Prof. (Dr.) Amiyakanta Mishra is the Principal of the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Puri. He has an M.Pharm. degree along with a PhD in Novel Drug Delivery, Nano Drug Technology. With over 26 years of experience in the field, Dr. Mishra has handled multiple roles in teaching, research, and administration in the pharmaceutical sciences. 

Professor Mishra has published his work in 12 international journals and four national journals. He is a regular attendee of national and international conferences. Besides his administrative duties, he has also guided 65 postgraduate students and four PhD students. Moreover, he is a respected member of APTI and IPA.

College of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Being the principal, what is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

The philosophy of leadership for a principal in a pharmacy college revolves around providing effective guidance, fostering a positive learning environment, and promoting the growth and development of both students and faculty. The key principles that form the foundation of such a philosophy are a student-centered approach, ensuring academic excellence, ethical and professional behaviour, collaboration, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

The key factor that has kept me connected with the education sector is my passion for education. I enjoy learning, gaining knowledge, and earning expertise in a field. As the principal, I get to exercise effective communication and collaboration, empathy, and understanding skills which I enjoy.

How does the CPS curriculum ensure the industry's best practices?

The curriculum of CPS College plays a crucial role in ensuring the industry’s best practices are being followed by providing students with the knowledge and skills they need to excel as pharmacists. Some of the ways in which our college curriculum achieves this are providing core Pharmacy knowledge, providing clinical training, patient care skills, teaching legal and ethical considerations, assisting in professional development, and teaching quality assurance methods.

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What do you think your roles and responsibilities to the college and the students are?

As the principal of a pharmacy college, my role is critical in ensuring the effective working of the administration and the smooth functioning of the institute while providing guidance and support to the students. Some of my key responsibilities and roles include leading and taking care of management, looking over academics, providing student support and welfare, facilitating stakeholder engagement, meeting regulatory compliance, promoting research and innovations, and taking care of public relations.

When you first came to CPS, what was your vision for the college?

As a principal of a pharmacy college, my initial vision was to create an educational institution that excels in providing high-quality pharmacy education, fosters innovation, and produces competent and compassionate pharmacists as per the requirement of society. Here is an outline of my vision, academic excellence, faculty development, research and innovations, state-of-the-art infrastructure, student-centric approach, and community engagement.

What do you see as CPS’s greatest strengths?

CPS’s greatest strengths are its quality education and experienced faculty. We have a modern and regularly updated curriculum at CPS. We are encouraged to take part in research and are given a lot of facilities and resources to help us. The college has set up an extensive student support system, and we have a large alumni network.

How do you tend to establish a healthy relationship and environment in your college?

To establish a healthy relationship and environment in our college, I take care of various aspects. I ensure there is communication among all stakeholders. I try to be accessible to everyone and treat everyone with respect and inclusivity. I have tried to establish an atmosphere of collaboration through our supportive policies. I look over increasing student engagement and student’s professional development.

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Any insights into how your college could be more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds? 

Creating an institute that is welcoming to students of different races and economic backgrounds requires a holistic and inclusive approach. There are some key strategies, that we follow, to foster an inclusive environment like promoting diversity and inclusion, recruiting a diverse student body, creating a welcoming campus culture, providing support services, implementing bias-free admissions and assessment processes, engaging with the local community, and regularly assessing and improving inclusively efforts.

Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and aspiring students?

My suggestion for the youth is that they should be hardworking and set clear goals to work towards. They must never stop learning and keep learning. They must stay updated and develop interpersonal skills like strong communication skills. In today’s work environment, students need to gain practical experience, cultivate a strong sense of professionalism, and build relationships with alumni and industry leaders.