Campus Day 2010 at Amritapuri saw all four Schools on campus come together for enthusiastic celebrations. “I hope you all will agree with me that we had one of the best campus days in recent years,” wrote Director, Br. Sudeep, in an email to all faculty and staff, the day after.
The new Amriteshwari Hall was the venue for the morning program. After the traditional lighting of the lamp and vedic chanting by the students, Dr. Balakrishnan, Associate Dean, welcomed the gathering of parents, students, faculty and guests.
“Inspired by Chancellor Amma, our students and faculty are committed to serving and improving society,” he proudly noted. “We are truly living the institution’s mission that is a blend of high technology and eternal values; here research is done to tackle the common man’s problems.”
Dr. Venkat Rangan, Vice-Chancellor, in his Presidential Address illustrated, by example, how the institution has quickly progressed under the guidance of Chancellor Amma. No Speed Limit – seemed to be the theme as he noted several important institution milestones.
“In February 2004, just after Dr. Madhavan Nair became the chairman of ISRO, he met with Chancellor Amma in Bangalore,” he stated, while recalling how Amrita had partnered with ISRO and other universities and organizations, in its march ahead.
“Amma proposed the idea of using emerging modern high-technology as a way to deliver top quality education,” he shared. “Dr. Madhavan suggested using a satellite network to connect Amrita’s four campuses. And that was birth of an experiment, a joint venture between Amrita and ISRO, that enabled students to receive the benefit of satellite-assisted teaching.”
Padma Vibhushan Dr. Madhavan Nair spoke next. “Most institutions focus mostly on teaching students to memorize book knowledge and reproduce it in exams,” he said, “but Amrita is different. At Amrita, you are enabling research. A value-based education system like yours helps identify societal problems. How our knowledge is transformed to serve society is important.”
Dr. Bipin Nair, Dean, Amrita School of Biotechnology presented the joint Annual Report for all four campuses. “Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham was listed in category A as per UGC guidelines,” he said. “It is a remarkable event since Amrita is one of India’s youngest universities; the Amritapuri campus has contributed much towards this achievement.” Download Annual Report »
Awards of Excellence and Certificates of Appreciation were presented to several faculty and students from all Schools. “These individuals are working tirelessly to make Amrita a great place for learning, contributing significantly towards the growth of Amrita,” noted Br. Sudeep.
In the afternoon, several principal investigators at Amritapuri, provided an overview of their research projects. “You are on the right track,” Dr. Madhavan Nair told them. “Thinking out of the box is what is required, to provide solutions to the common man’s problems, and that is exactly what you are doing.”
The evening program saw the hundreds of graduating senior students receive toasts from their juniors. “Our seniors have set a great example,” the toasting students proclaimed. “We thank you for the great guidance, leadership and for your friendship.” Students who excelled in academics and extra-curricular activities were felicitated as the evening drew to a close.
April 24, 2010
Amritapuri Campus
