Ajeenkya DY Patil University observed its third convocation on 18 January 2019 at its sprawling campus in Charholi Budruk, Pune. The ceremony had the honor of hosting distinguished dignitaries this year, with Dr. Ranjit Patil, the Minister of State for Home, Government of Maharashtra, and Rajesh Tope, Former Minister for Education & Technical Education, State of Maharashtra. Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil, Former Governor of Bihar, West Bengal, and Tripura, and Dr. Vijay D Patil, the Chancellor of DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai graced the event. Dr. Ajeenkya DY Patil, President, presided over the ceremony.
The talking point of this exclusive evening was the conferring of Doctor of Letters – Honoris Causa (D.Litt) on Congressman Todd Rokita (United States House of Representatives), Anita Garware (Social Worker of Children’s Causes), Yuli Tamir (President, Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Israel), Kazuo Tanaka (President & CEO, GK Design Group Inc.Japan) and Niraj Shah (Executive Director, ANZ Banking Group Ltd) for their immense contribution in their respective fields to the development and betterment of society at large.
At the 2019 ADYPU Convocation, a distinguished group of students received the Medal of Merit for outstanding achievements. Ruchika Sharma (Master of Law), Ankit Soni (Master of Design – Automobile Design), Nupur Chachra Sharma (Master of Technology – Digital Manufacturing), and Aditya Liladhar Talele (Master of Technology – Automotive Production Engineering) were among the recipients. Additionally, Akruti Agrawal, Sonakshi Upadhyaya, Chirag Uppal, Sheetal Dadas, Nalini Singh, Aashna Tandon, Rohit Suresh Algude, Abhimanyu Chauhan, and Gaurav Garwal were acknowledged for their excellence in various Master of Business Administration programs, spanning areas such as Media & Communication, Business Innovation & Strategy, Finance, Human Resource, Digital Marketing & E-Commerce, Business Analytics, and Banking & Financial Services. Drona Panchal and Roshni Jagtap were also honored for their exceptional performances in Bachelor of Business Administration (International Business) and Bachelor of Computer Applications (Mobile Application & Cloud Technology), respectively.
Dr. Ajeenkya DY Patil, President of the University, said, “We always wanted ADYPU to be known for its unconventionality and distinctiveness. For this reason, the University is meant to expand the powers of the mind and to teach people how to earn a living. To this end, we try to balance the pursuit of knowledge, vocational relevance, and academic excellence. For us, our mission is to embrace the twin engines of globalization—technology & innovation through our innovative methods.”
Dr. Ranjit Patil, Minister of State for Home (Urban), Maharashtra, said that this moment of Graduation is essential. It is not a full stop to learning but a comma, as learning should continue. Change is permanent in this dynamic environment, where continuous learning and innovation are the key mantra. He added that for a progressive India, students should use their energies to help those who belong to economically weaker sections of society.
Rajesh Tope, Former Minister of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra, cited the words of Sam Pitroda during his speech. He said that Expansion, Inclusion, and Excellence are the three most important aspects of education. Education should be futuristic, student-centric, and globally competitive. He said that in an era of degradation of values, morality, and dignity, we should ensure that we imbibe these values in students during undergraduate courses.
