Chandigarh: University Business School, Panjab University, Chandigarh, one of the region’s top B-schools which is dedicated to providing top-notch education in the field of management sciences, organized it’s Golden Jubilee, Silver Jubilee reunion & Alumni Meet on Friday, 21st December, 2023.
Prof. Parmjit Kaur, Chairperson, University Business School and Dr. Rupinder Bir Kaur, the co-ordinator of Alumni Relations organized the Golden Jubilee, Silver Jubilee & Alumni Meet of UBS.
The meet was held at two venues, i.e., Law Auditorium (Arts Block-IV) and University Business School (Arts Block III), Panjab University. The function was presided over by the Chief Guest and Guest of Honour, Shri. DPS KHARBANDA, IAS, CEO-INVEST PUNJAB. Other dignitaries namely Mr. Vikas Malhotra, Regional Business Development Manager, Pidilite, Mr. Kuldeep Kaul, Founding Member, UBS Alumni Association, and Mr. Anurag Aggarwal, President, UBS Alumni Association as well as other guests will also grace the event. The function was also graced by revered faculties of UBS, namely Prof. S.C. Vaidya, Prof. P.P. Arya, Prof. K.K. Mangla, Prof. Satish Kapoor, Prof. A.K. Vashisht, Prof. Smriti Sood and Prof. Meenakshi Malhotra.
The program started off with the warm welcome of the Chief Guest and other dignitaries and alumni of three batches for their Golden Jubilee, i.e., 1971, 1972, and 1973 and the Silver Jubilee batch of 1998 by Prof. Parmjit Kaur, Chairperson, University Business School. She honored the Guests, for thier valuable presence on the occasion and also presented the bouquet to the Guest of Honour, Shri. DPS Kharbanda, Mr. Vikas Malhotra, Mr. Kuldeep Kaul and Mr. Anurag Aggarwal.
In a welcome speech, Prof. Parmjit Kaur greeted all the esteemed dignitaries, revered and current faculty of UBS and all alumni, and appreciated their zeal to assemble for the meet despite their busy schedules. She briefed about the strong foundations of the UBS and the importance of such a gathering every year where she stated, “Strong alumni meets are a key to the institution’s progress and excellence. Alumni Meets bring life to the campus and alumni are the building blocks of UBS. It has always been UBS’s vision to reconnect with the alumni for enhancing the visibility and reach of our institution. It was truly gratifying to welcome back alumni to the campus, individuals who have steadfastly served as torchbearers for the institutional values throughout their illustrious careers.” Further speaking on the occasion, she highlighted that “It is an immense pleasure to engage with the distinguished alumni representing all four graduating cohorts, and a source of delight to extend a warm welcome to Shri. DPS Kharbanda, Mr. Vikas Malhotra, Mr. Kuldeep Kaul, and Mr. Anurag Aggarwal. It is truly heartening to learn that graduates from all four batches have ascended to prominent positions worldwide, thereby bringing immense pride to UBS, their revered alma mater. Their presence at the Alumni Meet serves as a catalyst, inspiring current UBS students to strive for excellence and reach unprecedented heights of success. The illustrious tradition of UBS has been meticulously preserved and continues to thrive admirably.”
This was followed by an inspiring speech by Shri. DPS Kharbanda, IAS, CEO-INVEST PUNJAB, the Guest of Honour, who gave heartiest congratulations to students of UBS regarding them as new launchers and said such alumni meets are crucial to create a strong network that benefits those graduating from the institution and also those who come back to relive their campus memories. He emphasized that “Every person should know his/her compass and direction to drive the ship of their lives to the goals we desire.” While sharing his experience of being an IAS and being posted to different departments, he encouraged the students to become an entrepreneur and become leaders of their own lives. MBA students/youngsters should know about government schemes available to them to get into the field of entrepreneurship, have interaction with the banks to get hands on experience while preparing Detailed Project Reports. He made students aware about various government schemes such as PMEGP and credit linkage schemes, the Punjab Government is offering to youngsters to achieve their goals in journey of entrepreneurship.
Mr. Vikas Malhotra enlightened the audience with his words of wisdom regarding the changing world and one’s ability to adapt those changes. He quoted that “be open to change and don’t be afraid of it, rather match your pace with change with continuous learning to grow and achieve your goal, no shortcut to success except hard work, have clarity of thought.” Further he emphasized the need to connect between the market-based learning and digitalization for which one should stick to basics of market and adapt technology accordingly. Lastly, he quoted “Honesty was, is and will be the best policy in one’s life.”
Mr. Kuldeep Kaul, founding member, UBS Alumni Association, addressed the faculty as pool of wisdom and knowledge who facilitates to bridge the gap between academia and industry by imparting highly proficient knowledge to their students. He also suggested the things that can be done for the department being an alumnus. “Alumni has been doing work actively and have a huge role in enhancing the close bond built between the Institution and the alumni. Structured mechanism is essential to engage the alumni with the students, mentoring program, upgradation of quality of output, Industry Academia partnerships.” He spoke about the importance of paying back to the alma mater in all manners for building goodwill.
Then, President, UBS Alumni Association, Mr. Anurag Aggarwal briefed about Alumni Association, the contribution of this Association, and how they are collaborating with UBS. He mentioned how this Association is contributing for the up-gradation of facilities in the UBS, mentoring the students, and also for the placement of the students. Providing valuable insights from his experience of the industry, he shed a light on the current industry demands, how college and students should cope-up with new challenges, the role are soft skills, technical skills which are necessary to make the students industry-ready.
The University Business School felt proud on the achievements of their alumni. The event was graced by more than 50 alumni, spread across globe and holding top-notch positions that vary from country managers to Presidents in various esteemed multinational conglomerates, government organizations, PSUs, academic institutions and have also been recognized as emerging entrepreneurs at the global front. The list of alumni included well-known personalities from the corporate world and myriad fields of management, who graced the event by sharing their valuable experiences.
The registration process started around 9 a.m. at the Law Auditorium, after which the guests were served with refreshments. The event started traditionally with the Panjab University Anthem followed by the lighting of the lamp by esteemed dignitaries. After the address by all the dignitaries, a Souvenir was released to mark the occasion.
The function was indeed a memorable one as the alumni cherished, rejoiced while remembering their old university days. The alumni turned nostalgic to the clippings as they walked down the memory lane and appreciated with a thunderous applause. A special vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Rupinder Bir Kaur, Associate Professor, University Business School, Panjab University, Chandigarh, after which the function was followed by lunch, where the alumni interacted with the faculty members and the students.
The event acted as a knowledgeable forum for the students of UBS who interacted with the guests through an Alumni-Student Interaction session and gained some useful insights of the corporate world from the Alumni. The occasion was indeed a perfect opportunity for everyone to connect and make binding relationships.
Post lunch, the evening was truly owned by the splendorous cultural performances put forth by the UBS students for the alumni that featured singing performances, dance performances like Bhangra, Fusion, Retro, Music, Haryanvi, singing performances as well as other enjoyable activities. The program lasted till the evening, at the end of which high tea was served before bidding farewell to the alumni. Everyone bade farewell to each other and their beloved Alma Mater, University Business School with a promise to meet again and with a conviction to contribute back to the institute through regular webinars, research and academic partnerships.
The event organized by Prof. Parmjit Kaur, Chairperson, UBS, Dr, Rupinder Bir Kaur, the faculty co-ordinator of Alumni Relations, and the Alumni Relations Cell of the UBS, who all expressed their gratitude to all the alumni who graced the occasion with their presence. The Cell extended its vote of thanks to everyone who helped to make this event a great success, including academic members, research scholars, students, and volunteers.
