OAA - Advisor's Message

Prof. R. Nagarajan [1981-BTCH]
Advisor - Office of Alumni Affairs

Dear IITM Alumni,

In late January 2009, I took over from Prof. Satyanarayana as Advisor, Office of Alumni Affairs at IIT Madras. Big shoes to fill, as Satya has done a yeoman job over the past few years in shaping and molding OAA. I promise to do my best… As there is also a new Executive Committee of IITMAA in place, there is a wonderful opportunity here to synergize our activities and optimize our collective functioning. A seamless relationship between OAA & IITMAA/ IITMAANA & all other globally-dispersed IITM alumni associations is essential in order for us to serve the alumni community well, and we intend to make that a top priority.

This probably means that my days of serving as Editor of “Journeys” are over. I will definitely provide all necessary support to the new Editorial team….

Back in December ’08, the IITM campus hosted PanIIT 2008, a tremendous success by all counts. The enthusiasm and efforts of alumni, campus administration, and faculty were overwhelming. The goodwill generated by the Event is now being translated into actions, such as the collaboration between IUCEE and NPTEL in upgrading technical teaching skills in India. We need to identify and nurture such initiatives as we go forward….

I believe that a key ingredient in keeping alumni “in the fold” as they leave the Institute is to promote an emotional bond with them. In the U.S., sports constitute the common bond; you buy team paraphernalia the day you join, and you stay wedded to the campus forever. In India, that option is non-existent, and must be substituted by others. Many alumni have a greater affinity to their hostel than to the Institute or their branch. The Institute and the Department must proactively engage students when they enter and leave to ensure that loyalties are retained. As a start, from this year’s convocation, we intend to provide every graduating student with an alumni e-mail ID which will be a simple reworking of their student e-mail ID. We also plan to encourage each Department to keep in touch with alumni through newsletters. Ultimately, current students are our best bridge to recent graduates, and this link will be fully leveraged.

It is a matter of concern that we are in touch with less than 20% of our alumni; taking this up to nearly 100% must be a top priority for both OAA, IITMAA, and other worldwide alumni associations, and we need to work together to get there.

On the day after Institute Day, during this year’s “Adieu” program, one of our distinguished alumni, Kris Gopalakrishnan, was on stage to launch our “Golden Jubilee Alumni Fund” initiative. We have targeted raising Rs. 100 crores, earmarked for specific projects. Fund-raising is key to IITM taking its rightful place among top research and educational institutions in the world. During May-June, I made presentations to alumni groups in Bay Area and LA regarding this initiative. From July onwards, we are planning events in India where the interactions will happen. Stay tuned….

Nagarajan

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