Social responsibility must for varsities: UoH VC

Social responsibility must for varsities: UoH VC
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Highlights

Prof. Mrinal Miri, chairman, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, said that universities should be free from the control of internal, external individuals, and contrary political and business interests. Delivering the sixteenth convocation address of University of Hyderabad (UoH) at Global Peace Auditorium here on Wednesday

Sixteenth convocation of UoH held

The university conferred honorary doctorate posthumously to actress Zohra Sehgal

Hyderabad: Prof. Mrinal Miri, chairman, Indian Council of Philosophical Research, said that universities should be free from the control of internal, external individuals, and contrary political and business interests.

 Joyous students throw their hats in the air marking their graduation

Delivering the sixteenth convocation address of University of Hyderabad (UoH) at Global Peace Auditorium here on Wednesday, Mrinal said that higher educational institutions are bodies that were created for sustaining autonomous and responsive practice of the kind. “These bodies must be in their turn being autonomous, free from control by internal and external individuals whose own interests might easily be opposed to the internal institutional aims,” he added.

The professor said that education targets the human being as a whole and aims with varying degrees of success or failure to seek the enlargement of its unity and prevention of its fragmentation.

Mrinal stated that universities were paradigmatic examples of institutions which aim at, promote and are necessarily involved in engagement of the kind that constitutes what is called the core value of the practice of education.

He opined that pursuit of excellence in educational practices requires the exercise of virtues such as honesty, courage, justice, an open-eyed respect for the other, whether the other is fellow practitioner or an idea or a community of ideas.

University of Hyderabad, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ramakrishna Ramaswamy felt that there is need to have university social responsibility similar to corporate social responsibility.

“I believe that is necessary for the varsity to also have well defined social goals that can only be reached by the collective work of body such as ours, where research, teaching and scholarships are valued, nurtured and encouraged. I believe that this is a fundamental way in which a university can contribute to the oval good of the society in which we are embedded,” said Ramakrishna.

Six eminent personalities: Prof. Palle Rama Rao, scientist, and ex VC of UoH, Dr M S Valiathan, renowned cardio-thorasic surgeon, Prof. M S Raghunathan, renowned mathematician received their honorary doctorates at the convocation. Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, leading scholar of Classical Indian dance, Gulzar, renowned poet, lyricist and film director were also conferred with Honaris Causa (honorary doctorate) at the convocation in absentia.

The university also conferred actress and choreographer Zohra Sehgal, with honorary doctorate posthumously which was received by her daughter Kiran Sehgal.

Five faculty members of the university were presented the Chancellor’s Awards in recognition of their overall contribution to the university in various spheres. The award consisting of a certificate and Rs 1 lakh was presented by the Chancellor of UoH Prof. C H Hanumantha Rao to Dr. R Mrinal Kanti Bhattacharyya for research in cellular and molecular biochemistry;Dr S Rajagopal for research in structural biology and proteomics; Dr G Vaitheeswaran for research in material science and high pressure studies; Dr Suvashisa Rana for research in developmental and educational psychology; social psychology and peace, positive psychology, psychometrics and Prof. D B Ramachary for research in organic chemistry.

The Telangana, Andhra Pradesh states governor and Chief Rector, UoH, E S L Narasimhan, awarded medals to the meritorious students.

As many as 1,452 students were conferred with degrees, out of which 206 were from integrated PG courses, 723 from PG courses, 176 from MPhil, 164 from MTech and 183 from PhD. Besides degrees, 104 medals were also awarded to students.

Pavithra Molugu, a visually challenged student of MA-History bagged two medals: Andhra Bank Medal and AP History Congress Medal for Women Topper.

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