IIM Bangalore Convocation 2019: 1st IIM to award MBA Degree; 625 students get MBA degree in place of diploma
IIM Bangalore celebrated Annual Convocation 2019 on March 22 for the 625 passing out graduates from different programmes. IIMB is the first of the 20 IIMs to award MBA degree to its post graduate batch instead of PGDM in its Annual Convocation, after the IIM Act 2017 has taken effect. Eight IIMB students, including two women, were awarded gold medals on the occasion. Three deserving candidates were presented Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) on the eve of the convocation ceremony
IIM Bangalore celebrated its 44th Convocation on March 22, 2019 for the 625 graduating students. The Chief Guest on the occasion was Arundhati Bhattacharya, the former Chairperson, State Bank of India. The students graduated in the presence of Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chair, Board of Governors, IIMB; Professor G. Raghuram, Director, IIMB; Board members as well as members of the faculty.
Out of 625 graduated students there were 24 students from the Fellow Programme in Management, 40 from the Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management, 85 from the Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management, 73 from the Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management, and 403 from the Post Graduate Programme in Management.
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First IIM to Award MBA Degree
IIM Bangalore is the first IIM that started awarding MBA degree instead of Diploma after implementation of IIM Act. Sharing the achievement, Prof G. Raghuram, Director of IIM Bangalore said, “We embarked on a journey of converting our diploma-granting programmes into degree-granting programmes last year after the IIM Act came into place. In 2018, IIM Bangalore was the first IIM to award an MBA to the Post Graduate Programme. For the 2019 convocation, we have managed to bring in our doctoral programme, the Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management and the Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management into the degree granting fold. We are now working through the modalities of converting the Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management into a degree granting programme.”
Now IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Visakhapatnam, IIM Amritsar among others have followed suit and have started awarding MBA degree.
Convocation Highlights
- 625 Students Graduated in IIMB Convocation 2019
- Large Batch of 403 students of 2 years PGP 2017-19 awarded MBA degree
- Batch of One Year full time EPGP, 2 Year part time PGPEM also awarded MBA Degree
- 12 students with disability are among the graduating students at IIM Bangalore
- IIMB has announced to launch new 2 year MBA programme in Analytics from 2020
- 8 Students awarded Gold Medals
- 3 Alumni were presented Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) 2019 on the eve of Convocation
- Graduating batch at IIMB’s doctoral programme has recorded high number of 24 this year
Launches Full Time MBA Analytics Programme
On the occasion of Convocation Celebration, IIM Bangalore has announced to launch a two-year MBA programme in Analytics from 2020. Prof G. Raghuram announced, “We are launching a two-year MBA programme in Analytics from 2020. There is expansion of our existing programmes. Our Committee for Future Directions will soon bring their ongoing deliberations to the faculty with a focus on a 10-year vision, including how to leverage our second campus. The ongoing focus to improve the ecosystem for research and the Centres continues.”
8 Gold Medals Awarded
A total of eight students across different programmes have been awarded gold medals this year. Out of the eight gold medallists, two are women.
In PGP (Batch 2017-19), Ayush Gupta, Arjun Singh and Vaibhav Singh received the gold medals for first rank, second rank and best all round performance, respectively. In PGPPM (Batch 2018-19), Kushagra Mittal has won the gold medal for best academic performance. From PGPEM (Batch 2017-19), the gold medal for first rank and for best all round performance went to Sukanya P and Hariram Thirukarugavur Ramesh, respectively.
In EPGP (2018-19), Indranil Paul has won the gold medal for first rank and Xelene Aguiar has won it for best all round performance.
Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) to 3 Ex Students
On the eve of the convocation ceremony, on March 21, the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) 2019 were presented to three deserving candidates by Professor G Raghuram, Director, IIMB and Dr. Hasmukh Adhia, Former Revenue Secretary, Govt. of India, who is also a Distinguished Alumnus of IIMB himself. The Distinguished Alumni Award winners this year are Lakshmi Kaul (PGP ’80-’82), Hitesh Oberoi (PGP ’94-’96) and Rajkumar D (PGP ’82-’84).
Lakshmi is a social entrepreneur in the field of education having set up schools for children with special needs; Hitesh is Co-Promoter, Managing Director and CEO of Info Edge, and has been instrumental in launching new products and services at Naukri.com, while Rajkumar D is Chairman and Managing Director of BPCL.
The Distinguished Alumni Awards were instituted in 2007 at IIM Bangalore. These are given to alumni in recognition of their achievements of exceptional merit and excellence in their chosen field of endeavour – be it industry, management, entrepreneurship, research, academia or social service. Each recipient of the prestigious award receives a citation and his/her name is engraved on the wall of fame at IIMB.
Doctoral Programme Sets a Record
IIMB’s doctoral programme has set a record by graduating the maximum number of 24 this year. Prof Raghuram, IIMB Director said, “Out of 279 graduated doctoral scholars over a nearly 40-year period, over 100 have graduated in the last five years.”
Listing some of the achievements of the students, Professor Raghuram made special mention of the first batch of seven students who recently completed the Professor N. S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Programme, which is a one-year apprenticeship programme with a focus on inclusion, launched last year.
Sharing IIMB’s success story in the sphere of Executive Education, Prof. Raghuram said, “Our Executive Education portfolio continues to be on the rise and making significant impact. During 2018-2019, the number of programmes have crossed the 200 mark, going up to 218. The total number of participants has crossed the 6000 mark, a 17% increase over the previous year.”
Earlier in the evening, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chair, Board of Governors, IIMB, in his address, highlighted the institute’s milestones during the academic year 2018-19. “Over the years, IIM Bangalore has grown to become India’s leading management institute that attracts the best and brightest students from across the country. The alumni of this institution are sought after by leading companies from across the world, including my own,” he shared.
He also pointed out that the companies of the future will invest more and more in digital assets and their managers will have to supervise bots, not humans. “So, the management curriculum must evolve to cope with a rapidly evolving digital landscape. And I am happy to say that IIM Bangalore is moving in the right direction to build such business leaders for tomorrow.”
Dr Shetty also focused on the global rankings that IIMB has achieved recently and IIMB’s partnerships with other leading global organizations such as Mphasis, Ford Foundation, Infineon, Commercial Taxes Department, Government of Karnataka, and more to enhance the value of the school as a leading hub for management studies and research, how IIMB continues to be a preferred destination for recruiters looking for fresh talent, the school’s expansion drive, etc.
Delivering the Convocation address, Arundhati Bhattacharya recollected incidents from her own life and career, while she addressed the students on ‘Setting up for Success’. She pointed out that to be happy, one needs a modicum of success in whatever they do. She listed the attributes that help in bringing about the success. Advising the graduating students, she said, “You must keep challenging yourself; have a proper estimation of your capabilities; keep learning; have not only depth of knowledge but breadth of coverage as well. Most of all, in this quest for success, do not forget to be kind and passionate,”
The entire student community was an excited lot, as they got a step closer to their dreams. The campus was witness to emotional moments full of farewells, group photos, selfies and other celebrations.
Located in India’s high technology capital, IIM Bangalore is in close proximity to some of the leading corporate houses in the country, ranging from information technology to consumer product companies, giving it the added advantage of integrating classroom knowledge with practical experience.
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