Alumni Host Panjab University’s First North American Leadership Conference

HOUSTON: Newly formed North American Alumni association held its first Leadership conference at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Houston from May 16 – 18th, 2025 with the explicit aim of helping the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Panjab University Chandigarh to regain the premier status it enjoyed in the 1960’s,
through Innovation, Creation, Collaboration and Association.

Specific objectives of the conference were to:

• Explore collaboration opportunities with the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Houston in the area of research and joint degree programs
• Networking and reconnecting with the Alumni based in North America
• Meeting prominent Houston Academicians
• Reviewing extraordinary examples of transformation through leadership from prominent leaders of the Houston community
• Celebrating the successes of key members of the Department of Chemical Engineering Alumni from Panjab University, and
• Setting an example for other Departments of Panjab University to emulate

The opening keynote address of the conference was given through an inspiring talk by Dr. Renu Khator, Chancellor of the University of Houston system, attended by over 50 leadership delegates. She outlined how she transformed University of Houston to become a top notch University in USA and how Panjab University and its Dept. of Chemical engineering could gain insight and learn from her experience to transform itself to regain their pre-eminent status
in India .

In addition, talks were given by several prominent people from Houston e.g., Dr. Durga Agrawal, & Dr. M.S. Kalsi ; both very successful businessmen and Alumni of University of Houston. Dr. T. J. Mountziaris, Professor and Department Chair of Chemical Engineering, several faculty members and Senior Officials from the Alumni Relations; Corporate Relations & Sponsorship from University of Houston also inspired the audience.

The Conference was also attended by Dr. Y. P. Verma Registrar of Panjab University, representing the Vice Chancellor of Panjab University, Dr. Anupama Sharma, Department Chair of Chemical Engineering along with Dr. Gaurav Verma, a Senior Professor from the same Department.

This conference is a result of the tireless efforts of Dr. Arun Verma (who graduated from Panjab University in 1966) over the past seven years, first to donate a significant sum of money to the Dept. of Chemical Engineering to kick start the reform program by defining a vision, followed by a comprehensive analysis of the Department’s current state, defining the strategy and cultural shift necessary to bring about the needed change not only to the Department but also to Panjab University itself. Dr. Verma displays boundless energy and is very passionate to see that the Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Panjab University achieve the premier status it enjoyed while he was a student. Dr. Verma has been helped in this effort by several of his batch mates in the U.S., Canada and those in India especially Dr. Paramjit Singh and Sutinder Mahajan.

This level of commitment, leadership and dedication by Dr. Verma and his colleagues from the 1966 batch: Mr. Alok Jain, Mr. Ravi Goel, Mr. Surinder Marria, Mr. Vinod Marwaha and Dr. Kamlesh  Jain is inspiring Alumni from other batches to start taking interest in helping the department and Panjab University in this journey.

Several Alumni based in Houston and elsewhere in North America have now joined this effort; notable amongst them being Gagan Singh, Ravinder Singh, Rakesh Rajput, Amit Goel, Dalip Soni , Puneet Sanan , Sunil Sibal and several others. It has been a good start for what would inevitably be a long and arduous journey requiring a sustained effort on the part of the leadership of not only Department of Chemical Engineering but also Panjab University. We wish them well in this effort.