“Media Education Must Evolve Faster Than Media Itself” – An Interview with Prof. Minal Pareek

In a higher education landscape crowded with titles and designations, true institution-builders are rare. Rarer still are leaders who not only envision transformation but roll up their sleeves to create it, brick by brick, system by system, strategy by strategy. Prof. Minal Pareek belongs to this rare breed.

Over the last two decades, she has redefined what it means to be an academic leader, shaping universities not as administrative structures but as living, breathing ecosystems of creativity, technology, and global ambition. From establishing media labs, production studios, and communication departments from the ground up to scripting the branding journeys of major institutions, Prof. Pareek’s work has consistently stayed ahead of its time. Whether she is conceptualizing digital television platforms, leading international collaborations, or steering university governance, her footprint is unmistakable: she builds, scales, and inspires.

Her achievements from completing the elite US State Department’s IVLP Fellowship on Media Literacy to winning respected honours such as the Femina Women Achievers Award and the Women Leadership Award only underscore a career dedicated to excellence. Today, as the head of SNU SURGE, a dynamic 20-member consultancy division offering end-to-end digital and brand solutions, she continues to bridge academia and industry with uncommon clarity and conviction.

This conversation with Edinbox brings you the mind behind the milestones, one of the East’s most influential academic architects, a strategist with global perspective, and a leader whose work quietly powers the institutions we admire.

1. With short-form content and influencer-driven storytelling dominating today’s media space, how must curriculum and pedagogy evolve?

The media ecosystem is changing faster than ever, and our curriculum must move beyond traditional theory-heavy models. At SNU, we are consciously shifting toward creator-centric learning, where students learn to not only understand media but actively participate in it.

This means hands-on content production, real-time analytics, platform literacy, and data-driven storytelling. We integrate the principles of virality, audience behaviour, and influencer ecosystem dynamics into our teaching.

Students today must be industry-ready storytellers—agile, innovative, and able to adapt instantly to evolving digital formats. That is the future we are preparing them for.

2. How does Sister Nivedita University integrate digital marketing training across disciplines?

Through SNU Surge, internships, certifications, live projects, and consultancy assignments, we ensure every student, irrespective of their school, graduates digitally fluent and industry-ready.

• Digital marketing at SNU is intentionally cross-disciplinary.
• Media students learn digital storytelling, platform strategy, and analytics.
• Management students explore digital consumer behaviour and performance marketing.
• IT students work hands-on with MarTech systems, automation tools, and AI-driven platforms.
• Design students deep-dive into digital branding, UI/UX, and visual strategy.

3. What steps has SNU taken to ensure strong ‘Campus-to-Corporate’ readiness?

Our students don’t just graduate with degrees, graduate with experience, professional confidence, and a market-ready portfolio. Job-readiness is at the heart of our academic philosophy. We ensure this through:

• Work-integrated learning and mandatory internships
• Industry-aligned curriculum and real client briefs
• Live consultancy projects through SNU Surge
• Skill-building modules in communication, teamwork, presentation, and interview readiness
• Portfolio development, mentorship, and placement preparation

4. How important is student-generated content in building trust and credibility for the university?

Student-generated content is one of the most powerful trust-building tools today.

When students share their experiences, class projects, studio work, and campus life, it creates an authentic narrative that no advertisement can match. They become natural brand ambassadors, and their content establishes credibility, relatability, and transparency.

Prospective students believe students, not brochures. That is why SNU encourages, trains, and amplifies student-led content across platforms.

5. What is your long-term vision for the future of media education at SNU?

Our vision is to transform SNU into one of India’s most future-driven media education ecosystems. Over the next 3–5 years, we are expanding into:

• AI-powered content creation and newsroom automation
• AR/VR, mixed reality, and immersive storytelling
• Creator economy, influencer branding, and digital entrepreneurship
• Advanced media analytics and audience intelligence
• Social impact communication and sustainability narratives

Media of the future will be hybrid, for example creative, technological, analytical, and global.
Our goal is to ensure our students lead that future.