Bachupally, Hyderabad: The XXI Convocation of the PGDM program of Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management (VJIM) was conducted with solemn grandeur at the Bachupally campus of the institute on September 19, 2015. The Chief Guest of the occasion was Professor Bala V. Balachandran, J.L Kellogg Distinguished Professor (Emeritus in Service) of Accounting & Information Management, Northwestern University and Founder, Dean and Chairperson, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai.

The ceremony was presided over by Mr. B. Krishnaiah, Vice-President, Vignana Jyothi Society. In his address, Mr. B. Krishnaiah congratulated the graduating students as they stepped into the corporate world and the faculty members for guiding them. He emphasized the growing need for multifaceted management graduates in today’s world. He said that VJIM was started in 1993 to create holistic managers, with a global outlook. By highlighting the mission of VJIM, Mr. B. Krishnaiah displayed his confidence in VJIM students who he believes have been adequately trained to face the challenges of the business world.

Dr. Kamal Ghosh Ray, Director, VJIM, outlined the steady progress made by the institute from the time of its inception to the present day. In his speech Dr. Ray, described how over a period of more than two decades, VJIM has grown from strength to strength. He also illustrated the various awards that the school has won, such as the All India Second Prize for the most innovative teaching methodology and appreciations from DNA Mumbai and MBA By Choice, New Delhi.

Dr. Ray, also highlighted the novel pedagogy approaches adopted by the school, such as – Career Vision Schooling, Process Oriented Guided Enquiry Learning, Socratic Dialogue, Business Model Testing, Business Simulation in addition to the proven conventional methods such as chalk and talk.

He also stated that in the year 2015, VJIM was accredited by National Board of Accreditation and National Assessment and Accreditation Council. He further added that VJIM is endeavoring to align the PGDM program with levels 8, 9 and 10 of the Nation Skill Qualification Framework, requiring application of specialized and cognitive knowledge in unpredictable situation.

Dr. Ray declared that in the XXI Convocation, 195 students have been conferred the Post Graduate Diploma in Management. Of which four of them have already become entrepreneurs, while the others have been placed in reputed organizations such as Deloitte, ING Vysya, Mahindra, Godrej, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, IBM and Cognizant, to name a few.

Dr. Ray emphasized that VJIM has benchmarked some of the world’s top B-Schools so as to learn the best practices from them.

Dr. D N Rao, General Secretary, Vignana Jyothi Society administered the oath to the graduating students. The Dean of VJIM, Dr. Ch. Durga Prasad, introduced the chief guest Prof. Bala V. Balanchandran and thanked him for gracing the occasion.

In his address Prof. Bala V. Balachandran congratulated the Governing Council, faculty and staff of VJIM for their active involvement in the pursuit of excellence. He said that 2000 years back, India was the hub of education and even now the country is well considered as the future of learning. He emphasized upon the value of entrepreneurship and innovation in the pursuit of excellence. Prof. Balachandran talked about the importance of Guru and his role in carving the lives of the students. The Guru occupies the supreme pedestal in life, he believed. He has sponsored an award for the best innovation in entrepreneurship called the ‘Balachandran Entrepreneurship Award.’ He suggested that students should conquer their egos and work hard to excel in life. He advised the graduating class to use their knowledge and skills to serve the country. “A challenge is an opportunity and a confrontation is a collaboration” said Prof. Balachandran as his parting note.

The convocation ceremony was attended by members of the Vignana Jyothi Society, guests from the corporate, academia, faculty members and students. In this convocation 195 students were conferred the Post Graduate Diploma in Management by the chief guest and meritorious graduands were awarded medals and prizes.

– Khusboo Shroff

PGDM, VJIM