Great Lakes Institute, Chennai Holds Convocation for PGPM Batch 2008 & EMBA Batch

Great Lakes Institute, Chennai Holds Convocation for PGPM Batch 2008 & EMBA Batch

The 4th Batch of Great Lakes' flagship program, PGPM along with EMBA students graduated on 30th April 2008. The event saw Chief Editor of Hindu, N. Ram and Satyam's Ramalinga Raju addressing the students. Around 200 students of Great Lakes Institute of Management

received their Post Graduate Diplomas and Executive MBA Certificates.

The School's Founder & Honorary Dean, Bala V. Balachandran, who is affectionately called 'Uncle Bala' by the students, delivered the welcome speech. He said the students were admitted into the institution based on their intelligence, ethical values, academic performance, leadership potential, team-building skills, analytical skills and their ability to cope with the pressure of a fast-track one-year course.

Dr. Bala also said that the standard of the institution and its students is increasing year by year, and added that from next year around, 10 percent students shall be admitted from outside India. He said that the school expected to move to its new campus on East Coast Road in time for the next year's convocation. He said their placements highlighted the increasing prominence of Great Lakes as one of the top B-schools in the country. Dr. Bala also proudly added that 91 percent of the students were placed in two days, and now every single student has offers with them.

The convocation address was delivered by N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, who said that the highlight of the institution was its commitment to provide world-class managers attracted by clarity of vision. He urged business schools not to ignore factors such as the national deficit, the country's poor human development indicators, and the massive challenges of poverty, illiteracy and poor healthcare.

While India could be justly proud of its high growth rate, especially in the services and international trade sectors, its young population and its status as a favoured destination for foreign investment, business leaders must be aware of the challenges facing the country, he said.

Mr. Ram pointed to Amartya Sen's definition of "freedom as development" and endorsed an approach to measuring success by how well a society provides its members with the opportunities to achieve valuable human functioning. "His (Sen's) kind of literature must be introduced in business education."

Chairman of Satyam Computers, Ramalinga Raju, who delivered the valedictory address, spoke about what the industry would expect from new graduates. They needed to demonstrate leadership, not just management skills, because this was a time of rapid change.

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Contributed by -
Ashutosh Chaudhary,
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai.