The enthusiastic members of 1966 batch have definitely set a great example for all BITSian batches. The funds collected during their Silver Jubilee reunion have been endowed for instituting various scholarships and awards to benefit students of BITS Pilani. Currently the accumulated sum amounts to 16 lakhs INR.

With the interest gained from the corpus, the following scholarships/awards are given every year:

1. 4 awards, each of Rs.10,000 awarded for BITS students for their outstanding contribution at APOGEE.
2. MCN scholarship worth Rs.40,000 (Rs.20,000 per semester) for a female student
3. Financial assistance for paper publication in reputed journals

Mr. V V Ramanan, one of the masterminds behind the initiative says, “Over the years, the alumni of the class of ’66 to ’71 have set up an endowment to fund infrastructure upgrade, scholarships and other worthwhile causes at BITS. The one initiative that the class felt would leave a lasting imprint on their alma mater is one that fosters the spirit of innovation in the student community. The class has recognized that while BITS is among the top institutions in the country in attributes like academic input and overall personality development, the research efforts need to be stepped up. Consequently, a significant part of the endowment will be devoted to rewarding original research by undergraduate and post-graduate students. Awards have been instituted for outstanding projects presented at Apogee. Financial assistance has also been made available to students for getting papers published in reputed journals and for presenting papers at conferences. These initiatives by the class align very well with BITS administration’s goal of putting it among the top few research institutions in the country by 2020.”

The testimonials from the students show the impact these scholarships/awards have made in the student community.

“I would like to thank the Class of 1966-’71 for encouraging research activities in the form of quality papers through such financial aid initiatives”

 – Shreyas Vatsa, Winner of financial assistance for paper publication

“The paper publication assistance is a great initiative by the Class of 1966-’71 BITS, Pilani. It has inspired me to pursue research and publish paper in a reputed journal. This will motivate students and enthuse them to pursue research in their areas of interest. I am extremely grateful to the Class of 1966-’71 for coming up with this initiative for promoting research among students.”

– Soumendu Sinha, Winner of financial assistance for paper publication

If you would like to setup an award/scholarship please write to scholarships@bitsaa.org.