13th Graduation ceremony : 1059 students graduate from COEP

Pune, 24 July 2019 : The graduation ceremony of the 13th batch of Engineers who passed from College of Engineering Pune (COEP) in July 2019, was held on Tuesday in the college auditorium. The COEP was granted full autonomy in 2004.

The Ceremony started with the arrival of Academic Procession comprising of Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Honorable Chairman Board of Governors of the College of Engineering Pune, Dr. Nitin Karmalkar, distinguished Chief Guest and Vice Chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University, Dr. B. B. Ahuja, Director, Dr. M. S. Sutaone, Deputy Director, COEP; Dr. S. G. Sonar, Controller of Examination of COEP; Deans and all Heads of the Departments.

Director of COEP, Dr. B. B. Ahuja presented the annual report which showcased some of the major highlights of COEP for the academic year 2018-19. It depicted various achievements of COEP students and faculty, variety of academic and non academic programmes conducted at COEP throughout the year. He also illustrated the future plan along with various measures to fulfill these plans which will enable COEP to accomplish its goal to excel amongst the community of engineering colleges and be a deemed university.

The Chairman Board of Governors of COEP, Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, congratulated the graduating students saying that these graduates will be an addition to the country not only in the terms of knowledge but “Continuing Knowledge”. In his address he mainly emphasized on the importance of developing the ability to express the knowledge gained in Indian languages, as in the case of other countries like Germany, China, Japan, Russia etc. which insist on dissemination of the knowledge in their respective national languages as well and not just limited to English. Having the software, research publications, technical books in local languages will enable the systems, knowledge to reach the rural and remote areas as in One will have to think of different ways to ensure the technology is reached in every strata of the society.

He added that the beauty of the field of Science and Technology is that the inventors themselves cannot image the transition and its impact on the society that will take place over a period of time. It is therefore important for everyone to remain abreast with the emerging technologies which will cause profound changes in our lives in the time to come. Thus have to continue learning throughout his/ her working life in order to acquire set of excellence.

In the concluding part, Dr. Bhatkar illustrated the importance of having convergence across the disciplines and collaborative learning between teachers and the students and the institutes should be able to anticipate the future changes in terms of technology, economy, demography etc. And accordingly gear up the students with the relevant curriculum and teaching techniques. He added that, the world today is offering unprecedented hopes and avenues in various fields also the fast growing economy is offering huge support. Each one can therefore be a game changer if optimum utilization of these opportunities is made.

Dr. Vijay Bhatkar’s address was followed by the Chief Guest’s address delivered by Prof. Nitin Karmalkar, VC, SPPU.

In the Chief Guest’s address, Prof. Nitin Karmalkar congratulated the graduating students and the institute, addressing it to be the benchmark for Science and Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Addressing the graduates as some of the brightest brains of the country and world, Dr. Karmalkar said that it’s now the students’ turn to contribute to their parents, society, nation and all who has supported in different ways for accomplishing their dreams and complete their graduation from an esteemed institute like COEP.

Quoting some of the important themes of Swami Vivekananda that “Education helps in building a strong character among the youth”, he said the students and the institute should work in the direction of producing an graduate who is not just technically sound but a good human being with high moral values and ethics and who will stand strong in this era where technology has taken over our lives.

He said Information Technology has improved employability and Job Opportunities in the countries where it has been used extensively. Similarly Artificial Intelligence which is growing rapidly not only in the field of Engineering but also in the field of Medical, Social Sciences etc. will soon be an integral part of our lives. The engineers should therefore be trained to work with Artificial Intelligence.

He added, anticipating all the challenges on professional and personal front, being an engineering graduate from one of the premier institutes of the country, one must think how he/ she can contribute for the betterment of this society and world at large as the world today is facing several in terms of economy, technology, health, natural calamities, ecological imbalance, erratic climatic conditions etc.

While concluding, Dr. Karmalkar advised the graduates to believe in oneself and dream high and never give up. However, chase the dreams while following the path of truth, justice, non violence. The passing certificates were then distributed by the Chief Guest, Vice Chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University – Dr. Nitin Karmalkar to the students. A total of 1059 students were awarded passing certificates of which 732 are B. Tech. in 10 engineering disciplines, 327 are M. Tech. in 24 specializations. Also the first batch of students who have successfully completed their Honors and Minor courses was awarded the certificate of completion today. The number of students who was awarded the certificate in Honors and minors is 79 and 95 respectively who graduated this year. Toppers of each discipline of Bachelor of Engineering were honored with Gold medals by Dr. Vijay Bhatkar. 11 students of 2019 B. Tech. batch received gold medals.

The students then took the pledge that they shall always conduct themselves with dedication, honesty and integrity in the discharge of their duties as a professional. They shall always endeavor to utilize their knowledge of Science and Technology, their experience and skills to the best of their ability for the service of the country and glory of the institute. They also promised that in all circumstances they shall uphold the values and traditions of COEP respecting the rights and dignity of the individual and as a loyal emissary of the institute shall seek to excel in the chosen field.