Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science held its 2024 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 10, 2024, in New York state, USA. More than 400 undergraduates and nearly 400 graduate students attended the ceremony with family, friends, faculty and peers to receive their diplomas.
Distinguished Professor Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari, dean of the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, served as keynote speaker.
During the event, Binghamton University also honoured Dr. Govindasamy Viswanathan, Founder-Chancellor of India’s No. 1 Private University as per NIRF Rankings, the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in India was conferred a State University of New York (SUNY) honorary Doctor of Laws degree. He was honored for his strong background in educational administration as well as his humanitarian efforts and entrepreneurship.
An epitome of academic excellence, Dr G. Viswanathan, was born in a remote village near Vellore in Tamil Nadu and made a mark in the academic field and dedicated himself for societal development particularly in the field of higher education in India. He has launched several schemes for uplifting women and unemployed youth in the region to help them become self-reliant. VIT offers scholarships to students from disadvantaged sections of the society to enable them to pursue higher education.
This honorary degree paid homage to his extraordinary journey and is another feather to his cap. His journey ascertains his passion for learning. His life has been nothing short of a dream which people aspire to reflect and inspire institutions, leaders in academia across the globe.
Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science: The Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science provides a top-ranked engineering and computer science education in upstate New York. This college is located in Binghamton University State University of New York.
Prof. Srihari, who joined the Binghamton faculty in 1988, has directed and mentored more than 170 master’s graduates and 40 more at the PhD level. In 2009, he was named Watson College dean, and he has led a period of remarkable growth. In the past 15 years, graduate enrollment has increased by 103%, total enrollment is up 49%, and the total faculty count has grown by 41%. “When I came to the United States in 1983 to begin my graduate work, I never imagined that someday I would have the opportunity to serve as the dean of a top-ranked college and work with wonderful colleagues and amazing students like you,” he said. “I am truly lucky.”
VIT University: Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a deemed university located inVellore, Tamil Nadu, India. In 1984, Prof. Viswanathan established the Vellore Engineering College, which became VIT in 2001. VIT now has four campuses and serves over 88,000 students from across the globe. The Institute offers 66 Undergraduate, 58 Postgraduate, 15 Integrated, 2 Research and 2 M.Tech Industrial Programmes. It has campuses in Vellore and Chennai and three distinct state private universities in Andhra Pradesh, Bhopal and Bengaluru. The Chancellor of VIT, Dr. G. Viswanathan plans to move VIT up to the top 500 in the world university ranking in the next 3 years. Presently according to World Subject Ranking, VIT has already been placed under 550 ranking in 3 subjects namely. VIT has 5 Campuses in India (VIT Vellore, VIT Chennai, VIT AP University, VIT Bhopal University and VIT Bangalore University)
IIT Madras and VIT Vellore (in private category) are consistent performers in all aspects for the past 5 years. Among the private engineering colleges of India, VIT Vellore has been at the top for 5 years consecutively and stands out when it comes to consistency in performance and all round improvement.
