Another year has (almost) gone by and Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed-to-be-University in Bhubaneswar gears up to bid farewell to yet another batch. Vice-Chancellor Prof Amit Banerjee shares his thoughts about the sixth Convocation Ceremony, being an SOA ambassador forever and conveys a message for the outgoing batch.
What to expect from the ceremony
The sixth convocation of SOA scheduled for November 16, 2019 is slated to be the culmination of a series of mini-convocations in the form of Graduation Ceremonies conducted for the nine individual constituent institutions of the university (covering the faculty streams of Engineering and Technology; Management Sciences including Hospital Administration; Healthcare comprising Medical Sciences, Dental Sciences and Nursing; Pharmaceutical Sciences including Biotechnology; Hospitality and Tourism Management; Agricultural Sciences and Legal Studies) spread over four large campuses. Considering the fact that every year, nearly three thousand students (including over six hundred postgraduate or integrated dual degrees and nearly a hundred doctoral scholars) complete their academic programmes, it is not practically feasible to cover all graduands in a single event. The formally orchestrated graduation ceremonies for both UG and PG pass-outs of each college, introduced this year, proved to be popular. In the forthcoming main convocation, only the PhD scholars shall be exclusively admitted to their degrees. Besides, all the academic prizes and medals including the Chancellor’s medal for Best All Round Performance shall be given away.
A network that only gives
It is important to emphasise that far from bidding farewell to another outgoing batch of each college of SOA, the convocation and graduation ceremonies actually symbolise the initiation of a stronger bond and a bigger identity for all of them because it marks their entry to another wing of the SOA family, viz, SOALUMNIZ, the alumni wing of the University. This alumni association validates the dictum, ‘Once in SOA, forever in SOA’. Each alumnus enjoys the status of our global ambassador. The enormity of this honour assumes even bigger proportion this year because as, for the first time, we have opened up our portals to overseas students and scholars in all streams except Medical and Dental Sciences. These students hail from different countries including Syria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, Nepal and so on. By virtue of their merit, a large number of them are full-time scholarship holders.
What it takes to make the cut
It is indeed gratifying that SOA has found a place in the top 50 list of QS India University Rankings. But we strongly intend to set our goals much higher. We have missed the magic figure of 500 by a whisker in the areas of Engineering as well as Computer Science at the World Ranking level both Times Higher Education Rankings. In QS World ranking too, we need to make a mark. Quality education and superlative research are ingrained in our very name. Our faculty members, as well as researchers, are constantly encouraged to engage themselves in genuine research activities. We place a great thrust on multi-disciplinary research activities and have a high-level monitoring team, drawn from all disciplines, which keeps track of the ongoing research progress. Publication of research outcome or research-based scientific publications is our major thrust area.
An event-ful journey at SOA
SOA organises a slew of events almost on a weekly basis. Most of these events are academic in nature and include international and national seminars. Students of each institute separately organise several programmes including their annual functions. Besides, cultural fests, sporting competitions and musical programmes are also held in different campuses. SOA’s faculty of engineering and technology, Institute of Technical Education and Research, organises Chakravyuh and Genesis, tech and cultural fests every year to encourage.
Students, remember this
My message to the students passing out this year is that the education they received in the university was not just a passport to cushy corporate positions or prestigious jobs elsewhere. But as ambassadors of SOA, they must demonstrate to the world that each one of them had imbibed qualities of humanism and a zeal to contribute to the nation-building process in the campus. The biggest goal of an educational institution is to churn out good human beings. Finally, in life, we may set our goals very high, but we must never fail to pay obeisance to the humble speed- breaker, which adds value to our lives by teaching us punctuality, discipline, safety, contemplation and also to remain ever-vigilant against looming adversity.
What they do for the environment:
- SOA has set up the Centre for Environment and Climate (CEC) with the future in mind. Headed by the former Director of Indian Meteorological Department in Bhubaneswar, it monitors the climatic conditions besides taking up research work in several areas
- SOA has also been actively involved in plantation programmes in which students are associated through the NSS
- The authorities have taken up rainwater harvesting in the campuses
- SOA’s of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, for the first time, joined hands with the Odisha government to assist hundreds of farmers in their farmlands in 57 blocks
- The SOA campus was also placed third by the government for its cleanliness in the Swachh Campus rankings
