Chandigarh: PU’s University Business School (UBS) has received a Rs 5 lakh endowment to institute the Dr GP Rao Academic Excellence Awardfor students of the MBA (Human Resource) programme.The endowment cheque was presented to the PU vice-chancellor by Anil Kohli, secretary of Spandan and former managing director of Alpha Drugs, Pratap Aggarwal, treasurer of Spandan and managing director of IDIS, and Kuldeep Kaul, an alumnus of the 1976 UBS batch.The award will be given annually from the 2026-27 academic session to the first-year topper of the MBA (HR) programme and will carry a cash prize of Rs 30,000.The initiative has been supported by Spandan, an NGO founded by late Dr GP Rao, a former UBS faculty member, to recognise academic excellence among students.Speaking on the occasion, Kaul recalled Rao’s belief that management should adopt a humane approach towards employees and other stakeholders.PU Registrar YP Verma, UBS chairperson Prof Meena Sharma and faculty members were also present at the cheque presentation ceremony.The vice-chancellor and registrar appreciated the contribution, saying such initiatives by alumni and industry leaders help encourage academic excellence and recognise meritorious students.
