The ninth convocation ceremony of the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE) Hyderabad, was held on July 12 at Shilpakala Vedika, Hyderabad. A total 1,687 students graduated.
Ravi Venkatesan, former Chairman, Microsoft Corporation (I) Pvt Ltd and former Chairman, Bank of Baroda, said the age of free ride has come to an end and what the future holds is a mixed bag of opportunities in terms of scarcity of highly skilled personnel, huge prospects for entrepreneurs; and challenges due to squeeze on formal sector jobs, transactional employers, and convulsive shifts in the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world.
Venkatesan told the students to attempt more gigs, projects, and build a portfolio. They should view a career as an opportunity to explore and navigate through life. The future belongs to go-getters, risk takers, agile learners, and those who can navigate change, he said.
Dr C Rangarajan, Chancellor, said, “As you enter a new stage in your life, your future is intertwined with the future of this country. But, at the same time, you have the opportunity to shape it. The country welcomes you as the future leaders of change.” He said that youngsters have a major role to play in making India a $5-trillion economy in the next few years, and good education is necessary for reaping benefits of the demographic dividend that Indian has.
Prof J Mahender Reddy, Vice Chancellor, highlighted the university’s endeavours towards promoting quality higher education. He said that the university had established Centre for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Incubation in 2019 to nurture entrepreneurial qualities among students.
Awards and achievements
Dr AV Rama Rao Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, AVRA Labs, was given the honorary doctorate. Dr Rao is the only Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (FNA) who has guided 112 PhD students, published more than 260 papers in reputed international scientific journals, and developed over 30 process technologies to make life-saving drugs more affordable. After retiring as the Director of Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, he founded AVRA Laboratories, a multi-million dollar pharmaceutical company.
While 1,089 students were awarded MBA degrees, five were awarded PhD degrees.
Akshay Bhargava received the gold medal for academic excellence in the MBA programme. Pranahitha Rajuladevi received the silver medal for academic excellence and the ‘Faiyaz Ahmed Khan Memorial Gold Medal’ for securing the first rank in the finance stream. Swarna Latha Venda received the ‘Saurabh Sharma Memorial Gold Medal’ for being the first rank holder in the marketing stream.