XLRI Celebrated 61st Annual Convocation

Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman, The Godrej Group was conferred with “Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial and Social Peace”

by Suman Gupta

30th March, 2017 – XLRI - Xavier School of Management, one of India’s premier B-School celebrated its 61st Annual Convocation on 25th March, 2017.

On this significant day, 606 XLRI students received their graduating certificates and medals including - 358 students of 2015-17 batch of Two-year Postgraduate Diploma in Management – HRM and BM; 117  students of  2015-16 batch of  Postgraduate Diploma in General Management (GM) – 15 -Months Programme; 56 students of  2014–17 batch of  Three-Year Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (Evening); 17 students of  2014 – 2017 batch of Three-Year Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (Dubai); 30 students of  2013 –16 batch of  Three-Year Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (Dubai) and 11 students of Fellow Program in Management (FPM) from Jamshedpur Campus.  

18 Indian students of the third batch (2015- 17) of the Two-year Postgraduate in Global Business Management  by XLRI in partnership with  Weatherhead School of Management, USA and School of Economics & Management of  Tongji University Shanghai, China received  their graduating certificates. Besides certificate and medal from their home school - XLRI they were also awarded a joint certification from the 3-schools’ consortium on the occasion.

Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman, The Godrej Group was conferred with the prestigious “Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial and Social Peace” on the occasion.

Mr. Adi Godrej also delivered the convocation address to the graduating students at the convocation this year. Past Convocation speakers include eminent luminaries like A P J Abdul Kalam, V V Giri, P Chidambaram, Sir Jehangir Ghandy among others.

In his Convocation Speech, Mr. Godrej expressed his confidence in today’s youth and their capabilities to transform our country’s economy, “The millions of educated youth who make valuable contributions to the economy are digitally savvy, internationally connected and inclusively conscious of the environment and society. These youngsters are entering politics, industry, business have fresh ideas and bold opinions. I see the youth of this country making a difference every day and in every sphere. They are very passionate and dedicated. It gives me the optimism and confidence that they will transform the country.” He said that his confidence of bright future of India came from his belief in the country's demography, democracy and reform and growth-oriented mindset.

In his address he praised the current economic reforms and expressed confidence that the country would overtake US economy between 2030- 40 and China by 2050 in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms to emerge as the economic super power of the world. He said, “I believe that you all must re-assess your role that we’ll play in putting our country to achieve its true potential of becoming an economic superpower. We should play our part in India’s growth story and have the opportunity to drive a new wave of growth in the country.”

Addressing the graduating students, Mr. Godrej said, “On your graduation, many of you may start working at large organizations, some of you may choose to study further while a few of you may even take the leap into becoming entrepreneurs. Whatever the chosen path, there has never been a better time for each of you to contribute to build India’s future. You are a select lot. You will have the opportunities to make valuable contributions to industry, business, politics, economic and social development and international vision of our country. The opportunities you choose to leverage will impact your individual growth and success as well as that of our nation.”

Congratulating the students on their graduation day, Mr. T. V. Narendran, Chairman, Board of Governors at XLRI said, “You will be facing a lot of challenges and will be making a lot of decisions which will impact the lives of many of your colleagues and fellow citizens. It is important to exercise your discernment and do the right things at all times.”

In his address Mr. Narendran further said, “Helping educate and shape the next generation of scholars and business leaders is a significant task. For over six decades XLRI has steadfastly held on to its mission of proffering world-class education across various management-centric programs. There has never been a more exciting time to pursue management education. Exposing management students to innovate practices and new rising sectors of growth also calls for skilling today’s students with ideas and skill-sets to help shape the world around them. XLRI diligently strives to create a value-based and ethics driven teaching and learning environment whilst underscoring the need for all- round development. This emphasis on inculcating certain core- values is what sets XLRI apart from other B-schools in the country.”

Fr. E Abraham S.J., Director, XLRI congratulated the graduating students and advised them, “As you move on to the next phase of your work-life journey, endeavor to live up to the values that XLRI has striven to inculcate in all of you - to be leaders who contribute their mite to your respective organizations and also to have a sensitive social conscience.”

Fr. Abraham also congratulated the faculty and staff for assisting the students on their developmental journey and making XLRI a place of excellence and integrity. “If XLRI had a successful year in 2016-17, it is the result of our teamwork and our determination to take the institute forward and make it globally competitive and a force to reckon with in the years to come,” he said.

About Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal: Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial and Social Peace, instituted by XLRI in 1966, in honour of the Late Sir Jehangir Ghandy, Kt. C.I.E., the first Chairman of the Board of Governors of XLRI and Director-Tata Steel is awarded to Heroic Leaders who have contributed towards the growth of their respective organizations and also impacted the growth of our nation in a significant way. The medal was instituted by XLRI in gratitude for Sir Jehangir Ghandy’s yeoman contribution to XLRI and the society at large. One of the oldest medals instituted by a higher education institution, the medal is awarded during XLRI’s Annual Convocation Ceremony to recognize outstanding contributions in the field of industrial and social peace in the country. In the past years, the medal was conferred on eminent leaders like Mr. JRD Tata IN 1975, Mr.Verghese Kurien in 1992, Mr.Jyoti Basu in 1997, Azim Premji in 2005, Ratan N Tata in 2009 and Mr. N R Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies Ltd. in 2012.

About XLRI: XLRI-Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur is a premier, private management institute in India founded in 1949 by Fr Quinn Enright, S.J. in the ‘steel city’ of Jamshedpur (www.xlri.ac.in). Over the last six decades, the institute has grown into a top-ranking business management school of international repute with a wide portfolio of management programs and research publications. Its alumni are spread around the globe and have demonstrated responsible business leadership in their organizations. XLRI continually strives to contribute its mite to the professional growth and management of numerous organizations and institutions across industry sectors. XLRI has been awarded two prestigious International Accreditations, viz., AACSB - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and AMBA - Association of MBAs. XLRI has also earned the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) accreditation.