Manipal, 27^th August 2021.

The Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA), a constituent of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), launched the first international Alumni Chapter of USA on 25th August, 2021. There were moments of surprise, happiness, exhilaration and joy when alumni met after a decade or more with each other virtually. The program was gracefully presided by Mr. Sanjay Bose Executive Vice President HR and L&D, ITC Hotels as the Chief Guest and Lt. Gen.(Dr) M.D.Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor MAHE, as the Guest of honour.  Dr Rohit Singh, Director Alumni Relations, MAHE was also part of the program.

While welcoming the audience, WGSHA Principal, Chef K.Thiru,  emphasized that Alumni are the brand ambassadors of the Institution and a very vibrant relationship must be established and nurtured. Dr Sandhya Johnson from 1st Course BHM and Mr. Amitava Chatterjee from 6th course BHM, who are instrumental in forming the union, have shared their thoughts and the memories about their days in the college.

Celebrity Chef Vikas Khanna provided his emotional thoughts and excitement about his college days and stressed his commitment to the betterment of the institute. He said WGSHA has helped them to relive the college life with significance and he is always proud to mention WGSHA in every occasion possible. Chief Guest, Mr. Sanjay Bose reiterated the 35 years of partnership between MAHE and ITC Hotels, and shared his happy feelings about the enthusiasm of USA alumni to join the network. He said besides being professionals we have been able to generate some extremely good human beings which he thinks is the larger contribution to society.

Guest of Honour, Dr. Venkatesh appreciated WGSHA’s efforts and said effective alumni engagement is one of the key elements in MAHE’s success as an Institute of Eminence. He said MAHE is proud that there more than 60000 registered alumni who are actively engaged with MAHE activities. Dr. Rohit Singh, Director of Alumni Relations shared his thoughts and wished that this new chapter will widen the possibilities of alumni contributions. The alumni members were happily shared their experiences and expressions about their alma mater. The program concluded with a lovely cultural program by the students of Department of Dietetics and Nutrition. Everyone departed with the resolve to visit again and spread the message amongst all to build and strengthen the network to make it grow exponentially.