Prof VS Rao of BITS Pilani to join NIIT University as its next President

Prof Rao to bring forth rich expertise of over three decades of institution building and experience of developing work-integrated programs, to promote strong industry linkages at NU

Established with a vision to bring about innovation in higher education and learning in emerging areas of the knowledge society, the not-for-profit NIIT University (NU) today announced the appointment of renowned education administrator Prof VS Rao as the next President for NU. Currently the acting Vice Chancellor of BITS Pilani (overseeing the campuses in Pilani, Hyderabad, Goa and Dubai), Prof VS Rao will join NU in July this year.

Prof Rao comes with an in-depth experience of institution building. With a distinguished career spanning over three decades, he has been the Founding Director for BITS Pilani (Hyderabad campus) since 2006. Prof Rao has demonstrated strong industry linkages by virtue of developing extensive work- integrated programs for the University.  A PhD in Chemistry, with a specialization in the field of Green Chemistry, he is deeply involved in promoting innovation in higher education.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Rajendra S Pawar, Chairman NIIT and Founder NIIT University said, “We are delighted to welcome Prof VS Rao as the next President of NU. He has demonstrated great leadership in institution building over the last three decades.”

“Dr Rao’s rich experience in implementing innovative ideas in industry-linkage programs is strongly aligned to NU’s uniqueness in partnering with industry leaders in the sunrise sectors of the knowledge economy”, added Mr Pawar.

Widely known for offering exclusive Industry-Linked programmes, NU has entered into strategic alliances with leading organisations like ICICI, ESRI, IBM, WNS, PwC and Federal Bank, for offering pioneering Masters level programs.

Expressing his excitement about his forthcoming role at NU, Prof VS Rao said, “NIIT University’s four core principles that make learning Industry-Linked, Technology-Based, Research-Driven and Seamless, provide a solid foundation for building the University of the Future.”

Actively involved with industry associations for promoting innovations in learning, Prof Rao has been a member of the CII State Council since 2012; a member of FICCI Higher Education Committee since 2016; member, AP Society for Knowledge Network (2013-14) and a member of Telangana Academy of Skills & Knowledge (TASK) since 2014.