As we approach the mid-point of 2016, it is increasingly apparent that this will be a watershed year for IIT Madras, and many of her alumni. There has been a torrent of news about the achievements of IITM faculty, students & alums—and I'm sure you would have taken note. We should take time to reflect on how far we have come since our inception in 1959, and even since the "60 Minutes" program in 2003 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7iLj8FAzwA).
1. Nearly 2/3rd of our students are now post-graduates, and our annual M.S. + Ph.D. admission nearly equals our B.Tech. admissions.
2. 40% of UG student credits are now electives, half of them completely "free".
3. Dual-degree programs where the bachelor's degree is in a core discipline and the Masters' in an interdisciplinary, emerging area are being mooted.
4. Hardly 10% of UGs are heading to graduate schools abroad. Nearly 20% are joining start-up or starting companies.
5. 20% of our Ph.D. admissions are now directly from bachelors' programs; another 10% are upgrades from Masters' programs.
6. The IITM Research Park remains India's only University-based Research Park, with Phase I filled to capacity, and Phase II launching in 2016, with St Gobain Research India as anchor client.
7. Interdisciplinary Centres are forming at the rate of 2-3 a year, necessitating the start of a "Research Campus" to accommodate the larger ones.
8. IITM leads the nation in joint doctoral degree programs (14 & counting), and in the inflow and outflow of exchange students and Visiting Faculty.
It is also time to step back & review the state of alumni relations & fund-raising at IIT Madras. Nearly all alums are networked to each other, and to their alma mater. A key focus of the Office of I & AR continues to be to maximize two-way connectivity between the Institute and her alumni. While e-mail communications have been maintained, social media are increasingly being leveraged. The Office has built a strong presence in LinkedIn. In addition to this "Annual Giving Report", a monthly Newsletter from the Alumni Association and attractive websites provide additional interfaces to the alumni community. Two major alumni conclaves happen on campus every year—"Reunion Day" in December, and "Alumni Day/ AlumNite" in July. Chapter meetings in India and abroad are regularly attended by the Director, Deans and faculty. In 2015, these Meets have been held in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Along with Dean, I & AR, I made a visit to the U.S. in late May, with stops in Chicago, Houston, Pittsburgh and the Bay Area.
The weekly "Leadership Lecture Series" featuring alumni continues to draw crowds on Friday evenings. Alumni footfall on campus continues to be significant; with involvement ranging from innovation & entrepreneurship initiatives to industry connects. The Student Secretariat for I & AR continues to excel in outreach activities, including a "Day @ IITM" organized for the benefit of JEE aspirants.
Fund-raising has risen from an average of Rs. 3 crores per year 5 years ago to Rs. 55 crores in 2015, more than doubling the 2014 total of Rs. 23 crores. The number of first-time donors reached an all-time high of 1,130 in 2015, bringing the cumulative total to 3,200 donors. Mr. Prem Watsa donated Rs. 6.5 crores towards renovation of the Stadium, and the same has been named after his father "Manohar C Watsa". The Mehta Family Foundation sponsored the 2nd Bio-sciences Building with an additional contribution of Rs. 2.31 crores. Shri. TT Jagannathan and Dr. Krishna Chivukula funded two signature projects at IITM—the Centre for R2D2 (Rehabilitation Research & Device Development) and the Space Lab (Satellite facility), respectively. CSR contributions received from Indian industries exceeded Rs. 11 crores, with several companies contributing from their CSR funds to support DST-approved incubators on campus, as well as faculty R & D projects with social impact. Shri. R Muralidharan has pioneered a novel way to give back to his alma mater. He has assigned his and his wife's life insurance policy valued at $100,000 to IIT Madras, vesting post the lifetime of the donor.
Shri. Kris Gopalakrishnan sponsored two more Distinguished Chairs in Computational Brain Research at Rs. 10 cr each. The Chairs are currently occupied by outstanding researchers: Prof. Mriganka Sur (MIT) and Prof. Anand Raghunathan (Purdue). Seven "Institute Chairs" were funded at Rs. 50 lakhs each. HAL and MoSDE (Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship) funded two Chairs at IITM. The first annual Workshop on "Computational Brain Research" was conducted on campus from Jan 4th to 8th, 2016. The goals of the workshop were twofold: pedagogy ("neuroscience for engineers"), and outreach/community building. Participants included world-renowned experts in the area.
"Onwards & Upwards" is our institutional mantra, and we seek your continued support in this endeavor.
We have a history together - the IITM campus and each one of us. Gajendra Circle, Ad Block, HSB, CLT, MSB, ESB, CSB, BSB, OAT, Ganga, Jamuna, et al. - names that bring memories flooding back. A history that none of us will forget... A time when we were young and impressionable... A place where we were first moulded as professionals... A past that is very much with us, and is a big part of who we are and what each of us has become...
That special campus of our past completes 57 years on July 31 this year. Fifty years, 45000 graduates, and counting!
A lot has happened and continues to happen on the campus over the years. Several of us alumni are involved in these happenings. A few have given back by returning to teach at IITM, some have got involved in supporting a range of IITM academic activities, and yet others have contributed to the growth of the institute's facilities and capabilities.
Sincerely,
Kris
2015 was our best year ever in terms of alumni out-reach and fund-raising. Neither happens overnight. Building strong and enduring bonds between alumni and the alma mater is a process that takes time and effort. In the past decade IIT Madras has taken several proactive measures to intensity this process. One example is the 2012 formation of a Dean's Office for International & Alumni Relations. Another is the launch in 2015 of a full-time "Development Office" to pursue fund-raising outside of North America. Staffed by 3 alumni at present, the DO brings an element of Professionalism to the sweet science of "the Ask". A sister office - the IIT Madras Foundation launched in early 2016 in the Bay Area will attempt to do likewise in the USA. The time to make changes is when things are going well; in that sense, these moves are timely, and strategic in nature.
Alumni relations can be cultivated in many ways, all of which are important. We now have alums spanning 6 decades, and each generation responds to a different stimulus. While some still swear by e-mails and Yahoo Groups, others of more recent vintage have moved on to social media - LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp. We try to serve all constituencies, without fear or favor. But nothing works as well as face-to-face interactions. We make every effort to go out and meet alumni where they live. We also roll out the red carpet for alumni to revisit the campus and relive their college days. Campus tours, lectures, interactions with students and faculty, visit to Research Park, etc. are all facilitated by our Office through our able staff.
Our efforts are well coordinated with the IIT Madras Alumni Association, and the IITM Alumni Association of North America. Our faculty and students are fully supportive of our alumni engagement initiatives. The student Secretariat for I&AR @ IITM is a magnet for the best and brightest talents. No wonder, then, that many other institutions are now looking to IIT Madras for guidance on setting up their alumni programs. After all, we are # I !
Sincerely,
Prof. R. Nagarajan
Department of Chemical Engineering
Dean, International & Alumni Relations
IIT Madras
Email : deaniar@iitm.ac.in
