Life is so busy...there is no time to sit down to read or write anything of academic interest...a sad state of affairs, I feel.
Today, most of the day was spent in exam related work, hall arrangements for the English exam, which once again requires seminar halls with good audio facilities. It is a repeat story of the last two years, but compounded by the fact that we have an additional 120 students due to increased intake (60 in Civil and 60 in Mechanical). However, 6 halls have been identified. Tomorrow it will be testing the PCs and audio systems in the halls. And, on the 17th students take up their exam under autonomous status.
Whew...

The Board of Studies for English approved the syllabus and curriculum for the First Years.
The syllabus was appreciated by other board members who wanted to know details about the syllabus and appreciated the efforts.

The long processs of framing the syllabus requires mutual extension of help among departments and I find that there is more collaboration and friendly help now more than ever. Changes entail more responsibility and more commitment...
During this process, I have found help from the most unexpected quarters - from department heads, from colleagues and from the head of the institution hemself. A proactive principal achieves more through precept and leading from the front and I see in Prof.SR.Damodarasamy, a readiness to accept new challenges with gusto and sensitivity to those who need help and support. What could've been a painful and arduous transition has been smooth, atleast outwardly. Because , behind the smooth change, there were unseen difficulties - the road taken was bumpy, full of unexpected twists and pitfalls and but for some exemplary direction shown, the moveover to autonomy would not have been pleasant for anyone in the different departments. I also observed how the expereince of the heads of departments and the co-operation of the faculty invested with several responsibilities made it all a learning expereince. I've learnt a lot of lessons in this one year of empowerment through autonomy.
The Board of Studies meets tomorrow and again the input from experienced faculty will be of immense help.
Autonomy is good for the institution, but bad for the health, because it has meant extra work, bigger burden and greater stress due to time frames, meeting the schedule and being constantly on one's toes, in addition to all the academic class work. But then, no pain, no gain.

The First Academic Council Meeting was held on 5.12.2009 to approve Regulations 2009. Eminent academicians were invited. It feels good to see how the faculty are today directly involved in the process of framing the curricula and syllabi for the students...I mean, I fully understand the meaning of the word 'autonomy' as applied to academic reforms. Introduction of new subjects that are relevant to knowledge acquisition, getting far fetched ideas grounded by the sound reasoning of a helpful Academic Council, learning to be more aware of the needs of the students now more than ever...these, I observed, are an integral part of autonomy in academic decisions. Wow, I am zapped.