Badminton star, Rushendra Thirupathi, a first-year BBA student, clinched the silver medal in the Men’s Singles category at the Yonex-Sunrise 11th Telangana State Senior Badminton Championship 2025. Hailing from the state of Telangana, Rushendra’s dedication, discipline and relentless efforts have forged his name in the charts of successful champions in the field of Badminton.

Previously, Rushendra secured gold at the Yonex-Sunrise 46th Junior National Badminton Championships 2023 at Bengaluru and a bronze medal in the NMDC Telangana International Challenge in 2024. After a six-month break, Rushendra returned to the courts with zeal and passion and triumphed through the championship, competing with 142 athletes, placing second after a fierce final match.

After a well-awaited victory, Rushendra expressed his gratitude to his coaches, trainers, and team, who supported him during his time off. He said, “I am sincerely thankful to my coach, mentors, and team from the Gopichand Academy and SRM University-AP, who believed in me and my skills. Their guidance and support empowered me to overcome all difficulties and excel in the championship finals.”

Director of Sports, Mr Anup Singh Suryavanshi, applauded his remarkable achievement and congratulated the silver medallist. He commented, “This outstanding accolade is a testament to his fighting spirit and the well-rounded training system and facilities offered at SRM University-AP. We empower our athletes to rise, compete, and conquer national and international tournaments.”

Prof Ch. Satish Kumar, Pro-Vice Chancellor, appreciated the student. He quoted, “Achievements like this make the university proud and motivate the trainers and coaching team to put in their extra efforts to prepare students for such events.”

Prof. Manoj K Arora, Vice Chancellor, also expressed his appreciation for Rushendra, stating that the accomplishments of the rising sports star reflect the university’s spirit—ambitious and unstoppable. He commented, “We take immense pride in the ecosystem SRM AP has built to nurture excellence in sports and support our athletes to be champions of national pride.” The university continues to nurture athletes in various fields, offering divergent training and world-class facilities to generate sporting aces of the country.

Hans India, ranked SRM University-AP No. 1 in three prestigious categories: National Best Private University, the Andhra Pradesh Best Business School (awarded to Paari School of Business, the management precinct of SRM AP), and Excellence in Smart Campus & Classroom Infrastructure at the Hans India Technical Education Awards-2025. The recognition acknowledges the varsity’s commitment to excellence in all fields of development and offers a significant contribution to the education sector.

The recognition was given to the university in the presence of the Chief Guest and Member of Parliament Shri Paka Venkata Satyanarayana and the members of the SRM AP leadership, ProVice-Chancellor, Prof. Ch Satish Kumar; Dean Incharge-Paari School of Business, Dr S V Ramana Rao; and Mr Anup Singh Suryavanshi, Director of CLM.

Speaking on the occasion, the Hon’ble Member of Parliament stated, “Educational institutions play a pivotal role not only in shaping future generations but also in the development of the country’s economy. The landscape of education needs to be redefined. Marks as a criterion for evaluation do not ensure knowledge.“

Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ch Satish Kumar, who received the award on behalf of the university, remarked, “This prestigious recognition is a testament to SRM AP’s commitment to excellence in education and our dedication to shaping leaders of tomorrow.”

Vice Chancellor Prof. Manoj K Arora extended his heartfelt congratulations to the members of the varsity, Paari School of Business, and the Campus Life and Maintenance team for their exemplary support and dedication towards the varsity’s growth.

Vice Chancellor, Prof. Manoj K Arora, an esteemed member of the Governing Council of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), took part in its 99th Annual General Body Meeting and National Conference of Vice Chancellors. This significant event hosted by Amity University Uttar Pradesh in Noida on June 23–24, 2025, witnessed the participation of eminent leaders of the Higher Education System, National and International delegates exchanging ideas on various policies and initiatives for the betterment of higher education institutions in the country and worldwide.

The Conference, centred around the theme of Envisioning Future Higher Education: The Pivotal Role of India, featured multiple parallel tracks, such as Promoting Quality Research, Innovative Assessment Methods and Experiential Learning, Catering Diversity & Inclusivity on Campus, Incorporating Indian Knowledge System in Curriculum & Pedagogy, and so on.

During the Plenary session, Prof. Manoj K Arora emphasised the impact of AI on Learning, Research, and Governance, as well as the need for Restructuring of Future Higher Education Institutions and the importance of Preparing Students for Future Jobs. He remarked, “Education reforms, as envisaged in NEP 2020 shall continue to happen in an age when AI, Automation and Technological intervention are at their peaks. The world is also going through lots of uncertainties. It is therefore important that we have a relook at our education. It is the prime duty of the educators to mould our younger generation to make them holistic global citizens of the world and make them ready for the Viksit Bharat in 2047. Our educational systems need to devise a curriculum that integrates knowledge, skills, training and certification, all together. The so-called 21st-century skills need to become part and parcel of each course being taught by the faculty in the classroom. The role of a teacher may not be limited to just teaching, but to facilitating learning in many different forms. Collaborative learning, fostering a growth mindset, use of technology, blended and hybrid learning, project-based learning, industry-relevant learning, value-based education and career guidance and counselling are the need of the hour. All these, a teacher can do in their courses and create an environment where learning happens.”

The plenary session was chaired by Prof. Dinesh Singh, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi, also featured insights from other distinguished education leaders, including Dr S Vaidhyasubramaniam, Vice Chancellor of SASTRA University, and Prof. (Dr) G S Bajpai, Vice Chancellor of National Law College, Delhi. Their collective expertise contributed to a substantive dialogue regarding the future of education in India.

The AIU Annual General Body Meeting is a flagship event that brings together Vice Chancellors, national and international academic leaders, and higher education policymakers to build consensus on the way forward for academic institutions across the country.

SRM University-AP hosted a memorable get-together, the Alumni-Meet and Greet in Hyderabad for its beloved alumni on June 29, 2025. The Meet and Greet welcomed 150 alumni from Hyderabad and neighbouring locations, who assembled for a wonderful evening of rekindling memories, reconnecting with peers and establishing new connections. Organised under the aegis of The Directorate of Alumni Relations, the event was presided by Prof. Ch Satish Kumar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Dr Satish Anamalamudi, Assistant Director – Alumni Relations, Dr Vinayak Kalluri, Dean – Academic Affairs, Mr Siddharth Tripathi, Director – Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Mr Payeli Indra Kiran Kumar, President of the Alumni Association SRM AP.

Prof. Ch Satish Kumar welcomed all alumni and remarked that the Meet aimed to build an emotional bridge between the generations, batches, and sections. He opined that this network would help the alumni grow, prosper, and progress professionally and personally and commended Dr Satish and SRM AP for taking the initiative to build this bridge through the Alumni Meet and Greet.

Mr Indra Kiran Kumar enlightened the alumni on the various channels through which they could engage and contribute to their alma mater. He encouraged them to be mentors by sharing their experience and knowledge with the students, to be part of the various academic and non-academic councils of the university, and to join hands with the faculty and students to work on joint projects or begin a new business venture. He also emphasised the slogan “Come. Connect. Contribute” advocated by Vice Chancellor Prof. Manoj K Arora.

The meet-and-greet offered alumni an opportunity to meet their fellow alumni and connect with their alma mater, which has guided them in their formative years of higher education and helped them choose their career path. The event also conducted some team-building activities and prizes for the winners.

The Hyderabad chapter of the Alumni Meet and Greet was a resounding success. The Alumni Relations’ initiative to organise several smaller meetings in various locations of the country made it easier and more accessible for the alumni to get together, witnessing a broad and active participation. The event organisers also encouraged the alumni to visit the campus occasionally and be part of the journey to excellence.

The Office of the Dean-Research organised a two-day meet on X-ray Diffraction Technique. The hands-on workshop was led by Prof. L N Patro, Mr Arun Kumar Bandarapu and Mr K Sumit through various sessions in coordination with Mr Ch Srinivas, in the presence of Dr Ranjith Thapa and Dr Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay, among others. The event saw the participation of over 80 attendees, including 40 participants from various universities and colleges across the region.

The objective of the event was to provide a comprehensive platform for academic and research participants to explore the fundamentals and applications of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and to combine theoretical grounding with hands-on experience, thereby strengthening technical capabilities in material characterisation and promoting collaborative learning across institutions.

The workshop was divided into several sessions, namely the theoretical, interactive and practical sessions alongside a session on sample analysis, offering the participants an in-depth understanding and hands-on learning experience. Participants were also offered a comprehensive session on accessing I-STEM and the process of booking XRD facilities via the I-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map) portal. Attendees were walked through each step, including user registration, instrument search, booking protocols, and submission best practices. The session aimed to enhance awareness and access to high-end scientific infrastructure for researchers across institutions.

The two-day workshop helped participants acquire practical competency in handling XRD equipment and interpreting results while fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue and broad understanding of characterisation tools. The XRD Users Meet served as a dynamic platform enabling participants to build foundation knowledge and hands-on competence in X-ray Diffraction Techniques.