The Indian School of Business (ISB) celebrated its eighth Graduation Day of the Class of 2009 at its campus today. The class comprising 437 students graduated with honours amidst jubilation and cheer. Present at the occasion were the Chief Guest, Arun Sarin, Chief Executive (Retired), Vodafone Group, Rajat Gupta, Chairman, ISB and Ajit Rangnekar, Dean, ISB. Arun Sarin addressed the gathering and handed over the certificates to students resplendent in their gowns and graduate hats. Witnessing the historic moment in the audience, were the eminent Board members, faculty, parents, friends, and relatives of the students.
The mood at the graduation ceremony was one of enthusiasm and joy. Ajit Rangnekar, Dean, ISB congratulated the Class of 2009 on successfully completing the Post Graduate Programme in Management and said, “You have gained new knowledge, learnt important lessons for life, made lasting friends, and collected memories that will be with you life long. We are very proud of you. I personally admire your tenacity, your resilience, pragmatism and the ability to rise above short term difficulties; you are a very special class indeed. I am sure that you will script your own destiny, that you will build doors when opportunity is slow to knock on your door, that you will go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined.“
Chief Guest Arun Sarin, spoke about leadership qualities and encouraged the graduating class to aim high for success. Speaking to an animated audience, Rajat Gupta, Chairman, ISB mentioned the ISB being ranked 15th among the top B-Schools in the world by Financial Times, London, he said; “The ISB is now ranked among the best B-Schools in the World. In such a short time, the school has traversed a challenging but rewarding journey, and I am sure the future will unfold many more accomplishments.”
The Rajat Gupta Award for Excellence in Leadership, a special gold medal given to the ISB All Rounder and Best Achiever annually, went to Ashish Handa. Visibly excited at receiving the award, Handa said, “I am delighted! I have had the opportunity to be involved in many different activities at many levels. It is challenging and thrilling to be competing with such smart class mates. The high standards of achievement have helped me to transform myself into a leader. I dedicate this award to my parents.”
The ISB recognises meritorious students for their achievements with special awards. This year the ISB Scholars of Excellence Awards were given to Vivek Lath and Sumit Popli. “It is indeed a big honour to be selected as the ISB Scholar of Excellence from a class of highly competent professionals. ISB has been a life changing experience for me. It provided me with an opportunity to expand my horizons. Faculty at ISB are world-class, they bring a rich mix of industry experience and academic expertise,” said Vivek Lath, the topper of Class of 2009. The top 10 percent of the class made it to the Dean’s List for their distinctive performance in various activities.
Learning at the ISB is not limited to classrooms. This is demonstrated by the students’ response to Professor Dishan Kamdar, who was awarded the “Professor of the Year for Elective Courses”. This award is decided by the students through a system of nominations. The award was given to Professor Kamdar from the students of the Class of 2009 for the exceptional delivery of the course “Negotiation Analysis”. Students were enthralled by the quality of the course and strong conceptual foundations. “The out of classroom exercises he conducted were full of unexpected events that kept us on our toes. His was one of the most engrossing and entertaining classes at ISB,” said Chandrakant Chereddi, one of the students.
The Graduation ceremony concluded with the ceremonial toss of hats by the outgoing Class of 2009. Families and friends were witness to this emotional and proud moment.
About the ISB
The Indian School of Business is a premier management institution established in 2001. In a short span of seven years, the ISB has successfully pioneered several new trends in management education in India and has established itself as a leading B-school across the world. The ISB has a strong pool of research oriented resident faculty and invites high calibre international faculty from reputed B-schools to teach in its Post Graduate Programme in Management/Executive Education Programmes as well as to participate in collaborative research with the resident faculty. The ISB has academic associations with the Kellogg School of Management, The Wharton School, and the London Business School.
