CEPT University held its 15th convocation online on 23rd January, Saturday. Shashi Verma, Director of Strategy and Chief Technology Officer at Transport for London (TfL) was the Chief Guest who delivered the convocation address.
This convocation, 532 students were conferred with their degrees, online – 1 student was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy Degree; 372 students received their post graduate degree and 159 students received their undergraduate degree, online. University Awards of Proficiency was handed to 61 meritorious students.
President of CEPT University Dr Bimal Patel in his convocation address highlighted the University’s achievements in the past one year. He said, “In the last few years, we have spent significant efforts in putting in place formal systems of various kinds. We have a system for attracting new tutors to teach studios; we have established a process for external feedback on the work students produce; we have rules and guidelines for students to choose studios and for tutors to select students; and many more.”
He added, “But more than the individuals, I believe it is the systems and processes we have put in place, combined with the tremendous effort put in by our students, faculty members and staff that have enabled us to tackle and even excel in these difficult times. And it is the Teaching and Learning Centre at CEPT that has been instrumental in helping set up many of the systems and processes that were critical to our success in the last one year.”
“These systems help clarify processes and unambiguously define the role and responsibilities of different people within that process. Since these are not person dependent processes, they allow people with different approaches and personalities to come together without coming into conflict each time. It enables better teamwork and a more agile response in times of crises,” added Dr Patel.
In the year 2019, the Strategic Initiatives Office (SIO) was started for strategizing, executing, and managing various new initiatives to support the vision of the University. “One of the early initiatives of SIO was to establish a robust Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) cell in the University to promote and strengthen the culture of innovation among the students and teachers. So far 18 applications have been submitted to the Patent Office of the Government of India. Out of these 18 applications, we have received the certificates of registration for 4 Designs submitted by 10 students along with 8 faculty members. 5 more applications for Patent and 10 applications for design registration are in the pipeline. Apart from this, the office has created an Entrepreneurship and Startup ecosystem under the Student Startup and Innovation Policy (SSIP) of the Government of Gujarat by supporting 18 Proofs of Concept and Startup ideas of the students with up to 2 lakhs each,” informed Dr Patel.
The SIO has been leading the University’s efforts on participation in various rating and ranking opportunities. Last year, for the first time, CEPT University participated in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and the Gujarat State Institutional Ranking Framework (GSIRF). Dr Patel said, “It is a matter of pride that we stand 4th in NIRF and 1st in GSIRF in Architecture Category. The University stands 3rd in overall University category in the GSIRF. More recently, because of our efforts in online teaching and learning, CEPT was recognized as the only private university in the State to receive the E-Learning Excellence for Academic Digitization (ELEAD) Certificate from QS.”
In his convocation address Varma said, “I moved to urbanisation with a project in Hyderabad and it was simply outstanding. What that project taught me very early in my career is the power of a good idea and that transformation of that city alone, is a proof of it. I joined Transport for London (TfL) 18 years ago and it is a unique in the world on how it integrates all forms of transport.”
In his speech ahead, Varma highlighted the importance and the strong link between transport planning and land-use planning.
