VIJAYAWADA: The present era is in critical need of higher education and universities have the responsibility to ‘punch through darkness,’ Dr. Andrew D Hamilton, British-American academic and president of the New York University, said.
“It is extraordinary to see so many laurels brought by the students amid a pandemic,” Dr. Hamilton, who was the chief guest of SRM University-AP’s first convocation ceremony said.
As many as 294 undergraduates were conferred degrees at the ceremony, attended by dignitaries from across the world in hybrid mode.
The university also conferred an honorary doctorate on Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director of the National Science Foundation in the US.
Dr. Hamilton, who was previously the vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, and Provost, Yale University, expressed happiness over the opportunity to be part of a nascent university full of promises and potential to create a long and illustrious history.
Accepting the doctorate, Dr. Panchanathan advised the students to follow the ‘6C mantra’ to be worthy of honour and respect in life. He elaborated the mantras as ‘curiosity, courage, collaboration, communication, commitment and compassion.’
President of SRM University Dr. P Sathyanarayanan said the education system in India is going through a transformation with the newly enacted National Education Policy, 2020. “SRM University-AP aims to be on the vanguard of this transition,” he added. Chancellor Dr. T R Paarivendhar, Vice-Chancellor Prof V S Rao also spoke on the occasion.