Over the past two weeks, I have had the privilege of witnessing two significant moments in the academic journey of young people.
Last week, I attended the convocation ceremony at KLE University, where graduating doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and healthcare professionals stepped out into the world, ready to begin their professional lives. This week, I have been participating in MBA induction programs across various Symbiosis institutions, welcoming a new generation of students as they embark on their educational journey.
While the two groups stood at opposite ends of the university experience—one entering and the other graduating—there was something remarkably common between them: hope in their eyes, aspirations on their faces, and confidence in their abilities.
These interactions made me reflect on an important question: What is the true role of a university or a business school? Is it merely to award degrees and prepare students for jobs, or is it to shape character, values, and personality?
At the KLE University convocation, I shared a simple thought with the graduating healthcare professionals. Becoming a doctor is not just about acquiring medical knowledge or earning a degree from a prestigious institution. The most respected doctors are those who listen to their patients, understand their concerns, and treat them with empathy and compassion.
Today, technology has transformed healthcare in unprecedented ways. Diagnostic tools and advanced equipment have become indispensable. Yet, no machine can replace the reassuring touch of a doctor, the patience to listen, or the ability to make a patient feel genuinely cared for.
The same principle applies to management education.
Today’s MBA students are entering a world increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence and technologies such as ChatGPT. These tools will undoubtedly enhance productivity and decision-making. However, management success still depends on qualities that technology cannot replicate—teamwork, collaboration, leadership, communication, networking, and the ability to build meaningful human relationships.
Technology should be embraced, but it must remain a tool that supports human potential rather than replacing it. It should complement our capabilities, not diminish our humanity.
What will stay relevant throughout our lives is not any particular technology, because technology will continue to evolve. What will endure are the values we cultivate—empathy, integrity, compassion, curiosity, resilience, and the ability to connect with others.
In many ways, when we are born, we experience a biological birth. But when we graduate from a university, we undergo a social birth. We emerge not only with knowledge and skills but also with the opportunity to become responsible and contributing members of society.
As educators, parents, and leaders, our greatest responsibility is not merely to prepare students for careers. It is to help them become better human beings.
Because in a world increasingly driven by Artificial Intelligence, it is Human Intelligence—and the values that accompany it—that will always make the difference.