Press Release

Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) holds 20th Convocation ceremony on a virtual platform

Information & Public Relations Department

Date: 27-Sep-2020
Gangtok September 27: A total of 932 students of Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) received their degrees in various multi-disciplinary graduate, post graduate and PhD programmes during its 20th e-Convocation on Saturday, 26th September 2020. This is the first time in its history that SMU conducted its Convocation virtually due to the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gold and silver medal awardees, including students from the MBBS, MD, MS, B.Tech, M.Tech, BSc & MSc Nursing, Bachelors & Masters in Physiotherapy, Biotechnology & Business Administration, BCA, MCA, MSc Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and other courses, including PhD scholars in various disciplines participated in the ceremony from the safety of their homes, as they were bestowed with their degrees and medals conferred on the online platform.
The entire ceremony was meticulously planned and seamlessly anchored by the team consisting of faculty and staff members from various SMU constituent colleges and units. Praiseworthy support was rendered by the IT team led by Shri. Anand Ruhela, Head IT, SMU and also the engineering and other departments.
Shri Rajen Padukone, Pro-Chancellor, SMU, in his welcome speech expressed his gratitude to Shri Ganga Prasad, Hon’ble Governor of Sikkim and Chancellor of SMU for his valued guidance. He also thanked the Government of Sikkim, ably led by Chief Minister, Shri Prem Singh Tamang for the continued support to SMU and the state to achieve greater laurels. Complimenting the University, he added “It gives me great pride in saying that SMU and its constituent units have quickly adapted to the challenges posed by the pandemic through online teaching, webinars and examinations during COVID-19 lockdowns and constraints. We have successfully added digital learning platforms to our existing methods of imparting quality education to our students.
Hon’ble Governor of Sikkim, Shri Ganga Prasad, who is also the Chancellor of SMU, presided over the online function and congratulated the students, faculty, staff and management. “Since 1995, guided by the vision to achieve global leadership in human development and excellence in education and healthcare, Sikkim Manipal University has made praiseworthy achievements in its remarkable journey of over two decades”.
Earlier, Lt. Gen Dr. Rajan S Grewal, Vice-Chancellor, SMU, while presenting the highlights, of the university recounted the various momentous milestones since its inception. He said “SMU is the first successful PPP model in higher education between the Government of Sikkim and the Manipal Pai Foundation”. Today, we can proudly say that we have contributed significantly in the field of high quality education and specialised health care in Sikkim and the North East region of the country. 56% of our employees are locals and the gender ratio is an impressive 52% in favour of women employees. We have made significant strides in the field of research, innnovation and digitization he added.
The chief guest on the occasion, Shri Abhay Kumar Vaish, Senior Vice-President, Head of Business Unit MS IT & ADM, Ericsson Global India, in his Convocation address, talked about the various challenges faced by students and educational institutions across the globe, calling it “unprecedented times.” He spoke about the virtues of courage, perseverance and loyalty that were essential in character building. He urged the students to give back to the society by being humble and grateful to all those who have contributed to their lives, in big or small ways.
The programme ended with the Vote of Thanks by Dr. Karma S Sherpa, Registrar, SMU. The entire event was webcast for the students, alumni and public viewing through all virtual media platforms like Microsoft Team, Facebook and YouTube, which was made possible by the state of the art IT platform available at Sikkim Manipal University.
(Press release from Sikkim Manipal University)