The year ahead is special for all of us. It has seen the completion of 70 eventful years of SVKM. For me, my office bearers, committee members, faculty and students, it is a special honor to be carrying the proverbial flag of this respected institution. It is with a sense of professional pride and personal humility that I would like to briefly touch upon the achievements so far and point to the way forward.

• NMIMS our flagship institution is now a'deemed university'. It is going full steam ahead to chart out a renewed roster of full time courses and employment and knowledge-intensive programs. Course contents and syllabi are being re-oriented. NMIMS is benchmarking with some of the world's highly regarded B-Schools to take on the emerging challenges and opportunities of globalization.

• Every SVKM institution is likewise re-orienting itself to enhance the quality and relevance of its educational bouquet. The details are provided in this report.

• IIPS deserves mention because it has become a trendsetter for the Asian continent. It will have an even bigger role to play as India gets closer to the 2005 WTO deadline. It is indeed another example of SVKM's vision and pioneering zeal.

• Members will be happy to know that the massive renovation program has now been almost completed in all our Key institutions which sport a world class infrastructure and facilities - like computers, internet and class room accoutrements. Using our own funds together with goodwill and support of our many well-wishers we are now setting our sights on getting autonomy for some of our other colleges.

• The Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Management is now in full throttle, conducting BMS, BMM and B.Sc IT courses.

• Sanction has been obtained for the Pharmacy Degree College .

• A high tech English School is fast becoming a dream come true and it will be the pride of SVKM, of Juhu Vile Parle Development Scheme and I venture to say, of every student and faculty in Mumbai.

• Gokalibai also wears a contemporary sheen with special facilities that make it a bridge for Gujarati students to take their important first steps into a new world of opportunity.

• We continue to pursue and preserve our right as a minority institution and the Supreme Court has upheld this fundamental right. Your committee makes it a point to ensure that more than 800 of our members get preference in admissions as permitted by the law.

• A fulltime 5 year Law course has been introduced which will be in addition to the current 3 year evening course.

The Ladies Hostel, when ready, shall have full fledged occupancy. It will house more than 200 female students and will truly be a demonstration of how SVKM is in step with the modern day mores and aspirations of our changing society.

Finally, I must express my gratitude to my entire team: Office bearers, Committee members, Principals, Faculty, Officers, Staff and Workforce. After I took over at SVKM, I was also invited to join the State Cabinet where I have charge of Education and related portfolios. I have endeavored to bring this wider perspective to bear on the many opportunities and challenges that lie ahead of SVKM. The world is opening up. We have plans for further modernization and you will soon see some of one lac square feet of additional construction taking shape. But more important than all this is the pride and commitment which we all carry into our daily responsibilities. It is this team work and unswerving loyalty to SVKM which will I believe; take the Mandal to even greater heights. Our cover is a subtle expression of the combined skill and dedication which wilt help us to shape SVKM into a labor of love and accomplishment as we enter another decade of beautiful opportunity ahead.

Shri Amrish R. Patel
President