The unprecedented events which took place in the year 2020 put education in the limelight like never before. The paradigm shift towards online learning pushed universities and higher educational institutions to accompany technological disruption and simultaneously evolve along with it. Adaptive learner experience, as well as boundary-less learning, was the key to education in the post-covid-era and students across all mediums learnt to get equipped to become abled professionals of tomorrow. With universities across the length and breadth of our country making impressive strides in technology-oriented education, the need of the hour are educational hubs who are continuing rigorously in the pursuit of imparting the best higher-education learning to the masses. In this very context, Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM) shines as a bright light of hope, for all those students who want to be 100% market ready and employable right-out after college.
A duly recognized pioneer of ‘Skill Integrated Higher Education”, Centurion University of Technology and Management’s unique educational model emphasizes on creating sustainable livelihoods on a national scale in challenging geographies, through education that results in employability and sparks entrepreneurship. Since its inception in 2005 and subsequent establishment as a university in 2010, Centurion boasts of an environment that ensures a tailored learning and employability path for youth across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and India.
The University has five campuses and a number of social entrepreneurial outreach entities that along with collaborating institutions and networks, form its ecosystem. The campuses are located at Paralakhemundi, Bhubaneswar, Rayagada, Bolangir and Balasore. All the courses are delivered through the School of Engineering and Technology, School of Vocational Education and Training, M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, School of Paramedics and Allied Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, School of Management and the School of Media and Communication. Recently, Centurion University’s School of Vocational Education and Training has been recognized as a Center of Excellence by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India. It is the only University in India to be recognized as such.
Setting a global benchmark
Operating on a setup that integrates skills into higher education, at Centurion University of Technology and Management, students are facilitated with sufficient flexibility in terms of choice of courses and focused internships to cater to individual needs and aspirations. Motivating all its students to learn and grow in a broader sense while also learning to value nature, the University is known for its open class sessions, field activities and an outbound curriculum. Having always been progressive in its approach to imparting education, Centurion University of Technology and Management clearly stands out from the crowd, all thanks to the onboard state of the art infrastructure, consisting of industry integrated labs, production linked action learning centers, digital platform-based learning spaces.
The faculty members of CUTM are the main backbones on who’s weight the University progresses forward. Thereby, Centurion University sets the highest standards in recruitment of faculty. The University has a focused induction program wherein newly appointed faculty are made familiar with its vision and mission. With equal emphasis on teaching as well as research and innovation, a faculty member is expected to work in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, focusing on product design and development and new advancements in the field.
Further, CUTM pushes its students to become capable personnel, who are good at problem solving through innovative projects and, at the same time, engaging them in activities linked to entrepreneurship. Skills for Success (SFS), National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF), dedicated Domain based specialization in Science, Engineering and Management are a few of the renowned initiatives started by CUTM. Moreover, through the Community Action Learning (CAL) program, CUTM connects academic learning to community problem solving.
All the courses offered at CUTM across different programs are designed and packaged by a highly experienced team to meet the demands of the future workforce and society, as a whole. A student gets a holistic experience from the Choice Based Credit System having to study courses from Basic Science, Social Sciences and Management. Further, an Engineering student, for example, can qualify with a dual specialization by completing some additional credits. To ensure a wider understanding on the subject, relevant industry/ field visits and sessions by invited speakers from Industry/ Research/ Academia are organized. Alongside, additional skill sets are also promoted through specific (compulsory) courses (e.g.; on entrepreneurship development, gender, human rights and ethics, community problem solving, culture-sports-responsibility (CSR)).
Exhibiting all-rounded brilliance
CUTM has facilitated 25 research centers under its umbrella with 2500+ publications in the SCI/ SCIE/ Scopus/ WoS indexed journal in the last academic year, besides several books and book chapters. 50 patents and several copyrights have been filed and registered accordingly. The onboard MSME approved incubation cell has so far groomed 20+ startups just in the last few years.
As a recognized Skill University, at CUTM active engagement with the industry plays a crucial role in retaining the quality of training and infrastructure as per the demand of the industry. From curriculum development, to inviting resources for training, to certification, to development of Lab and infrastructure and so on,, the university has been working in a profitable partnership model with the industry. Over a period of time, Centurion has earned the respect and trust from its industry partners for the quality of training and workforce being served to the industry every year. As on date, with a network of 30 (approx.) industry partners (Dassault, Mindtree, AWS, etc) 20 industry supported labs/ training centers (Ashok Leyland, Volvo Eicher, Hyundai, Godrej, Schneider, Café Coffee Day, etc) over 200 (approx.) industries hiring 1500 students (approx.) annually, the industry-academia exchange has been deeply integrated into the culture. Due to the confidence gained through hands-on training and real-world learning packaged with apt interpersonal skills, students of Centurion University are preferred by the companies that seek core competencies. Lastly, with inclusivity felt in every nook and corner of the campus, students find their calling very early and move towards innovation and excellence, in turn, proving their talents by inventing and re-innovating in every endeavor of their respective lives.
Prof. Supriya Pattanayak – Vice-Chancellor
With over 25 years of experience in the development sector and academia, Dr. Supriya is a well-read personality with several degrees credited to her name. She has earned a reputation of being a highly competent professional working with Bilateral, Multilateral, Government and non-government organizations. She has extensive teaching, research and policy making expertise and her research interest is in the field of gender and development issues, and social work pedagogy in different contexts. She has delivered several publications, among which, the latest being a book she edited along with Dr. Margaret Kumar entitled ‘Positioning Research: Shifting paradigms, interdisciplinarity and indigeneity’ (Sage Publications, India, 2018). Dr. Supriya has maintained oversight of all DFID programs in the State of Odisha over the past 15 years, where she has taken on increasingly challenging roles in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating large programs with a focus on results.
