Mangalore Varsity to confer Honorary Doctorates at 42nd Annual Convocation

Team Udayavani, Jun 15, 2024, 9:15 AM IST

Mangaluru: The 42nd Annual Convocation of Mangalore University will be held on June 15 at 12:15 PM. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. P.L. Dharma, announced that honorary doctorates will be awarded to Mr. K. Prakash Shetty, Founder-Chairman of MRG Group, Dr. Thumbe Moideen, Founder-Chairman of Thumbe Group, and Dr. Ronald Colaco, a prominent non-resident Indian entrepreneur.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, he said that the Chancellor has selected three names out of 12 proposals for honorary doctorates.

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot will confer degrees to the graduates at the Mangala Auditorium on the university campus. Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries in New Delhi, will be the chief guest. The State Minister for Higher Education, Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, will also attend and address the convocation for the first time.

155 PhDs to be Awarded

Mangalore University will award PhD degrees to 155 candidates (51 in Arts, 73 in Science, 26 in Commerce, and 5 in Education). Among these, 60 are women and 95 are men. This includes 18 international students and 4 international female students.

Additionally, 58 gold medals and 57 cash prizes will be awarded. Rank certificates will be presented to 72 students who secured the first rank in various courses, out of a total of 168 ranks.

In the 2022-23 academic year, 29,465 students appeared for various exams conducted by the university, with 21,319 (72.47%) passing. For postgraduate exams, 3,277 students appeared, and 2,094 (94.42%) passed.

University Registrar (Administration) Raju Mogaveera, Registrar (Examination) Dr. Devendrappa, Finance Officer Prof. Sangappa, and university principal Ganapathi Gowda were present.

Profiles of Honorary Doctorate Recipients

K. Prakash Shetty: Born in Korangrapadi village in Udupi, K. Prakash Shetty moved to Bengaluru to start the Banjara Restaurant. He founded MRG Hospitality and Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., successfully running hotel businesses domestically and internationally. The hotels of the MRG Group are recognized globally. He has contributed his wealth to orphanages, old age homes, educational institutions, and the underprivileged, including awarding scholarships worth crores of rupees.

Dr. Thumbe Moideen: A third-generation entrepreneur from a renowned business family in Mangalore, Dr. Moideen took over the family business and established the Tumbe Group. The group, with its headquarters in Dubai International Financial Centre, operates in 20 sectors internationally and employs 5,000 people in the UAE. Dr. Moideen is a prominent Indian entrepreneur in Arab countries, contributing to medical education, business, and several other fields.

Dr. Ronald Colaco: Originally from Moodbidri, Dr. Colaco is an internationally acclaimed entrepreneur. He has developed “Hollywood Town” and “Swiss Town” townships near Bengaluru Airport and constructed international-standard resorts and residential complexes in Devanahalli. He has donated to educational institutions, health, religious, and social sectors, extending his business ventures abroad.