To the Graduating Class of 2021

On this wonderful occasion, it is my great pleasure to convey to all of you my warmest and most sincere congratulations.  You have now completed an extraordinary journey, studying at a new and ambitious university in the ancient capital of Amaravati, becoming by virtue of doing so critical to this exciting vision to provide unprecedented pathways in education for all of you. 

I have had the unique opportunity to be part of the creation of this new university, and I have done my part in supporting path breaking opportunities for students here, including an important collaboration with my university, UC Berkeley, in the field of "Design, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship." I have therefore been able to watch many of you participate in new programs and demonstrate your own zeal for innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship.  And it has been a joy to see how you have embraced these opportunities and succeeded beyond our wildest imaginations. 

To support your own education and research, we have recruited faculty from highly reputed institutions from across India and the globe, all of whom are pursuing cutting edge research in collaboration with many national and international institutions.  I am told that they have published over six hundred articles and research reports in high impact journals and over twenty patents in a short span since the inception of the university.  

And you, the maiden batch of students, have demonstrated your accomplishments by securing 100% placement in top-notch companies, in India and abroad, and many of you will be attending some of the world's best universities for post-graduate studies.  

The world is at a critical juncture now, and our future depends on your commitment to using the resources of science and technology not just to be innovative but to make the world a better place for us all.  As you work to tackle major issues such as inequality, climate change, the misuses of technology platforms, the need for new solutions to our health care challenges, among many other things, we depend on your advancement and success.  We know you will make us proud.

And so, as you go forth beyond the gates of the university, we wish you all the very best and great success, and will follow your progress as you use the education you have received here to solve the challenges and puzzles of India's and the world's future.

Congratulations again to the class of 2021

Dr Nicholas B Dirks

President of the New York Academy of Sciences; Former Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley, USA

SRM University, Andhra Pradesh © 2021 All rights reserved.

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