IILM, a forerunner of International Undergraduate Programs in India since 1996, achieved another milestone on October 31st 2017. Second Batch of the students pursuing their BBA in Entrepreneurship were conferred their graduate degree of SBS Swiss Business School. It was indeed a proud moment for SBS Swiss Business School, as well as for IILM to see their students, dressed in ceremonial robes, eager to receive the Degree.
The convocation ceremony was held at the Lodhi Road Campus at 3.00 PM. The proceeding started with the arrival of the Chief Guest, Prof Bert Wolfs, Dean, SBS Swiss Business School.
The academic procession comprising the Undergraduate Faculty Members was led by Dr. Daisy Mathur Jain, Dean of the Undergraduate Business School (UBS). Recitation of Saraswati Vandana by the students of Banyan Tree School and lighting of the lamp by Prof. Bert Wolfs, Dr. Shuchi Agrawal (Director UBS), Dr. Jain and Izabela Karanfiloska, (Program Manager, MBA, SBS Swiss Business School) marked the beginning of the event.
Dr. Jain embraced the presence of graduands, parents and guests and delivered her welcome speech.
Dean’s Message to the Students
It is a matter of pleasure and great honour that we have gathered here for the graduation ceremony of the Bachelors of Business Administration (Entrepreneurship) SBS Swiss Business School. On behalf of IILM Undergraduate Business School, I extend warm greetings and welcome you all to this very solemn and at the same time a joyous and fulfilling occasion.
This day is important for students as well as the Institute. It is indeed a proud moment for us to see young ladies and gentlemen coming out with flying colours and all set to begin a new journey. As young graduates, you are about to embark on your own extraordinary journey and create your own life adventures. I congratulate you for the hard work that you have put in during these three years. A new chapter is about to begin. A myriad of new challenges and options are on your horizons. There are several paths that you all must have decided to pursue now after graduation – like starting your own entrepreneurship journey with your fresh ideas, or furthering your family business or pursuing higher education. No matter what path you choose – THINK BIG! That is how you will succeed. I urge you to be focused and serious while trying to achieve your goals. However, in this process don’t make your life too serious. Make it a habit to be happy while you solve all your difficulties in life. This is only the beginning.
Do keep coming to your Alma Mater and share your success stories with us. Congratulations once again.
The Dean took the permission of the Chief Guest to declare the Convocation open. She welcomed and introduced Prof Bert Wolfs- Academic Dean, SBS Swiss Business School. Prof Wolfs is a PhD, MDP (Harvard Graduate School of Education) and a founding member of SBS Swiss Business School and holds the position of the Academic Dean and DBA Program Manager at the Institution. Dr. Wolfs also is a lecturer on SBS educational programs with a special interest in entrepreneurship and e-commerce, and holds the Albert Einstein Peace Award from IAEWP. Furthermore, he is a certified lecturer of Swiss Vocational Education Training (VET) students. Dr. Jain also introduced Izabela Karanfiloska, Program Manager –SBS Swiss Business School.
This was followed by a brief Address by Ms Izabela Karanfiloska who was happy to congratulate all the graduands. She emphasized that the Convocation Day stood as a moment of great pride for the students, and she wished success to all the young graduands.
Director’s Message to the Students
Members of IILM Board of Governors, Distinguished guests, proud parents, colleagues and dear graduating students.
On behalf of the IILM fraternity, I extend a very warm welcome to each one of you on the annual convocation for the Class of 2017. With pleasure I want to share that the year 2017 marks the 25th year of our legacy in education.
Our undergraduate program aims at inspiring students to be innovative in their thoughts and actions and to grow as entrepreneurs. Today India is brimming with ideas and energy. At IILM, we do our best to energize this new generation so that our country can reach new heights of greatness.
Dear Students today marks the culmination of an enriching journey by you and also the beginning of a new, fascinating one. All of you have gathered here on this special occasion but I see a lot of missing faces. Do you know why? I am proud to share that
30 of your batch-mates that is one third of the batch has got admission in various universities abroad for pursuing Masters. This is indeed a big achievement. Ashna Gupta is in University of Warwick, UK, Shrey Bharadwaj University of Leeds UK, Kunal Chugh in RMIT Australia, Krishan Katyal in Grenoble Graduate School of Business, France to name a few.
Many of you have started your own entrepreneurial venture. Bhavaya has started Built Natural- Recycling plastic to make T- Shirts.- Tejas who is currently in University of Bristol UK has created an app ‘Madfad’, Piyush Popli is working on bio-gas plant. Vishesh Jhalani on jewellery e-commerce site and Pranav Agarwal has started his own venture ECHO. Others have gone back to their family business and bringing in innovation there. We are indeed proud of you all.
IILM through various initiatives like Entrepreneurial Development Centre, Annual Higher Education summit, Centre for Excellence for family business and specialized mentoring is helping and guiding students to realize their aspirations and dreams.
I would now like to briefly highlight some of IILM’s major achievements during the last year.
I am proud to inform that in the EdUniversal rankings of best business schools in India, IILM has been ranked 10 in 3 Palmes of Excellence category for 2017. Headquartered in Paris, Eduniversal is a global ranking and rating agency specializing in higher education.
I am also proud to inform that IILM has been accorded the prestigious SAQS Reaccreditation by AMDISA for a period of 5 years. SAQS is an international system for quality assurance and accreditation, an EFMD supported initiative in South Asia. Only 15 Business schools in India have received this accreditation.
IILM is a member of the United Nations Global Compact Initiative – “PRME”, and has earned the coveted ‘Champion business school’ status. This year in July during the Global Forum in New York, PRME launched the India Chapter. IILM is a Co-lead along with Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and S.P.Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai. This is indeed a great honour for us.
Our Gurgaon campus has applied for University status and I am happy to share that we are in the final stages of the process and very likely to get it soon. The university will focus on liberal education having schools in liberal arts, Management, Design, Technology and Innovation.
This year as part of the IILM Global study program our undergraduate students attended 3 week programs at Seneca college Canada and ISM Germany where they studied modules on strategic management , Entrepreneurship and innovation .The program also included visits to companies such as Porsche, Mercedez Benz ,Google, IBM and Bosch. The students found the experience very enriching. In the coming years we will continue to strengthen this initiative.
Our undergraduate program focuses on providing experiential learning to our students along with the regular management courses. We have introduced innovation weeks, held three times a year, with a special focus on social innovation. Courses like entrepreneurial case studies, family business management, small business field studies and regular company visits help to inculcate in our students the skills required in today’s world.
Now to today’s event:
Dear Students, today you come to the end of a journey which you had started 3 years back! I am sure you will miss the rush to reach the class on time, the assignments to be submitted, not to forget the thesis and number of reworks it required. Well you all did a commendable work and Shubham Gupta and Saachi Narang’s thesis has been published in SBS Journal of Applied Business Research. I would like to congratulate you .It is your hard work that brought you to this finishing line. I know this is a big day and you will enjoy and remember it. I would also like to congratulate the parents and families of the graduates. Your support to them was essential to what they have achieved. So it is your moment too to enjoy and remember.
Today you are set to embark on a new journey, a journey full of challenges and opportunities. You should be willing to take on the challenges and capitalize on every opportunity that comes your way. Draw inspiration from the famous lines by Steve Jobs “Don’t let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice.” So be honest, be bold and believe in yourself and the world will be at your feet.
Once again Congratulations, Class of 2017. We are so very proud of you. Enjoy this momentous day and, as you go out into the world, please keep us in your hearts. You will be in ours.
Prof Bert Wolf’s Message to the Students
Respected members of IILM, dear ladies and gentlemen, dear parents, dear honourable guests….
Dear Students, Congratulations to the Class of 2017, you have made it!
Usually the Dean has to speak for hours, but the students are not actually interested any more in what the Dean will say. So, I will do my best to keep it short and simple.
It is an honourable day and a respectful day for you. It is definitely a day to remember. You belong now to the small part of the population worldwide which possesses the Bachelor’s Degree, a Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurship. You have learnt how to manage risks, you know how to think risks, and how to diversify your risks. As your parents and grand-parents have always told you, don’t put all the eggs in the same basket!
Now, life is simple. Life often asks three kinds of questions- the first question that people usually ask is, “Where do you have your degree from? Do you have a degree?” As of today, you are in the possession of a well-respected degree. The second question people ask you is, “Which language do you speak?” You definitely must say that you have mastered the language of entrepreneurship today. Besides that, I encourage you to learn more languages. Language is an ice-breaker. Learn in twenty languages how to say “hello” and how to say “thank you”. The world doesn’t end in India. The world is broader than India. So, if you can break the ice with other people and other cultures, it’s always appreciated. And the third question they ask you in life is, “Who do you know? Don’t say you know me! Who do you know?” So, continue to expand your network, continue to interact with your professors and continue to interact with your classmates. But, also look and know who the alumni of last year are? And you may know that we have alumni all over the world. So, try to connect with these people because there are whole lot of opportunities for you. I wish you good luck with that.
I also would like to thank the administration of the Institution for their outstanding task which they have done this year and the previous year. We are proud to be associated with you. And also, dear Graduates, you should thank your faculty. Dhanyawaad (thank you)!
Dr. Jain then presented the candidates from IILM Undergraduate Business School to be admitted to the Degree of Bachelors of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship, announcing the names in alphabetical order.
The Degree was handed over to one hundred and eleven qualifying graduates by the Chief Guest, and the candidates who could not receive the Degree in person were conferred the Degree in Absentia.
The Chairperson, Mrs. Malvika Rai was requested to give away medals and certificates to the meritorious students as follows:
Dr. Kulwant Rai Gold Medal for securing First Position in Academics was awarded to Shubham Gupta.
Dr. Kulwant Rai Silver Medal for securing Second Position in Academics was awarded to Nikunj Agarwal.
Awardees of the Special Prize for the Best Thesis Saachi Narang and Tejas Kumar. The Award was conferred upon Tejas Kumar in absentia.
In the end, the Dean, IILM UBS sought permission from the Dean, SBS Swiss Business School and declared the ceremony closed. Then audience then rose for the National Anthem after which the Academic Procession and the fresh graduates assembled for group photographs.
All Graduates, parents and other invitees were welcomed to partake of high tea, during which the Management, the Director, the Dean and all the Faculty Members interacted with one another and shared their happiness and best wishes.
