Office of the Dean

Vision Mission Team Members Activities

Vision

To be a focal point for imbibing the best educational practices to provide an improved academic environment for the present and future students of Guru Nanak College.

Mission

The Office of the Dean Academics is dedicated to:

Impart quality holistic higher education for the students to enable them to be globally competitive and socially responsible with intrinsic values.
Offer academic programmes at UG, PG, and doctoral level, which are industry-focused, and incorporate Multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary aspects of the education system to meet global requirements.
Introduce and implement innovation in the teaching and learning process to strengthen academic delivery to produce graduates with high professional and ethical standards.
Facilitate academic flexibility by means of Choice based credit system for identifying and introducing new programmes with diverse specializations adhering to outcome-based National and International models.
Provide essential knowledge and skills to the students and enhance their employable potential and entrepreneurial capabilities.

Dean

Dr. Swati Paliwal
M.A.(History)., M.A.(Hindi)., M.Phil., Ph.D., SET

Assistant Professor & Head, Hindi

List of Successive Deans of Academics

S. No	Name
1.	Dr. K.P. Sanjayan	2015 to 2018
2.	Dr. Suresh George	2018 to 2020
3.	Dr. S. Savithri	2020 to 2023
4.	Dr. Hansa Lysander Manohar	2023 to 2024
5.	Dr. Swati Paliwal	2024 onwards

Roles and Responsibilities of the Dean Academics

Working in close coordination with the Deans of the Schools of Excellence and other Officers, the Office of the Dean (Academics) is responsible for facilitating the College in carrying out academic planning, curriculum framing, design, implementation and schemes of evaluation.
The Office of the Dean (Academics) works with the IQAC and Deans of the Schools of Excellence to ensure academic quality and supports them in fostering excellence in teaching, learning and assessment through various means including preparation of lesson plans, robust mentor-mentee system and remedial support.

Role of Dean Academics

To contribute towards the preparation of the Academic Calendar and other related statutory documents.
To create awareness among the members of the faculty as well as students about academic rules and regulations from time to time in accordance with the norms of the University of Madras, UGC and other relevant regulatory agencies.
To extend administrative help in constituting and conducting meetings of the Academic Council for the College and the Boards of Studies for various Schools.
To contribute towards the introduction of innovative, market-driven and socially relevant UG and PG Courses, keeping in view the current trends, industry requirements, etc.
To make arrangements for the introduction of inter-disciplinary elective courses and similar such courses of relevance in the course curriculum.
To gather and coordinate the details pertaining to various Courses across disciplines and periodically disseminate such information.
To maintain databases relating to curricula/syllabi, examiner panels and Members of the Academic Council and Boards of Studies.
To promote inter-departmental programmes.
To aid and encourage the Schools in the conduct of seminars, workshops, conferences, endowment lectures, etc.
To work with the IQAC for implementing academic auditing and quality assurance measures.
To coordinate with the Office of the Controller of Examinations in the conduct of tests for continuous internal assessment (CIA). Coordinate with the Principal and other Deans for conduct of End Semester Examinations.
To plan and conduct re-tests, where required, with the assistance of the Deans.
To conduct registration of students for interdisciplinary and non-major elective (NME) paper.
To prepare the Agenda and Minutes of the Academic Council meetings.
To participate in the Meetings of the Boards of Studies as an Ex-Officio member.
To work with the Dean (Research) as and when required.
To participate as an Ex-Officio Member of the Committee on Examination Malpractices.
To take active role in the arrangements leading to and the conduct of the Annual Convocation.
To act as a liaison insofar as academic matters are concerned between the College and the University of Madras and the UGC.
To participate in the grievance redressal mechanism by interacting with the teachers and authorities concerned for redressal of grievances of both students and faculty members pertaining to academic matters.
To organize student feedback and appraisal of the teaching faculty at the end of each Academic Year.
To organize Orientation Programmes for the newly recruited faculty members as well as Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) in such areas as online/offline teaching strategies, examination patterns, etc.
To take an active role in all the developmental activities of the College.
To function as an Ex-Officio member of the Governing Body of the College.

Role of Deputy Dean

To assist the Dean in all academic activities as part of the Office of the Dean (Academics).
To carry out any other work as assigned by the Dean (Academics) from time to time.

Deputy Deans

Dr. Rajini Surendranath. R
MCA, M.Phil, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Head, Computer Science

Dr. Rama R
M.Com, M.Phil., SLET., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor & Head, B.Com. PA

Ms. Josephine Maria Bernadette
M.A., NET

Assistant Professor & Head, B.A. Sociology

Ms. Rini Maria. D
M.A., M.Phil., SET

Assistant Professor, B.A. English

Activities

Roadmap to Viksit Bharat 2047

The Office of the Dean Academics and the Intellectual Property Rights Cell of our college, took a significant step towards India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 by organising a Two-Day National Conference on Integrating Indian Knowledge Systems and Innovation: Roadmap to Viksit Bharat 2047 (IKS-VB 2026) on January 22 and 23. The conference featured six interdisciplinary thematic tracks and witnessed an overwhelming response with 497 registrations and 67 paper presentations, conducted in both online and offline modes. The inaugural session included addresses by the Principal, Dr R M Ezhilarasi, and the Convener, Dr Swati Paliwal, who highlighted the relevance of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) in higher education and research. Following which the Conference Book of Abstracts, containing 234 abstracts, was released. The session featured a Special Address by Dr J Radhakrishnan, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary to Government and Chairman and Managing Director, TNEB & TNPDCL, Government of Tamil Nadu, who underscored the urgency of integrating India’s traditional knowledge systems with modern scientific and technological frameworks. Prof Pandit Bhalchandra Vidyasagar, Former Vice Chancellor, Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Maharashtra’s keynote address focused on integrating IKS into contemporary education in line with NEP 2020 and advocated holistic, experiential and interdisciplinary learning. The Inaugural Address by the Chief Guest, Prof M Krishnan, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, highlighted the civilisational roots of Indian Knowledge Systems and stressed the role of higher education in addressing societal and local challenges through indigenous wisdom.

The academic proceedings on Day 1 included Technical Session I on Indian Knowledge Systems and Intellectual Property Rights by Dr D K Hari and Dr D K Hema Hari, Founders, Bharath Gyan, followed by Technical Session II featuring paper presentations under Science and Engineering and Technology. Day 2 included Technical Session III with presentations under Commerce and Management and Law, and Technical Session IV focusing on Social Sciences, Languages and Multidisciplinary Studies.

The valedictory session commenced with Tamil Thai Vazhthu and a Welcome Address by Dr P V Kumaraguru, Vice Principal. The Conference Report was presented by Dr Mahendrakumar M, Organising Secretary and Coordinator, IPR Cell, summarising the academic deliberations of the two-day conference. The Valedictory Address was delivered by the Chief Guest, Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, who spoke on the civilisational foundations of Indian Knowledge Systems, the challenges of curriculum integration, and the need to decolonise academic mindsets.

In his Special Address, Mr Manjit Singh Nayar, General Secretary and Correspondent, highlighted the global relevance of Indian Knowledge Systems and emphasised the importance of integrating indigenous wisdom with innovation for national development. The Guest of Honour, Prof. N. Panchanatham, Vice Chancellor, Gandhigram Rural Institute, Tamil Nadu, described the conference theme as timely and stressed the enduring relevance of Indian Knowledge Systems in India’s intellectual and cultural framework.

The conference concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Swati Paliwal, Convener of the conference, expressing gratitude to all dignitaries, speakers, participants and the organising team for making the event a meaningful academic endeavour.

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