The foundation stone laying ceremony for the Victor Menezes Convention Centre was held on Monday, January 29, on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. The Convention Centre will be built with a generous gift of $3 million to the IIT Bombay Heritage Fund (IITBHF) from Victor Menezes (BTech '70 EE), retired Senior Vice Chairman of Citigroup, Inc. The ceremony was attended by faculty and staff members, as well as current students and alumni of IIT Bombay.

"I am happy to give back in a small way to my alma mater, which has given me so much. I hope the Convention Centre will be a catalyst for collaborative discussion and development across the Institute. Ultimately, IIT will be judged not by its buildings but by the intellectual property development and research done by world-class faculty and students," said Mr. Menezes.

Director Ashok Misra thanked Mr. Menezes for his generous support for this important facility, and added that the project was expected to be completed within a year, in time for the start of IIT Bombay’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. Prof Deepak Phatak, Convener of the Golden Jubilee Committee (http://gjubilee.iitb.ac.in), said that the foundation stone laying ceremony marked the beginning of many major initiatives to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of IIT Bombay.

"As we approach the Golden Jubilee year, it is gratifying to see that Victor's generous contribution will enhance the ability of the Powai campus to serve various stakeholders such as students, industry and academia. Victor is setting a great example for all IIT Bombay alumni to emulate," said Parag Saxena (BTech ’77 ChE), Director of IITBHF and CEO of Vedanta Capital, and a member of the Forbes Midas List 2007.

The Convention Centre will have a state-of-the art auditorium with a capacity of 300, a seminar hall, classrooms and meeting rooms, and ample space for foyers and informal meeting areas. The top two of the five floors in the centre will be occupied by the “Manuel Menezes Center – Civil Engineering Annex."

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The IIT Bombay Heritage Fund (IITBHF) is a public charitable organization under US Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c) (3), whose mission is to fund and promote education and research among students, faculty and alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

About IIT Bombay

IIT Bombay is widely recognized as one of the leading educational institutions in India and in the world. The school regularly attracts the largest number of students from the top 100 rankers in the JEE, the highly competitive national entrance examination for the Indian Institutes of Technology. IIT Bombay's alumni have risen to positions of senior leadership in business and academics across the globe. The global network of over 32,000 alumni stays connected via the alumni website at http://www.iitbombay.org and through a network of over fifteen Chapters located worldwide.

Contacts

IIT Bombay Heritage Fund
Sandeep Pandya, +1-408-252-1664
fax: 208-498-5404
office@iitbombay.org
http://www.iitbombay.org
or
Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
Ms. Aruna Thosar-Dixit, +91-22-2576-7026
fax: +91-22-2576-7027
pro@iitb.ac.in
http://www.iitb.ac.in