• Business Scion and Chairman of the Godrej Group Mr. Adi Godrej asks students to become sustainability leaders and promote green business practices to meet the needs for a better tomorrow.

TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS) held its 11^th Convocation Ceremony today in which 12 students were conferred with doctoral degrees and 251 received post-graduate degrees. Present on the occasion were Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman of the Godrej Group as the Chief Guest along with Mr. Ashok Chawla, Chancellor, Dr. Leena Srivastava, Vice Chancellor and Dr. Rajiv Seth, Pro Vice Chancellor, TERI SAS.

Pradeep Kumar Padhy (Retd.) Registrar; Dr. Rajiv Seth, Pro Vice Chancellor; Dr. Leena Srivastava, Vice Chancellor; Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman of the Godrej Group; Mr. Ashok Chawla, Chancellor and Dr. Prateek Sharma, Dean (Academics)  at the 11th Convocation of TERI School of Advanced Studies

Addressing the gathering and passing out students at the convocation ceremony, business scion and Chairman of the Godrej Group Mr. Adi Godrej lauded the role of TERI School of Advanced Studies as a premier institute dedicated to the importance of environmental protection. “Educating for a sustainable society is a far-reaching and transforming initiative and the graduates from TERI SAS are going to be tomorrows ‘sustainability leaders’. If we are to provide for today’s and tomorrow’s needs without environmental degradation, it is these green leaders who will ensure that new business processes use fewer natural resources and produce markedly less pollution or waste per unit of production, securing a sustainable future for generations ahead,” he said.

Commencing the convocation ceremony, Mr. Ashok Chawla, Chancellor, TERI SAS spoke about the growth of the TERI SAS, and brought out the importance of the unique programs offered by the University. He said, “The institute has made rapid strides in re-orienting higher education especially in the areas of sustainable development and environmental protection. We need to make a society which has a global vision to achieve ecological balance, and this convocation programme is reflective of the vision. We need to ensure that students are embedded with a global vision.”

Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Leena Srivastava called upon the students to strive for success and happiness without losing sight of their core values. “You will have a special responsibility of pushing the sustainability agenda. And this agenda is broad enough for every sector of the economy and every discipline to contribute to. Make sure that you are contributing effectively and visibly, with a multiplier effect, so as to improve your own lives and those of the coming generations,” she said.

Academicians, researchers and students at TERI SAS, especially the Department of Business & Sustainability is already involved and committed to the cause of continued research in sustainability for business. Its mission is to provide experience and research based education that would equip the students to implement an integrated approach to business sustainability, so that the world we share thrives with a greener agenda. The department offers two masters programmes, MBA in Business Sustainability and MBA in Infrastructure. It also offers PhD programmes, both full-time and part-time, with the goal of capacity building in the area for the academic world and the industry. The department's areas of research include: economics of climate change, responsible investments, sustainability reporting, environmental accounting, green project financing and management, sustainable finance, carbon trading, accounting for sustainability, weather derivatives, infrastructure financing, business innovation, business strategy, international financial reporting standards (IFRS) and sustainability, green indices, environmental-social-governance issues and business, valuation of intangibles, eco-entrepreneurship and the like.

TERI SAS is the only institution of advanced learning in the country established with the mission of contributing globally by serving society through formal education and research in fields like environment, sustainability, energy conservation, policy and management. At the Convocation, MA degrees were awarded in Sustainable Development Practices (SDP); MSc degrees in Environmental Studies and Resource Management (ESRM), Geoinformatics, Plant Biotechnology (PBT), Climate Science and Policy (CSP), Water Science and Governance (WSG), and Environmental and Resources Economics; M.Tech in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management (REEM), Urban Development and Management (UDM) and Water Science and Governance (WSG); and MBA in Business Sustainability and Infrastructure and Master of Laws in Environment and Natural Resources Law and Infrastructure and Business Law.

In its more than decade old existence, the institute has become a centre of research excellence in its field, producing over 1900 post graduates with high-level cross-specialisation skills in environment and sustainability fields as well as nearly 100 PhDs, who have gone on to contribute to society through engagements with corporate-driven CSR initiatives, leading NGOs, government agencies and statutory bodies working in the field and have even become social entrepreneurs. TERI SAS has partnerships with various universities and institutes across the world.

To walk-the-talk, the TERI SAS campus provides a setting which enhances learning and showcases the concept of modern green buildings. The campus is aesthetically designed with several features of passive solar design, energy-efficiency and water and waste management systems. TERI SAS students undergo training and internships with government, multilateral and multinational agencies during as a part of academic curriculum. The institute has a placement cell, as employment is considered as an integral part of the system. The cell taps government agencies like Dept. of Environment (Govt. of NCT, Delhi), IREDA, multinational companies like ACC, Tata Power, Ultra Tech, KPMG, Vedanta and multilateral organisations like WWF, Action Aid International etc. for internships and employment programmes.

For more information, please visit: www.terisas.ac.in.