Date: 16 July 2026

Time: 10:15 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Venue: Conference Hall, Symbiosis Law School, Pune

Symbiosis Law School, Pune, a constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) organised The Dean's Retreat of the Faculty of Law on 16 July 2026 at the Conference Hall, Symbiosis Law School, Pune, bringing together the leadership of the Faculty of Law, including the Directors and Deputy Directors of Symbiosis Law School campuses at Pune, Noida, Hyderabad and Nagpur. The retreat served as a strategic platform to review institutional achievements, deliberate on future priorities, and strengthen collaboration across the Faculty of Law.

The event commenced with the arrival of dignitaries, followed by the ceremonial watering of a Bilwa sapling, symbolising sustainability, growth, and collective institutional responsibility. The ceremony was attended by the Dean, Faculty of Law, SIU, along with the Directors and the Deputy Directors of the constituent law schools.

Prof. Dr. Shashikala Gurpur, Dean, Faculty of Law, SIU and Director, Symbiosis Law School, Pune, formally welcomed the participants and delivered the introductory address. She highlighted the significance of the retreat as an opportunity to reflect upon institutional progress, strengthen academic leadership, foster collaboration among campuses, and align the strategic objectives of the Faculty of Law with the University’s long-term vision. She also emphasised the importance of measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), innovation, quality assurance, and institutional excellence.

The first technical session featured the presentation by Symbiosis Law School, Pune, outlining the institution’s achievements in admissions, research, rankings, placements, student engagement, curriculum development, and international collaborations. Following this, presentations were delivered by Symbiosis Law School, Noida, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad, and Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur, each highlighting their academic accomplishments, research productivity, faculty development initiatives, placement performance, infrastructural developments, and future strategic goals. The presentations also discussed campus-specific challenges and opportunities for growth.

The pre-lunch session concluded with a Dean's Goal Setting exercise, wherein broad institutional priorities for the forthcoming academic year were identified.

During the afternoon session, participants were divided into mixed breakout groups to deliberate on institutional challenges, strengths, expectations, goals, and areas requiring improvement. The discussions encouraged cross-campus interaction and generated several collaborative ideas relating to research, admissions, branding, curriculum innovation, faculty development, and academic excellence. Thereafter, institute-wise breakout sessions focused on developing campus-specific strategies based on the framework of People, Process, Product, and Outcome, enabling each law school to formulate measurable institutional targets. The deliberations were followed by summary presentations of the breakout discussions.

An interactive session was subsequently held with the Dean, invited officials from the University’s Administration, Research and Branding divisions, and faculty members. The session facilitated constructive feedback on institutional priorities, research collaborations, admissions, branding strategies, internationalisation, and quality enhancement initiatives.

The retreat concluded with the felicitation of the Directors of the constituent law schools in recognition of their leadership and contribution to legal education. Dr. Shashikala Gurpur delivered the closing remarks, reiterating the importance of collaborative leadership, innovation, and continuous quality improvement. The programme concluded with the Vote of Thanks proposed by Dr. Aparajita Mohanty, Deputy Director, Symbiosis Law School, Pune, who expressed gratitude to the dignitaries, Directors, faculty members, organising team, and participants for making the retreat meaningful and productive.

The Dean’s Retreat provided a valuable forum for strategic planning, collaborative learning, and institutional reflection. The deliberations resulted in several actionable recommendations aimed at strengthening research excellence, enhancing academic programmes, improving admissions and branding strategies, promoting inter-campus collaboration, and reinforcing the Faculty of Law's commitment to excellence in legal education.

Prof. (Dr.) Shashikala Gurpur, Dean, Faculty of Law, SIU and Director, SLS-Pune along with the Directors and Deputy Directors of the sister law institutions of SIU

Prof. (Dr.) Shashikala Gurpur, Dean, Faculty of Law, SIU and Director, SLS-Pune, highlighting the Key Performance Indicators of the Faculty of Law, SIU

Prof. (Dr.) Shashikala Gurpur, Dean, Faculty of Law, SIU and Director, SLS-Pune, discussing the Dean’s Goal the Key Performance Indicators of the Faculty of Law, SIU

Mixed breakout groups deliberating on institutional challenges, strengths, expectations, goals, and areas requiring improvement

Group photograph of all the delegates of the meeting for the Dean’s Retreat of the Faculty of Law, SIU, at SLS-Pune