From the desk of:

Dr. S. Venkateswaran

Vice Chancellor

Birla Institute of Technology & Science

Pilani

Rajasthan 333031

India   

Dear BITSIANs,

I extend my heartiest welcome to all members of the BITSIAN family throughout the world who will be visiting this BITSAA website.

For me, the BITSIAN family is more than 50 years old.  Although BITS started functioning as a University from 1964, it existed as colleges (Birla College of Engineering, Birla College of Science, Commerce & Pharmacy and Birla Arts College) as early as 1946.  All graduates of BITS, Pilani as well as the erstwhile Birla Colleges form part of this very large and select group of alumni spread all over the world.

You are a member of this extraordinary global family, a network of BITSIANs with tremendous intellectual potential and technical abilities.  Many of you have reached the pinnacle of your careers thousands of miles from home.  As a group you have started world-class companies, won critical acclaim in academics, written books, won awards from US corporations, universities and institutions, and donated generously to many noble causes for the United States, and especially for India.

For the development of any institution, involvement and contribution of the alumni are invaluable.  The name of the institution is spread all over the world by the achievements of the alumni.  Simultaneously, the growth of the Institute is very vital for the alumni to be proud of its alma-mater.

The alumni association serves two main purposes (i) to create and sustain an emotional and social relationship among all the alumni and their families enabling them to form a large extended BITS family, and (ii) to establish a continued relationship with the alma-mater i.e. BITS Pilani and to contribute through various resources viz. money, time, creative ideas, intellectual participation, etc., for the development of the Institute.

Our alumni have helped us in many different ways over the years.  In early 90’s a group in the United States started an organization called ‘BITS Alumni Support Effort (BASE)’ and collected money annually from its members for subscribing to IEEE journals for the library of the Institute.  It continued up to 1996.  BASE also as a one-time-effort honored three of the faculty by special cash awards.  Some alumni are contributing in terms of establishing academic collaborations with universities and also establishing specialized Centers supported by specific industries and establishing a chair professor and establishing Practice School stations.  Most recently, BITSAA International has launched two full-tuition scholarships in the memory of two of their departed colleagues.

I extend my thanks to all the alumni who are making tremendous efforts to form an Association in the United States which will work in an integrated way with the Institute. 

“India Today”, the only magazine at present which is ranking professional institutions in India, has ranked BITS in the top schools in India. This places an additional responsibility on the Institute not only to consolidate current achievements but also to move forward so that it always remains number one.  For this we need very much your help and your contribution.

On behalf of the Institute I extend a personal invitation to each one of you to revisit Pilani, to meet and greet your old teachers, to share your experience and wisdom with our current students, faculty and to work with us to create a bigger, more powerful, and more dynamic world class Institute.

With best wishes,

S.Venkateswaran

The Official Website of the Alumni of

Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS Pilani)