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S P Jain Global MBA and Executive MBA candidates attended the 2011 Convocation this week, celebrating the milestone with their family and friends. The Guest-of-Honor, Mr. Girija Pande, Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services APAC, addressed the graduates and their families and friends, many of whom had travelled far to attend the commencement ceremony.

S P Jain’s President, Mr. Nitish Jain, introduced Mr. Pande saying, “Mr. Girija Pande is an extraordinary individual in addition to being an exceptional mentor and leader. He thoroughly embraces our vision of being the world’s most admired school as we craft MBA candidates into leaders who can make difference in the world. He lives the values of leadership and of being a good human being. He will definitely bring insights and an inspiring message that will be well received by our MBA candidates and their family and friends at the convocation.”

Mr. Jain said in his speech that everyone at S P Jain is proud of each candidate, who from that day forward becomes an S P Jain alumnus. Mr. Jain reiterated his five-point life advice to the new graduates, as he has done before, with final words of assurance, “S P Jain will always be there for the you, like your extended family, to guide and encourage you to achieve greater success and fulfillment in life in whatever you choose to do and partake in your career."

Dr. Balakrishna Grandhi, Dean of the Executive MBA program, offered a message for the graduates about the importance of introspection, leading, and making decisions with limited resources. He said, “That requires thinking inside of the box while exploring options available elsewhere because as professionals, you have a more globalized world, increased ambiguity, a glut of conflicting information, and flailing economic conditions. This challenges us to make decisions that are right and relevant wherever we work and live.”

Dr. Grandhi used the true-to-life crisis example of US Airways Captain Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, who put his entire lifetime of aviation knowledge, experience, and training to weigh all options (that were not much), with only seconds to make a crucial decision to make an emergency landing into the Hudson River to save all 155 passengers and crew on board the airplane. The A320 aircraft engines failed—the result of an unpredictable bird-strike. The plane lost power and altitude too quickly to return to the airport. Captain Sully demonstrated sound judgment and systematically arrived at a point to make critical decision that saved their lives.

Adding a perspective to his message, Dr. Mark Crosby, Dean of the Global MBA, said that 21st century corporations seek not only technically competent experts, but that the leaders and managers in demand are those who are able to make sound decisions under pressure in a very dynamic business environment. The graduates are now more ready than before to take on new roles and responsibilities that will take their careers to greater heights with the knowledge, skills, and tools they learned in their time at S P Jain. Adding another dimension to his point, Dr. Crosby said, “It is very affirming for the school and heartening for faculty members when we receive emails from alumni who graduated several years before saying they experienced déjà vu moments at work during meetings when faced with a strategic business predicament. Alumni holding middle-to-senior-level posts reflect upon the concepts they learned in class as they navigate their teams through creative solutions while making critical business decisions. Earning an MBA has a lifelong impact.”

S P Jain participants have consistently performed well in their corporate careers and now, armed with the MBA Degree, aim to reach newer heights of excellence in their future careers. The graduates then celebrated the occasion by tossing their mortarboards, marking the formal conclusion of the evening’s eventful program.

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