While visiting the web site of Jorhat Engineering College www.jecalumniassn.in in the presence of my friend, I was confronted with an embarrassing comment—my friend immediately on seeing the main building of JEC on the homepage commented—the building looks like the one of a big institute. I modestly reacted—it is indeed a great institute that was established in 1960 by the Government of Assam and it has by now more than 8000 alumni as engineers working in different parts of the world. Many of them have earned laudable distinctions in their professional fields. I then drew his attention to the WELCOME NOTE on the home page that goes as We, the alumni of JEC were evolved as engineers under the roof of this great building. Let us all salute this great institute. We have so much of respect and love for this institute.
To work for the welfare of (a) Jorhat Engineering College, (b) the students community and the alumni of the college and (c) the society at large has been the basic mission of JEC Alumni Association which took its birth in a General Body Meeting held on 17.02.2008 in the college auditorium.
A detailed account of the initial stages of the activities of the association is available in a Press Release dated 12.03.08 that appears in the web site. Our initial thrust has been on the enrolment of members and also on the aspects of its legal standing. The association now has a well conceived constitution and has been duly registered under the Societies Act XXI of 1860 of Government of India. The membership strength has been gradually growing—we have today about 500 members under seven chapters located at different places in India. Our efforts are on to have chapters in USA, UK, Australia and also in many other places of India.
Our vision is an ambitious one. In respect of the welfare of our Alma Mater, our association has been trying to impress upon the Government of Assam to constitute a broad-based Development Committee that does not exist as of today for ensuring the proper utilization of funds to be made available for developmental works by the State Government or by other funding agencies. We are also planning to prepare some schemes for execution by the association on its own. The basic document of an appropriate site plan of the whole campus is now under preparation by the civil engineering department. Once these schemes are prepared, we would be concentrating on the mobilization of the required funds for their execution. We discourage any attempt on anybody’s part to collect funds without a formal and genuine scheme prepared truly for the welfare of our Alma Mater.
With respect to our mission towards working for the welfare of the student community, we have already initiated actions—4 gold medals (styled as JEC Alumni Gold Medal) and some financial aids to needy students were awarded in a function held on 16.11.08. A detailed account of this function is available in our Press Release dated 27.11.08 appearing in the web site.
We have other areas in mind. They include creation of possibilities for appointment, higher studies and training with the help of our alumni working in important positions in different parts of the world, organizing workshops, seminars and training for the benefit of the students.
In respect of the welfare of our alumni, we have yet to take up concrete steps. The development of an Alumni Welfare Fund for the mutual benefits and also for encouraging our young alumni to go for entrepreneurial activities, organizing seminars, workshops and training are some of the areas we are now working on.
Our association has a wide scope for its contribution towards the welfare of the society with the extent of expertise available with our members in different fields. There are many areas in the present-day scenario for developmental activities particularly in Assam, to which we may possibly contribute substantially. Our Central Executive Body and the Executive Bodies of different chapters are now trying to take up some of these areas of our contribution in a visible way.
Our Association is now only nine months old. It has just taken off—it has to go a long way along the path of its mission and vision as briefly enumerated herein. What is truly necessary for its meaningful journey is the support and cooperation from each member of the JEC worldwide family.
Dr. Hema Kanta Barua
Founder President, JEC Alumni Association
Jorhat, Assam
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