SCDL Alumni

News

President of India conferred the 'Padma Bhushan' award to Prof. Dr. S.B. Mujumdar

 

We feel happy and proud to inform you that the President of India Shrimati Pratibha DeviSingh Patil conferred the 'Padma Bhushan' award on Prof. Dr. S. B. Mujumdar, Founder and President, Symbiosis in the investiture held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on Thursday, March 22, 2012. The Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, was declared to Dr. S. B. Mujumdar by the President of India on Republic Day. 

Dr. S.B. Mujumdar is a distinguished Academician and Educationist. He is the Founder & President of Symbiosis , a multi-lingual, multi-national and multi-disciplinary educational complex of international repute. He is also the Chancellor of Symbiosis International University. In appreciation of his long and illustrious social contribution in the field of education, the President of India awarded the prestigious 'Padma Shri' to Dr. S.B.Mujumdar in 2005. Dr. Mujumdar was also awarded 'Punyabhushan' award in the year 2009 at the hands of Hon'ble Vice President Shri. Hamid Ansari.

Vocational Committee Report - Govt. of Maharashtra

 

At a press conference held on 1st July 2011 in Pune , Dr. Swati Mujumdar, Chairperson of Vocational Committee, submitted the Vocational Committee report to Hon'ble Shri. Rajesh Tope, Minister for Higher & Technical Education, Govt. of Maharashtra. The report consisted of some path breaking policies and recommendations in Vocational Education, Training & Skill Development sector for the State of Maharashtra and for our country.

A book titled 'Symbiosis Is My Breath' authored by Ms. Swati Mujumdar

 

A book titled 'Symbiosis Is My Breath' authored by Ms. Swati Mujumdar, Director, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) celebrating 75th birthday of Dr. S. B Mujumdar, Founder & President Symbiosis was released at the hands of noted advocate and former law minister, Adv. Ram Jethmalani on 07th August, 2010. This special publication enumerates the story of the birth of Symbiosis and its long journey in realizing the dreams of Dr. Mujumdar in creating a home away from home for foreign students. The book covers the immemorable moments of Dr. Mujumdar's life from childhood to date, captured through his photographs and the articles contributed by his close friends. This publication also contains interview of Symbiosis taken by Swati Mujumdar. Symbiosis has been personified and goes down the memory lane and narrates the story about itself and its creator, Dr.Mujumdar

Next Learning Unwrapped , A Case Study on S CDL

A case study written by Dr. Swati Mujumdar, Director, SCDL has been published as part of a book by Dr. Nick van Dam Director Global Talent for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) Next Learning Unwrapped. This field book presents new concepts 37 business cases and lessons learned by leading organizations that use technology-based and blended learning to achieve business goals and SCDL is one of them.

Events

Pune Alumni Meet

For the next Alumni Meet we decided to meet in our own Pune city and were fortunate that Dr Swati Mujumdar, Principal Director SOES agreed to grace the occasion. The turn out to the event was overwhelming. Some of our Alumni came with their parents, spouses and children. They went around their Alma mater pointing out the library and the classrooms where they had their PCP sessions. They also interacted with some of the faculty. Many of them shared their experiences of the academic journey with us and how it shaped their careers later on. The underlying thread in all their reminiscences was that the SLM, E books and the teaching pedagogy reignited the love of learning in them. This is a great validation for us.

To enhance the 'Back to College' experience, we arranged the refreshments in the cafeteria where the air was thick with nostalgia.
Thank you Pune Alumni!!!

Mumbai Alumni meet

22nd May was a pleasant Sunday and turned out to be the perfect day to meet our Mumbai Alumni! And they all managed to make it a fun day too!!!! Sharing of experiences, success stories and little anecdotes strengthened the bonds and made it a memorable morning! Next stop Delhi on 11th June!!!

Bangalore Alumni Meet

The last two years have completely been a virtual existence for all of us. With the situation getting normal, we also felt that this is the right time for re-connecting with our huge alumni base across the globe. We have planned meet-ups across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune in the months of May & June, exclusively for our alumni. We are sure that you would be equally excited to connect to your alma mater, as we are to meet all of you.

The first meet of this series was held on 08th may in Bangalore. The overwhelming affection and nostalgia made us so proud of our alumni and the bonds we have cultivated with them.

Hyderabad Alumni meet

The second alumni meet for SCDL was held in Hyderabad. It was a close, cozy meet over a cup of coffee where the esteemed alumni informally interacted with each other and SCDL faculty, reminiscing about their learning journey with us and how it shaped their life.

A big thank you to Hyderabad - you lived up to our expectations. Best wishes, till we meet again!

SCDL First Alumni Meet - Pune

In keeping with Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learnings initiative to always stay connected with all its students, SCDL organised its first Alumni Meet on April 6, 2013 at the SCDL campus in Pune. The event received an enthusiastic response with more than 70 students from previous batches coming together. The Alumni Meet gave a “face” to the virtual student fraternity of SCDL. 

In her welcome address, Dr. Swati Mujumdar, Director, SCDL, talked about how the institute has evolved since its inception and the new programs that have been introduced. The Director also announced the creation of an alumni page where former students can log in to connect with each other and share their experiences. To make this association a more valued experience, SCDL will provide its alumni access to its e-learning material as well as its e-library. 

SCDL took the opportunity to felicitate some of the alumni who have achieved great success in their professional lives. As part of the event, a workshop on strategic management was conducted by Dr Sripad S Thavare. All the participants were given a certificate of participation and a memento. It was a memorable event, which gave the students an opportunity to reconnect with the institute.

Alumni Meet - Dubai

SCDL hosted its first International ALUMNI MEET at Dubai on Thursday April 18, 2013 between 6 pm to 8 pm at Hotel Regent Palace, Dubai. The Alumni meet received an overwhelming response and a large number of alumni from all walks of life attending the Meet. 

The Meet started with a Welcome Address by SCDL Director, Dr Swati Mujumdar. The Welcome address was followed by a brief introduction by all alumni present for the Meet. An interactive session of one hour with the Director led to a number of valuable suggestions being received. SCDL also felicitated its Star Alumni who have done exceptionally well in their fields of work. 

This Meet provided an excellent platform for the alumni to network and interact amongst themselves and with the SCDL staff. We look forward to arranging many more such Alumni Meets in the future.

Inauguration of the new campus for Symbiosis Institute of Skill Development & Symbiosis Community College At Daravli, Paud, near Pune

 

To further our commitment for facilitating social and economic development through vocational education and skill development, Symbiosis Open Education Society has constructed a large campus near Daravli, Paud village, Mulshi Taluka, about 17 kms from Pune. The campus will host the Symbiosis Institute of Skill Development and the Symbiosis Community College and is dedicated to conducting vocational & skill development courses customized to the needs of local industry and community. 

We have also planned the inauguration of "An exhibition of handicrafts and products developed by students of the Symbiosis Community College" and the opening of "A Community Resource Centre" created exclusively for the local farmers, women, children and which will provide information, counseling, guidance and free seminars to them in various areas such as agriculture, health, farming, dairy, handicrafts etc.

This campus will house the Symbiosis Institute of Skill Development, a new initiative undertaken with the mission of creating large pool of skilled youth. The campus will also house the Symbiosis Community College, a social initiative started in 2009 with the objective of creating an alternate education system for the under privileged, rural, women and school drop-outs. The campus has state of the art infrastructure having labs, classrooms and workshops suitable for conducting vocational and skill based short term courses in collaboration with local industry and other community stakeholders. 

The inauguration of this new campus is scheduled on 16th October 2012 at 11.30 am. Shri. Rajesh Tope, Hon. Minister for Higher & Technical Education, Govt. of Maharashtra, has kindly consented to be the Chief Guest. Mr. Dilip Chenoy, MD & CEO, National Skill Development Corporation, New Delhi has accepted to be the Guest of Honor. 

The Symbiosis Community College mainly offers short-term vocational courses to underprivileged students, women, rural youth and school drop-outs with the objective of creating opportunities of gainful employment and entrepreneurship. Most of the courses are delivered on location. About 400 students till date have successfully completed various courses offered by the Symbiosis Community College. The local community stakeholders are actively involved in the Community College. Symbiosis Institute of Skill Development which is a new initiative will focus on providing advance skill development courses in high growth sectors such as Automobile, Manufacturing and Construction, to cater to local industry needs for skilled manpower. We are in dialogue with industries such Tata Motors, Bajaj, Mahindra & Maruti to understand their specific needs and create courses with on-job training facility. Courses in the areas of denting, painting, welding, auto electrician, two wheeler mechanic etc will be started very soon from the new campus. 

The Community Resource Centre will bring people, ideas and resources together. It shall educate and create awareness amongst the community stakeholders and key decision makers, provide facilities such as internet, library etc and promote entrepreneurship. The Centre will also provide an opportunity to the local farmers and other community members to showcase their products through regular exhibitions. Seminars on health, farming, dairy etc in upcoming areas have also been planned for the benefit of the local population. 

We have invited top industrialists as well as top Government officials and other community leaders for this function. Meritorious students who have recently completed various courses from the Symbiosis Community College will also be awarded certificates. An audience of approximately 350-400 is expected on this occasion. We cordially invite you for this inauguration function and look forward to your support and blessings for this new initiative! With warm personal Regards,

Swati Mujumdar
Principal Director, 
Symbiosis Open Education Society (SOES)

CIMA and SCDL Launch PG Diploma in Management Accounting and Finance

 

Worlds largest management accounting body, The Chartered Institute of Managements Accountants(CIMA) and Indias one of the largest distance education providers in management, Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning(SCDL) have partnered together to launch a 2 year distance learning Corporate- Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (C-PGDBA)The students who complete this distance learning program will receive a dual qualification a C-PGDBA in Finance from SCDL and an Advance Diploma in Management Accounting from CIMA. A MOU to this effect was signed by Dr. Swati Mujumdar, Director, SCDL & Mr. Andrew Harding, Managing Director, CIMA at SCDL, Pune on July 19th, 2012.

Symbiosis represents India on the Executive Committee of AAOU

AAOU (AAOU: Asian Association of Open Universities) is an association of Open & Distance Learning Universities & Institutes. AAOU was founded in 1987 and promotes Open & Distance education in Asia. There are 46 full members, who represent Presidents, Vice Chancellors, Directors of Open & Distance Universities and Institutions from Asia. 

The primary objective of the Association is to help promote education by distance teaching systems and develop its potentialities and also to promote professional and ethical standards amongst distance educators. The elections for Presidency & Executive Committee of AAOU were recently held at Hanoi, Viet Nam 25th October 2010). Prof T. M Wong, Vice Chancellor of Wawasan Open University, Malaysia has been elected the President for a term of three years. 

Ms. Swati Mujumdar, Director, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Pune, India, has been elected as a member of the esteemed Executive Committee for a tenure of three years, from the South Asia region. It is indeed a matter of great pride for Symbiosis to represent on this international association related to distance education, by getting elected as a member of the Executive Committee of AAOU. Symbiosis will now represent India & South Asia region on this esteemed body. 

This representation will ensure the growth of Open and Distance Learning in the region, to raise issues in the Executive Committee of the AAOU and to facilitate cooperation among member institutions through Ms. Swati Mujumdar, Director, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Pune, India.

Inauguration of Symbiosis Studio at Lavale, Pune

 

Bollywood superstar Mr. Amitabh Bachchan inaugurated the Studio of Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication on Tuesday 30th March 2010 at Symbiosis International University, Lavale Campus, Tal Mulshi, Dist Pune. Mr. Amar Singh, MP was also present for the function.

Sanskrutik Mahotsav - 2012

Participants from SCDL with the Director at the Sanskrutik Mahotsav 2012

Symbiosis Society celebrated the festival of cultural activities called Symbiosis Sanskrutik Day (Symbiosis Cultural Programme at Lavale on 19th Jan. 2012. The event attracted all staff and faculty members under the umbrellas of SIU from all over Pune. The variety entertainment programme included Antakshari, Personality Contest, Singing and Dancing contests. SCDL bagged 1st prize in Antakshari Competition and 2nd prize in Dance Competition.

Conferences

Symbiosis International Conference on Open & Distance Learning (ODL)

 

 

An International Conference hosted by Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, (SCDL) Pune which is the pioneer of self paced self styled learning in India, was inaugurated by Hon'ble Shri Rajesh Tope, Minister for Higher and Technical Education, Maharashtra state on 21st February, 2011 at SCDL campus, Model Colony, Pune. Padma Shree Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Chairman, ETH (Education to Home) was the Guest of Honor. Dr. S. B. Mujumdar, President and Founder, Symbiosis and Chancellor; Symbiosis International University presided over the function. Swati Mujumdar, Director of SCDL gave an introduction of the conference, the various themes and the information about delegates who have come for the conference. 

The eminent academicians, industrialists, social workers and the prominent citizens of Pune attended the Inaugural function. Delegates mostly Professors and academicians from Maharashtra and various other states of India such as Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal , Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and from foreign countries such as China, Iran, Malaysia, South Africa, USA, Fiji, Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines, Nigeria, Sweden, Thailand etc. attended and presented their papers in the conference. Prof. G. Dhanrajan, Hon. Director, Institute for Research & Innovation, Wawasan Open University, Malaysia (Former President Commonwealth of Learning, Canada) and Dr. Susan Aldridge, President, University of Maryland University College, USA were also present for the Inaugural Function. 

The purpose of organizing an International Conference on ODL was to bring about an exchange of thoughts and to provide a platform to discuss the development & challenges related to the ODL sector. This conference brought about the best practices followed and the recommendations coming out of this conference were sent to UNESCO, Common Wealth of Learning (COL) and Govt. of India. The conference was supported by COL, UNESCO and many other International bodies. 

The theme of the conference was "Open and Distance Learning as a Key Growth Driver for Socio-Economic development" and there were five sub-themes related to ICT, Quality, Sustainable Development, Student Support Services and Governance. An academic International Conference on Open & Distance Learning of this scale is happening in India after over 20 years. 

This conference continued on 22nd and 23rd February 2011. The Conference had 16 parallel sessions and 2 plenary sessions. Prof.Asha Kanwar, Vice President of Commonwealth of Learning, Canada was the chief guest and delivered the Valedictory address. In her address she briefed about the role being played by common wealth of learning and its plan to meet the challenges ahead in Open & Distance education sector. Her presentation was mainly focused on OER. 

The function was presided over by Dr. S. B. Mujumdar, President and Founder, Symbiosis and Chancellor, Symbiosis International University. In his presidential remarks Dr.Mujumdar appreciated the interest and enthusiasm shown by the participants in remaining present for all the functions, plenary sessions, parallel sessions, workshops and especially for the Valedictory function. He further mentioned that the presence of the participants for all the activities of the Conference indicates the grand success of the conference. He mentioned that it is the first international conference on such a large scale is hosted by a private distance education institute like SCDL where number of foreign countries and number of different states in India were represented. He placed on record his appreciations of the efforts taken by Ms. Swati Mujumdar, Director SCDL and the staff of SCDL who have put in hard efforts to make this conference a grand success. 

Swati Mujumdar, Director, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning delivered the Welcome address and Dr S. B Mujumdar gave the Presidential address. Dr. S. K. Gandhe, Sr. Academic Advisor proposed the vote of thanks. The following immanent personalities delivered key note addresses and conducted workshops during three days of the Conference.

Key note address

• Shri Sam Pitroda, Chairman, National Knowledge Commission , via Video Conferencing.
• Prof. A. W. Khan, President TAGB University, Bahrain (Former Assistant Director General, UNESCO, Paris)
• Prof. Tian Belawati, Rector, University of Terbuka (Former President, Asian Association of Open Universities)
• Dr. V. S. Prasad, Former Director, NAAC, Vice President, APQN
• Mr. Chandar Sundaram, Consultant, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, India

 

Workshops

• Fr. Xavier Alphonse, Director, ICRDCE, Chennai ,Topic: Community College Movement in India
• Mr. Parthasarathi Banerjee, Vice President, Tata Auto Comp Systems Ltd.
• Dr. Mrs. Shakuntala Katre, Former Consultant NAAC , Topic: Quality Initiatives in Distance Education
• Prof. Sahana Murthy, IIT Mumbai

Awards and Rankings

• Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning has been ranked 2nd amongst the Leading Institutes , by DNA Indus Learning Survey 2012.

• Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning has been ranked 3rd amongst the Top Distance Learning Institutes - by Competition Success Review.

• Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning has been ranked 5th amongst the Best Distance Learning Institutes - by Careers 360.

• SCDL has won the Maharashtra Government's IT Award for Human Resource Development through quality Distance Education and innovative use of ICT.

• SCDL is now ISO Certified In Feb. 2012, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) has successfully achieved ISO 9001:2008 assessment certificate. This certificate was awarded to SCDL for successful establishment of "Quality Management System" by American Quality Assessors (AQA) India Pvt. Ltd. as a certifying body. AQA India is accredited by ANAB, USA & NABCB (QCI).