant research — work that can address real problems, contribute to government policy and projects, and create solutions useful to industry and society. Our association with CRISP, the Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies, is one such example of connecting academic capability with public-policy work through structured institutional, project and costing frameworks.
We are also broadening the pathways through which doctoral research can create value. A scholar may contribute through rigorous research and publications, while another may translate research into a substantial product, project or practical outcome, with academic rigour remaining fundamental to both.
Interdisciplinary research is equally important because today's challenges frequently cross traditional academic boundaries. Bringing researchers and students from technology, healthcare, agriculture, sustainability, business and the social sciences together allows research to progress from inquiry towards policy, products and meaningful societal impact.
Q3. LPU has students from across India and many parts of the world. How do you create an environment that promotes diversity, inclusion, and cultural exchange on campus?
Ans. One of the most enriching experiences a university can offer is the opportunity to live and learn with people whose backgrounds are very different from one's own.
At LPU, students from different regions and countries share classrooms, residences, projects, festivals, sports and everyday campus life. Cultural exchange therefore happens naturally, supported by student societies, activities and collaborative learning.
We also use language as an important bridge for integration. LPU has a dedicated English Language Programme for international students from non-English-speaking backgrounds, with structured proficiency levels, personal tutorials and multimedia language labs. International cultural-immersion initiatives also introduce students to basic survival Hindi and Indian culture, while LPU students have access to certification opportunities in languages such as French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin. This enables communication across cultures to become a practical capability, rather than simply an aspiration.
For me, inclusion is ultimately achieved when every student develops a genuine sense of belonging and leaves the university more confident engaging with people, cultures and perspectives different from their own.
Q4. How has LPU implemented the National Education Policy (NEP 2020)?
Ans. NEP 2020 represents a major shift in Indian education — the first such comprehensive policy transformation since the 1986 framework. Its emphasis on multidisciplinary education, flexibility, skills and experiential learning aligns closely with the direction LPU has been pursuing.
Through EdRev — Education Revolution, we are taking a significant part of education beyond the conventional classroom. Our model envisages around 50% of learning beyond the classroom, through live projects, industry engagement, simulations, competitions, internships, entrepreneurship and other real-world experiences. Students can also receive academic recognition for credible achievements outside conventional classroom learning.
Our 2025 comparative study of conventional classroom learning and hands-on training further strengthened our confidence in this direction. Flexible academic pathways, micro-stacking of credits and project-based learning allow students to participate more actively in designing their educational journey.
By 2035, I expect experiential and project-based learning to occupy a much larger part of higher education. The classroom will remain important, while its role will increasingly be complemented by the world outside it.
Q5. LPU has grown significantly over the years. What is your vision for the university over the next decade?
Ans. Growth in the next decade, in my view, should be measured increasingly by the impact a university creates in a student's life.
We want LPU to develop four capabilities particularly strongly: critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration. These are enduring human capabilities in a world where technology and professions will continue to evolve rapidly.
The role of the teacher will evolve with this change. Faculty will increasingly become mentors, helping students develop judgement, mental flexibility, adaptability and the confidence to navigate their own learning journeys.
Academic flexibility will also deepen. Through micro-credit stacking, students should be able to build complementary capabilities around their core discipline and create an educational profile aligned with their aspirations and with the best opportunities globally.
Alongside academic progress, we want LPU to advance year after year in clean and green practices, aspiring to emerge among leading institutions in sustainability across sectors. The larger vision is to develop capable, adaptable and responsible human beings whose education continues to create value throughout their lives.
Q6. How do you see India's education system evolving by 2035?
Ans. By 2035, I believe Indian higher education will increasingly move from horizontal expansion towards quality, excellence and global competitiveness. The next phase has to be about making institutions better, more differentiated and internationally comparable.
The arrival and establishment of foreign universities and campuses in India can become a game changer. It will create stronger competition, expose students to greater choice and encourage Indian universities to benchmark themselves against global standards. Over time, I expect this to create more islands of excellence whose practices raise expectations across the wider system.
…on real problems? Can the student explore different interests, interact with industry, participate in research, build something, start something or gain professional experience while studying?
For students especially, I would say do not wait until graduation to begin your professional journey. University is already part of that journey. Use those years to experiment, develop skills, work on projects, seek mentors, explore entrepreneurship and create value.
This is an idea we strongly believe in at LPU. Through our philosophy of education revolution, we want students to experience education through outcomes: what they can build, solve, demonstrate and contribute. Opportunities to earn while learning through genuine projects, assignments, professional engagements and enterprise can take this philosophy even further.
And to parents, I would say that while career outcomes are important, the most valuable education gives a young person something even more enduring: the confidence and capability to continue creating opportunities throughout life.