Abstract

Dear Editor,
This paper enlightens the role played by the Academic Staff College (ASC) in transforming a fast-growing academic institution into an Institution of Eminence (IOE). The concept of ‘Training the Trainer’ within an institution for more empowerment through implementation, visibility, and international ranking, is detailed here. The importance of creating an ASC within an institution during its inception to play a mentoring role in determining its history is discussed. The logistics of such a Centre working with the Science, Engineering, Technology, and Management (STEM) disciplines/schools to prepare and empower the faculty and staff towards higher knowledge levels and ranking are elaborated as a working model. As it is said, ‘Experience is not what happens to you but what you do with what happens to you’. It is not just the workshops, Faculty Development Programmes ( FDP ), Seminars, Conferences, and other events that lead to a higher level of learning but the outcomes like curriculum development and improvement, research outputs through publications and patents that increase the visibility, public perception and ranking of an institution. So, the ASC at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India, has developed a feedback and outcome-based model to facilitate, train and measure the impact of Outcome Based Education (OBE) on the stakeholders.  The role of Human Resources (HR) and its strategic partnerships with the ASC to amalgamate a holistic development of the individual and the institution is illustrated with some case studies. The paper summarises the success story of VIT University and the decisive role played by the ASC in achieving the status of an IOE among the 1000 odd Universities in the Country.