Senior students take leadership positions at the Investiture Ceremony at Kumaraguru
On 2nd December 2022, Kumaraguru Institutions conducted the investiture ceremony for its newly-formed Student Leadership Council for the year 2022-2023.
Presenting the welcome address, Mr. Nivethan AM, Senior Manager and Programme Lead of CLED remembered founder chairman Dr. N. Mahalingam and his leadership efforts which focused on nation-building via student development. The first Student Leadership Council of Kumaraguru was formed in 2016 under the guidance of the Joint Correspondent Shri. Shankar Vanavarayar, which sought to involve student efforts in improving the experience of the collective student community, while also leading them to their personal success. This year, over 300 students went through the four-stage process. Mr. Nivethan stressed on the highly relevant learnings provided by such student leadership opportunities, which can prove useful in leadership on a global scale. He stated India’s recent G-20 Presidency as an example of global leadership.
Dr. Vijila Kennedy, Principal of Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts and Science (KCLAS) in her felicitation address stated that, “Leadership is two sides to a coin and that a leader must balance persistence as well as fluidity, confidence and humility, along with self-growth and community welfare. These values are contradictory yet important, as they mark the start of many more roles as a leader in life.
Dr. Saravanan D, Principal of Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT) offered his felicitation and stated that the tenure of the Student Leadership Council is on a “fast-track mode”, with a time-frame of 6 months which translates to 1000 hours. In this short tenure the student leaders are expected to involve and ideate, impact institutional outcome and justify their selection.
Shri. Shankar Vanavarayar, Joint Correspondent of Kumaraguru Institutions reflected on the beginnings of the Leadership Council of Kumaraguru, in his Presidential address. With the progressive iterations and the added involvement of student leaders from Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts and Science, it has now become a large group with greater responsibilities. “An institution is the stadium – systems and processes give it the framework, while the time invested by the students make up the playing field”, he said, while stressing on the importance of giving students respectful consideration and responsibilities so that they may thrive with responsibility within the setup of an educational institution.
Shri. Shankar Vanavarayar congratulated the 49 student leaders of the 2022 Student Leadership Council and appreciated the leadership qualities of the 200-plus students who did not make the cut, but played a major role in shaping the Council with their qualities of passion and persistence. He stated that leadership focuses on vision, inspiration and will, rather than a position of power. He called the Student Leadership Council a “lab where you can thrive and make a mark for future possibilities”.
Shri. Shankar Vanavarayar reiterated that the Student Leadership Council should work as a team and a collective face that represents the student body, while making and meeting both short and long-term goals. He emphasized on “servant leadership” and stated that to be a successful leader, one must be a servant to the cause, the people, the will and the vision. He called the Leadership tenure a relay run, in which the student leader collective must receive the baton and continue what their predecessors had started off, while making fair use of their responsibilities to give strength to the future Council.
The investiture and charter signing of the Student Leaders of Kumaraguru College of Technology and Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts and Science took place, followed by the collective pledge. The acceptance speech for Kumaraguru College of Technology was delivered by Student Leader Kirsten Kennedy, President of the Department of Master of Computer Applications. The acceptance speeches for Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts and Science were delivered by Student Leaders BS Amirtha, President of the student collective SPACE (Sphere of Practical And Creative Exploration) and Sabarivenkat, President of Literature vertical.
Dr. Vijilesh, Assistant Dean, Office of Student Affairs presented the Vote of Thanks, marking the end of the investiture ceremony of the 2022 Student Leadership Council.
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