16 May 2016: Alumni returning to their alma mater and giving back is a bit like people planting shade trees knowing fully well that they’re never going to enjoy its shade. And yet, the giving back never ends. Why? Because, says Raghavendra R, Senior Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, “We are a privileged lot. We may not realize it, but at some point we’ve been the beneficiaries of some institutional intervention. Second, we are proud of the fact that we come from a certain Institution and third, the Institution is at a certain stage of evolution where it is becoming bigger, better and more global. It needs alumni to give back and we would like to stand up and be counted.”
The Class of 1995 did just that when they sponsored a discussion room at IIMB and inaugurated it on May 16, 2016. “The Class of 1995 is a fairly united one,” says Raghavendra. And the idea of giving back has always been there. At their 10th reunion, they donated a token amount to IIMB, but it was during their 20th reunion last year that they decided to do something more substantial.
The batch raised about INR 1.7 million, and they evaluated multiple options with the Institute for its usage.
“During our reunion, we went around the campus and saw that one of the meeting rooms had been sponsored by a previous batch. We thought it to be a great idea – it was permanent, it was useful and it was very visible,” recalls Raghavendra.
The Institute helped them identify another room and the Director Incharge, Professor Raghavan Srinivasan from the Finance & Accounting area of IIMB, inaugurated it on May 16, 2016. “This is a small but significant step towards a greater engagement with the Institute and we hope this inspires others too.”
People usually ask: why does IIMB need money? The answer to that is: every academic institute, no matter which one, needs funds – for expansion, for MOOCs, for scholarships, etc., adds Raghavendra.
“We should find ways and means of making it happen and these ways need not necessarily be monetary – there are many other ways of anchoring the conversation on philanthropy.”
Sponsoring a discussion room at your alma mater is just one of them.
Click here for more photos.
16 May 2016: Alumni returning to their alma mater and giving back is a bit like people planting shade trees knowing fully well that they’re never going to enjoy its shade. And yet, the giving back never ends. Why? Because, says Raghavendra R, Senior Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, “We are a privileged lot. We may not realize it, but at some point we’ve been the beneficiaries of some institutional intervention. Second, we are proud of the fact that we come from a certain Institution and third, the Institution is at a certain stage of evolution where it is becoming bigger, better and more global. It needs alumni to give back and we would like to stand up and be counted.”
The Class of 1995 did just that when they sponsored a discussion room at IIMB and inaugurated it on May 16, 2016. “The Class of 1995 is a fairly united one,” says Raghavendra. And the idea of giving back has always been there. At their 10th reunion, they donated a token amount to IIMB, but it was during their 20th reunion last year that they decided to do something more substantial.
The batch raised about INR 1.7 million, and they evaluated multiple options with the Institute for its usage.
“During our reunion, we went around the campus and saw that one of the meeting rooms had been sponsored by a previous batch. We thought it to be a great idea – it was permanent, it was useful and it was very visible,” recalls Raghavendra.
The Institute helped them identify another room and the Director Incharge, Professor Raghavan Srinivasan from the Finance & Accounting area of IIMB, inaugurated it on May 16, 2016. “This is a small but significant step towards a greater engagement with the Institute and we hope this inspires others too.”
People usually ask: why does IIMB need money? The answer to that is: every academic institute, no matter which one, needs funds – for expansion, for MOOCs, for scholarships, etc., adds Raghavendra.
“We should find ways and means of making it happen and these ways need not necessarily be monetary – there are many other ways of anchoring the conversation on philanthropy.”
Sponsoring a discussion room at your alma mater is just one of them.
Click here for more photos.