Bhubaneswar: Graduate and postgraduate students of Institution of Agricultural Sciences (IAS), faculty of agricultural sciences of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University, were awarded their degree certificates on Wednesday.
The 2023 batch students who completed their B.Sc. (Agriculture) and M.Sc. (Agriculture) courses received their certificates from SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda.
Congratulating the graduating students, Prof. Nanda said the onus of providing food to the people in a populous country like India is on their shoulders.
“The certificate you have in your hand is your gateway to serve the world,” he said.
Describing them as brand ambassadors of SOA, the Vice-Chancellor said whatever they did would reflect on the university which ranked 15th in the country in a field of more than 1100 universities in the 2023 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking.
Dean of IAS Prof. Santosh Kumar Rout said the institute had made great strides to emerge as one of the front-ranking agricultural institutions equipped with modern labs, equipment, smart class rooms and 142 faculty members including 44 senior professors.
“You are being imparted with 21st century agricultural education, research, management and technology transfer. The institute had signed seven MoUs for collaboration with national institutions,” he said.
Among those present at the graduation ceremony were Head of Department of Entomology Prof. BK Mishra, SOA Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Sitikantha Mishra, Controller of Examination Prof. Manjula Das, Dean (Students’ Welfare) Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, members of the Academic Council and faculty members.