Shiv Nadar University celebrates its First Convocation SNU graduates make it to top global organisations and universities

LOKESH GOSWAMI  Greater Noida, October 31, 2015: Shiv Nadar University (SNU), a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research university set up by the Shiv Nadar Foundation, today celebrated the University’s first
convocation. The convocation marked a major milestone in the University’s journey with the graduation of the founding undergraduate batch of SNU students, who joined the University in 2011 and three years of Masters and Diploma students. Raj Reddy, Moza Bint Nasser University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics in the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University and Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India, attended the Convocation as the Guests of Honor and addressed the gathering. The Convocation was attended by members from academia, industry bodies and government, media, along with SNU faculty, students and parents.  Speaking at the Convocation, Dr S N Balakrishnan, Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University, said, “This is a proud moment for the Shiv Nadar University as we celebrate the success of our first batch of students
who are on their way to join some of the best organisations and institutions in the world. Four years ago, SNU was only a vision. Today it is a reality. Our unique multidisciplinary curriculum and research focus complemented by four years of relentless effort and hard work of the faculty, staff and students have launched the University on its path of excellence and this is evident in the achievements of our students. Our present success is only a benchmark for us to raise the bar and set higher standards of excellence in higher education in the country. Our commitment to research will continue with an internal research investment of about Rs 200 crore to date and an additional Rs 550 crore earmarked over the next three years.” Thirty one students from the Class of 2015 have been selected for higher studies by some of the world’s leading universities like Cornell, Columbia, New York University, Dartmouth, RMIT, Delhi School of Economics and Georgetown University. 95% of the first graduating class have been recruited by prestigious organizations like Amazon, PWC, Cognizant, Tata, L&T, Shapoorji Pallonji, Dell and Schenider, among others.A total of 295 degrees were awarded at the SNU Annual Convention to students who have successfully completed Bachelors and Masters degrees programs in the Academic Session 2014-15. The University
also handed out Medals to the Toppers of first batch.Shiv Nadar University also awarded Honorary Doctoral Degrees to three stalwarts in their respective fields – Fakir Chand Kohli, a Padma Bhushan who is hailed as the father of the Indian IT industry; Sayed Haider Raza, a Padma Vibhushan awardee and one of India’s greatest icons of modern and
contemporary art and Dr Ashoke Sen, a Padma Bhushan recipient and a world renowned theoretical physicist. Talking on the progress of the University, Nikhil Sinha, Founding Vice Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University said, “As we enter our fifth year, the University has grown considerably in scale and scope since its opening in 2011 and we have made substantial progress towards achieving our goal of creating a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, research university. Today we have 1,800 students enrolled at the university, who come from 27 states in the country and are pursuing degrees across four schools: School of Humanities & Social Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, School of Engineering, and School of Management & Entrepreneurship. We have recently launched a fifth school, the School of Extended Education and Professional Development, which is focused on extending the reach of the university by
offering short-duration educational and training programs to individuals, companies, and governmental and non-governmental organizations.” He further added, “True to our research focus, we have created a rich environment of research that is not limited to faculty and graduate students. We are now in the second year of our pioneering Opportunities for Undergraduate Research (OUR) program, which has opened the door for our undergraduate students to conduct original research with faculty. This exemplifies the importance of research in the DNA of the University.” Over the next three years, SNU will be strengthening its current academic programs through the addition of faculty and students, as well as starting new degree programs, departments and research programs in
our existing schools. This would include the launch of 3 new schools: School of Law, School of Art Design and Performing Arts and a School of Communication, and the completion of an Advanced Research Complex, a Faculty Residence Complex, an Indoor Sports Stadium, and a new academic complex which will house the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Management & Entrepreneurship, and the School of Extended Education & Professional Development. The Shiv Nadar Foundation has earmarked Rs 1550 crore for investment in the University from 2015 to 2018. About Shiv Nadar University Shiv Nadar University (www.snu.edu.in), a Shiv Nadar Foundation initiative, is a multi-disciplinary, student-centric, research-focused university offering a full range of academic programs at the undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level. SNU’s multi-disciplinary curriculum provides students a strong foundation in disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, natural sciences, technology and engineering studies, communications and management, while enabling them to gain mastery of a subject of their choosing. Taught by world class faculty, undergraduate education at SNU is designed to develop students with the breadth of vision, knowledge, skills and attitudes required to succeed in the careers of the 21st century. Located on a 286-acre campus in India’s National Capital Region, SNU is a private philanthropic institution established in 2011 through an act of the State of Uttar Pradesh.About Shiv Nadar FoundationThe Shiv Nadar Foundation (www.ShivNadarFoundation.org) has been established by Shiv Nadar, Founder, HCL – a $6.5 billion leading global technology and IT enterprise, with over 110,000 employees across 31 countries. Founded in 1976, HCL is one of India’s original IT garage start-ups and offers diverse business aligned technology solutions spanning the entire hardware and software spectrum, to a focused range of industry verticals.The Foundation is committed to the creation of a more equitable, merit-based society by empowering individuals to bridge the socio-economic divide. To that purpose the Foundation is focused on the underdeveloped disciplinary areas in India related to transformational education, creativity and art. The Foundation set up the SSN Institutions (www.SSN.edu.in) in 1996, comprising the SSN College of Engineering (already a highly ranked private engineering college in India), in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The Foundation has also set up VidyaGyan (www.VidyaGyan.in), a residential leadership academy for meritorious rural children, at Bulandshahr and Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh. In addition, the Foundation runs the Shiv Nadar University (www.snu.edu.in), an international multi-disciplinary university with strong research orientation located in Greater Noida in India’s National Capital Region and the Shiv Nadar School (www.shivnadarschool.edu.in), a network of progressive urban schools across India aimed to provide children with education that creates lifelong learners. The Foundation has also set up the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (www.knma.in), India’s largest private philanthropic museum in modern and contemporary art, with the vision to take art to the common public.