JGU Vice Chancellor receives inaugural Dr. Pritam Singh Transformational Leader Award

The inaugural Dr. Pritam Singh Transformational Leader Award 2023 has been bestowed on Professor (Dr.) C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU, in November. The prestigious award cited Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar as a ‘Game Changer Vice Chancellor’ and an ‘Exemplary Higher Education Leader’. The award is given to a serving Vice Chancellor/Director for leadership excellence contributing to the Indian higher education.

The award committee said Professor Raj Kumar, who is dedicated towards institution building as exemplified by his extraordinary leadership of JGU, stood out for his exceptional contribution to the nation by placing India on the global academic map in the field of law, social sciences and humanities. 

Receiving the award, Professor Raj Kumar thanked the award’s jury for bestowing him with the award and remarked, “Education is going to be instrumental in redefining the leadership of the future. There must be a new imagination for Indian education, one which draws inspiration from the past, but will also have to look to the future. Transformational change needs to take place at every level of policymaking, regulation and governance in higher education if Indian universities are serious about seeking global excellence and achieving higher rankings.”

He added: “India, a country renowned for its varied population and rich cultural legacy, has advanced significantly over the years in a number of fields. It is important to imagine a future wherein India leads the world in education, especially in the area of business schools and colleges in law, humanities and social sciences, as the centennial of India’s independence draws near. Pertinently, the Indian higher education system commanded awe and respect in the ancient world long before the emergence of the first university in Europe and attracted the best students and academicians from around the world. Therefore, we must learn from our past and work on the present to reflect positively on our future.”

Dr. Pritam Singh Leadership Award & PRISM 2023 Valedictory Function was held at the campus of Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH). The Vice Chancellor also delivered the Keynote address on ‘India at 2047: Building World-Class Business Schools & Universities Perspective from a Game Changer Vice Chancellor’. 

The Dr. Pritam Singh Foundation (PSF) has taken a new initiative of conferring Leadership Awards this year to cherish and celebrate the legacy of the late Dr. Pritam Singh in leadership education, training, and research. Under the Dr. Pritam Singh Leadership Awards, two awards have been instituted separately for industry and academia leaders.

Prof. Dabiru Sridhar Patnaik, Registrar, JGU, lauded the achievement and said, “Prof. (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar’s principal contribution has been to show how deeply globalisation has influenced higher education in India. His dedication and commitment led JGU towards achieving academic excellence which brings its students a truly global and diverse experience, while increasing the global footprint of Indian higher education.  Dr. Raj Kumar continues with his outstanding academic work to contribute towards building an enhanced and comprehensive understanding of the role of higher education in India and beyond as means of building a society that is ethical and based on rule of law.”

Dr. Pritam Singh worked tirelessly to transform institutions, inspire thousands of people in academia and corporate sector, contributed in higher education practices and policies, and mentored management schools to become high purpose at national and global level. He contributed to raise the benchmark of management education by bringing international accreditations to India. The Dr. Pritam Singh Foundation is established to take forward his philosophy, school of thought and life lessons to the larger community of academia and industry.