Warm Greetings to all of you.

I am profoundly happy to share some of my thoughts on this solemn occasion of joining the country's esteemed Central University of Andhra Pradesh. On the eve of bifurcation of the State, the Government of India paved way to the birth of new, much needed, temple of higher learning in the form of Central University. Thus, this Central University of Andhra Pradesh has a special place among Indian University System, since it will usher hope and educational opportunities fulfilling the aspiration of the people, not only of local but of national and global levels.

The society as well as the governments are fast catching up the pace of knowledge dissemination that is a dire necessity both the social and economic prosperity of our Nation. Higher education must attract our burgeoning youth, the most precious resource of India. We all will have to therefore put our minds and make the youth knowledgeable, skilled and useful citizen who in turn serve and make our country stand in line with technologically, socially and economically most developed league of nations of the world. In the current 21^st century the higher education and knowledge become main tools to result in technological advancement, research and development, extension activities facilitate and rapid socio-economic progress besides making the nation environmentally sustainable, self-reliant and self-sufficient in all spheres of life.

In this context, Education 4.0 will have to be linked with Industry 4.0 to cater to Generation Z. Identifying thrust areas for teaching and research, resilient and contextually relevant curricula for most advanced and relevant programs of study become essential to be in place performing and yielding desired results. Constant search for newer areas of study to meet the regional, national and international needs for meaningful education shall be the hallmark of this University. As founder Vice Chancellor, it would be my special focus to set the right direction to make the University foray into socially and economically relevant academic programmes of quality.

The vital five stages, viz., Enrolment, Curriculum Design, Teaching-learning, Assessment and Outcome in the life cycle of higher education shall be given importance in an equal measure. Incremental progress in each of these stages will help enhance the quality and thus contribute to high standard of education in the University. Focus shall be laid that translates/transforms/reforms “Technology led jobless growth into Technology enabled job-led growth”. Programmes for Internal Revenue Generation (IRG) shall be undertaken by embarking on continuing education, sponsored research and consultancy, collaborations and extension activities. The following activities shall be given priority, to achieve this intent: Sense-making, Social Intelligence, Novel and adaptive thinking, Cross cultural competency, Computational thinking, New media literacy, Trans-Disciplinary, Design Mindset, Cognitive load management, Virtual Collaboration and Non-Tech Skills.

Our University motto is ‘vidya dadaathivinayam’. Let us constantly be reminded of this laudable motto, that will manifest in whatever we undertake and mover forward. Towards this, we endeavour to create a nurturing platform where students and faculty unhesitatingly try out creative ideas. Making a difference in the life of every student is the goal of this university. At CUAP, we have an advantage of creating a system on a fertile ground with fresh ideas and innovative thoughts. The newness obviously offers us ample scope to do things differently.

I am sure, many highly motivated scholars aiming for a break in their careers are excited to join us in the journey to make this University a Centre of Excellence. So also, the prospective students to realize their dreams of transforming into socially relevant and responsible professionals in whatever careers they pursue. Let me assure that your choice of choosing this university is the most right one.

University is much more than buildings, infrastructure and just a collection of people. The larger objectives could be accomplished only when all these resources are put to judicious use to make the system run like a well-oiled machine. To quote Swami Vivekananda, “Education is the manifestation of perfection already in the man. We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet.”

Let me conclude by extending a warm and hearty welcome to all the faculty and students to the portals of this Central University of Andhra Pradesh!

Prof. S. A. Kori
Vice Chancellor