394 awarded degrees at PAU joint convocation

A total of 394 degrees were conferred upon graduating students (2018-19 to 2023-24) from the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (COAET) as well as the College of Community Science (COCS) during the joint ‘Convocation and Prize Distribution Function-2025’, held at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), today.

Dr Manjeet Singh Chinnan, Professor Emeritus, University of Georgia, USA, and the gold medal recipient in agricultural engineering (1959) from PAU’s COAET, was the chief guest, while Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor of PAU, presided over the convocation. Dr Chinnan was accompanied by his wife, Dr Lata Mahajan Chinnan, also an alumna of the PAU.

The students of BTech agricultural engineering, BSc (Hons) HSc/CSc, BSc (Hons) nutrition and dietetics, and BSc (Hons) fashion designing were awarded degrees, medals and running. Besides, the students of BSc (Hons) interior designing were also feted with awards.

In his convocation address, Dr Chinnan congratulated the degree holders and the prize-winning students for achieving distinction in the pursuit of academics. He said, “Convocation is a not an ordinary day, it is a momentous occasion, a life-changing event, marking the culmination of a phase of learning. It is a moment of fulfilment which brings in an element of delight and accomplishment.”

Further addressing the agricultural engineering graduates, he stated, “You are not merely engineers, you are the guardians of food security, architects of rural prosperity, and catalysts of a digital agricultural revolution.” Dr Chinnan lauded the COAET fraternity over the college securing rank 1 in India, fourth in Asia and 17th in the world as per EduRank ratings 2025.

Referring to the challenges of making a shift from nutritional security to environmental sustainability and from gender equity to digital inclusion, Dr Chinnan called upon the youth to embrace opportunities, be bold, take risks and do not be scared of failures because many great accomplishments and breakthroughs come from those who have pushed the boundaries and learnt from their mistakes.