In a second wave of sorts, many new private universities have come up in the last couple of years. Of the better-known names are BML Munjal University, Shiv Nadar University, Jaypee University and Ashoka University, among a host of lesser known and many dubious new players.
Of the lot, the biggest buzz in academic, parent and student circles appears to be around the new liberal arts university, Ashoka, in Sonepat. Last week I visited it. It was a two-hour ride from Gurgaon to Sonepat but I was pretty impressed by what I saw. Other than a building that is pleasing to the eye, Ashoka has an impressive campus with an open architecture. The art on its walls - lots of folk, tribal stuff from Madhya Pradesh - is educative and eye catching. It is recycling its garbage. Classrooms of different sizes seemed geared for learning. A glass library at the centre had students absorbed in casual - many students were settled in bean bags - yet serious study. I met the head of the writing centre - a first in an Indian college as far as I know - and she explained how the centre was critical to what was being attempted in the college.
Although the first undergraduate batch is yet to pass out, Ashoka has managed to distinguish itself from the others in a short time. In general, students still choose Delhi University (DU) over Ashoka assuming they have managed admission in both but I also know a few rare cases where students have chosen it over the better DU colleges.
Why? One of the big reasons why Ashoka has already carved a niche for itself is its focused approach. It is and remains a liberal arts college - many parents in India confuse liberal arts with fine arts - and is not trying to offer anything else. Since very few universities in the country offer a credible liberal arts programme, Ashoka directly competes with colleges in the United States that admit hundreds of Indian students primarily for a liberal arts degree. It costs around one-fourth the American alternatives for a year of study.
Focus helps in two ways. Students who join are those who know their mind and are aware that the entire machinery on the campus is geared for them. Unlike Delhi and other large universities in India, you won't get lost in the maze. Attracting faculty is easier since those who are in the field of liberal arts will know that they are in some sense indispensable to the college. I recently came across a young post-graduate who joined the university's teaching staff. Other than the fact that pay scales are higher, his point was that if he was looking at a career in teaching in this field, he might as well do it someplace where his services were integral to the organisation. His own career growth in a way is inextricably linked with the rise of the institute.
A second big reason is that unlike many of the other new entrants, Ashoka is not family-owned and run. The board does not comprise members from a particular family with a single surname. Those on its board and involved in its management will, in all likelihood, end their association with it during their lifetime. It won't pass on to their sons and daughters.
This helps in two ways. One, the board and the people who manage are free from any kind of control or influence. The founders are from diverse fields and have come together primarily because they all believe that a private attempt at stemming the flow of students out of the country is desperately needed. The faculty is far more comfortable with this diverse, multi-dimensional ownership and structure than it is with family-owned models. Be it India or the United States, academicians and researchers are wary of working for a family and the model for universities that has worked best is one where powers are vested in a trust.
Coming to faculty, herein lies the institute's biggest challenge. Finding world-class faculty and retaining it -and basing it in Sonepat - will not be easy. As of now, the university has 570 students and 35 full-time faculty of which 22 or so live on campus.
Ashoka is aiming high. It is aiming to be the number one liberal arts college in Asia. While there's no doubt it is a long way from that goal as of now - and it remains to be seen whether it gets there eventually - it is heartening to see that a serious attempt is on.
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