Edu-leaders

The Delhi College of Engineering (DCE and formerly Delhi Polytechnic) and the Delhi Technological University (DTU) have together launched a ‘PAN DCE-DTU’ network in order to strengthen their alumni network.

The network aims at providing an interface between the alumni, students, faculty and the administration of the university. It will also help existing students to connect with their alumni and seek guidance for their projects, research and placements. "The alumni connect in the form of PAN DCE-DTU will enable the university to involve its distinguished alumni in a more significant manner for making DTU a world-class university," informed Professor P.B. Sharma, Vice Chancellor, DTU.

Sharma added that DTU is also planning to start an International Alumni Centre (with conferencing and residential facilities) an Alumni Fund which can be used to support research and innovations of students and the faculty, inviting distinguished faculty from India and abroad, and setting up specialized centres for research and innovations in the areas of solar energy, VLSI design and Design Engineering Centre, among others.

The network website, www.pandcedtu.org, was launched at the first meeting of the International Alumni Advisory Committee (IAAC) of DTU held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Raj Soin, Chairman, Soin International, US, Chairman (abroad) for IAAC, and distinguished alumnus of DCE; K.L. Chugh, Former Chairman, ITC Ltd., Chairman (India) for IAAC, and an alumnus of DCE; S.P. Goel, a 1954-graduate of DCE; and other young and senior alumni members of DCE attended the meeting.

Many alumni members also came up with noteworthy suggestions on strengthening DTU as a university. Soin said, "It is important to have a full-fledged Alumni Relations Office in DTU, which can connect and stay in touch with the alumni of DCE/DTU spread across the globe and look at ways of harnessing alumni's support in various endeavours of the university."

Applauding DTU for establishing a Technology Incubation Centre for encouraging entrepreneurship among young students, Chugh called for a greater involvement of the alumni in the functioning of the university. "The management of the university should acknowledge that alumni are an important component of the university and they should be considered as ‘interested, enlightened owners' of the university," he said.