Media Release
Mangaluru, Mar 11: Dr. Ushaprabha N Nayak, the vice-chairperson of Expert Group of Institutions, Mangaluru, was awarded the Gowda Saraswath Mahila Vrinda Gaurav Puraskar for her achievements in the field of education on the occasion of International Women’s Day at an event on March 8 in Bengaluru.
The award was conferred on her recognizing her personal and professional achievements despite having married and having become a mother at a very young age, setting an example that a woman does not have to sacrifice her dreams and aspirations to lead a successful family life.
The dignitaries who presented the awards included Dr P Dayanand Pai, president, Bangalore Kashi Mutt, Mohini D Pai, vice-president, Gowda Saraswath Mahila Vrinda, Vasudha P Kamath, president, Gowda Saraswath Mahila Vrinda, G G Shenoy, president, GSS Samaj, and Sabita S Pai, founding member, Gowda Saraswath Mahila Vrinda.
About Dr Ushaprabha N Nayak
Dr Ushaprabha N Nayak, the co-founder and vice-chairperson of Expert Group of Institutions, is an inspirational figure, much loved teacher, and creative genius whose ideas constantly inspire and motivate the faculty and students of EXPERT to strive towards perfection in every aspect. Married at the age of 18 and had a child by the age of 19, she set an example that a woman does not have to give up her dreams and ambitions in order to also enjoy a fruitful family life.
A science graduate by qualification, Dr Ushaprabha N Nayak gravitated towards administration and completed her MBA degree from Mangalore University specializing in Marketing with a minor in Human Resource Management. She was awarded the Gold Medal in Marketing for topping the University in MBA. Besides having a teaching experience spanning 16 years, she has several international research papers and publications to her credit in the fields of branding in higher education institutions, impact of instructional technology in teaching-learning, and factors affecting students’ choice of engineering colleges. Her research won the Best Paper Award at the National Conference on Integrating Technology in Higher Education in 2013. Her continued thirst for knowledge and interest in research led her to complete her PhD in
‘higher education branding’ at the prestigious National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal.
Expert Group of Institutions has been setting benchmarks in quality education and academic excellence since 30 years, and is the preferred destination for students at the pre-university level from all over Karnataka, as well as the rest of India and the world. Expert’s results speak volumes about its success story and Dr Nayak’s dreamchild, a 51-acre pre-university college campus in Mangaluru overlooking the Netravati river and the Western Ghats, and providing the best in education to over 2000 residential students has added another feather in Expert’s cap. She has been instrumental in the growth of the institution and responsible for the perfection and quality that are synonymous today with the EXPERT brand.
Dr Nayak has been invited as a resource person for career guidance programs and branding workshops in various academic and corporate events. She is also a Zonal Advisory Board member for Life Insurance Corporation of India since 2017.
She is also a popular TV anchor of coastal Karnataka. She has hosted several shows on health and education having interviewed over 500 doctors, in addition to hosting quiz shows. ‘Hello Usha’ was one of the most acclaimed TV programmes of her career, produced by her own home production company Ushaprabha Productions. Some of the
programs featured differently abled children and old-age homes. The social awareness created by these programs were appreciated by the society as a whole. She has also been a judge on several reality shows.
As the Secretary of Sangeet Bharati Foundation, Mangaluru, she has organized and compered several music and dance concerts by legends like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt Shivkumar Sharma, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia and many others. She has also interviewed several legendary artists including Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Hariharan, and Anup Jalota.
Dr Ushaprabha Nayak is an ideal example of the success women can achieve in today’s society. As an entrepreneur, educationist, teacher, researcher, orator, anchor, and organizer, she has redefined versatility in a way that only a woman is capable of.