Bhubaneswar, Nov 1: The 13th Orientation Program for the newly admitted 2025-26 batch of students of B.Sc. (Agriculture) at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS), faculty of agricultural sciences of SOA Deemed to be University here, was held on Friday.
The event was held to welcome the new students and acquaint them with the academic environment, values and diverse opportunities the university offered.
Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Vice-Chancellor of the university graced the occasion as chief guest while Dr. G.A.K. Kumar, Director, ICAR-Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, attended as Guest of Honour. Prof. Manjula Das, SOA’s Controller of Examination and Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, Dean (Students’ Welfare) were the other guests.
Prof. Nanda urged the new students to utilize the resources available in the university and uphold the values of discipline, dedication and curiosity. Dr. Kumar emphasized the growing need for youth engagement in sustainable and climate resilient agriculture.
Prof. Santosh Kumar Rout, Dean of IAS, highlighted the institute’s commitment to excellence in agricultural education and research. The other speakers encouraged the students to embrace innovation and ethics during their academic journey. Prof. Bibudha Parasar, Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication, proposed the vote of thanks.
Earlier, the students were introduced to the institutional framework, academic regulations, examination system, student discipline, anti-ragging measures and other provisions in the university.
The sessions were coordinated by Dr. Pravat Kumar Sarangi, Professor of Entomology, and featured presentations by several faculty members who included Prof. S.K. Panda, Prof. S.S. Mohapatra, Dr. S. K. Mohanty, Dr. Diptanu Datta, Dr. B.N. Adhikary, Prof. B.D. Pradhan, Dr. R.R. Satpathy, John Jeet, Dr. S.C. Senapati and Dr. T.K. Mishra.
