With the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) all set for autonomy, the UVCE Graduates’ Association (UVCEGA) has committed to raising funds for their alma mater.
At a press conference here on Monday, Srikanth, member of UVCEGA, said, “Within the course of two to three years, we plan to raise funds worth ₹20 crore to ₹30 crore for the overall development of the institution from the alumni community and well-wishers. We also aim to become a part of the Institute of Eminence scheme launched by the Government to empower higher educational institutions.”
UVCEGA has also formed three committees with reputed alumni in each one and the goal is to set the basis for how alumni can contribute to the development of their alma mater once it becomes autonomous.
With roughly 1,000 registered lifetime members, the UVCE Graduates Association is working on developing a strong alumni network that will support the initiatives. Currently, an R&D lab with equipment worth ₹10 lakh has been donated and scholarships worth of ₹10 lakh are being awarded to students for the current year.
V.K. Aatre, Padma Vibhushan and alumnus of UVCE, said, “During our time at UVCE, we had some best faculty such as B.R. Narayan Iyengar. UVCE lost its charm after the 1980s for various reasons, one of them being the importance given to private colleges. I feel that the Government is not funding well for the infrastructure and I hope that it decides to support UVCE in all aspects.”