Vadodara/Anand: Gujarat’s cooperative success story took another national step on Tuesday as Tribhuvan Sahkari University (TSU), India’s first university dedicated to cooperative education, held its maiden convocation for 304 graduates and unveiled plans to expand beyond the state with new campuses in Karnataka and Odisha.TSU awarded degrees to 304 students at its first convocation held at the NDDB campus in Anand. The graduating batch comprised 302 MBA (Rural Management) students from the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), now one of the university’s five foundational schools, along with two PhD scholars.Union minister of state for cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, who presided over the ceremony, said the rapid expansion of the cooperative sector across agriculture, dairy, banking, fisheries and allied sectors has created growing demand for professionally trained managers and researchers. He said TSU would play a key role in preparing the next generation of cooperative leaders.Gujarat cooperatives minister Jitu Vaghani, the guest of honour, said Gujarat had demonstrated how the cooperative movement could transform lives through trust, transparency and shared ownership. He urged graduates to carry forward the legacy of Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel and Dr Verghese Kurien.TSU vice-chancellor Dr J M Vyas said the university leveraged IRMA’s academic strengths to launch new programmes and currently offers four MBA programmes, including MBA (Rural Management).Besides its Anand campus, TSU is expanding its footprint through campuses in Gandhinagar, Karnataka and Odisha. Vyas also announced that construction of a new academic complex had begun at the TSU-IRMA campus to support growth.Highlighting the university’s outreach efforts, Vyas said TSU organised 32 management development programmes in 2025-26, covering 157 training days and benefiting 875 participants from more than 27 govt institutions, cooperative organisations and development agencies across the country.The convocation also honoured academic excellence. Nalla Senapathy V received the Kuchibhotla Vasanthi Gold Medal for securing the highest distinction in the MBA (Rural Management) programme.BOXFirst graduating batch records 100% placementsTSU’s inaugural MBA (Rural Management) batch achieved 100% placements, with 83 recruiters extending 383 job offers to students. A total of 135 companies, institutions and organisations participated in the recruitment process, while 13 students secured pre-placement offers before the final placement season.The batch recorded an average annual compensation of Rs 16.34 lakh, a 3.94% increase over the previous year. The highest package reached Rs 40.68 lakh per annum through an international placement, up 27.76% from the previous year’s top offer. Students in the top 10% of the batch secured an average annual package of Rs 28.01 lakh annually.The cooperative sector accounted for 72 job offers, nearly a quarter of all placements. It emerged as the second-highest-paying institutional category after consulting, with an average annual salary of Rs 15.54 lakh.Major recruiters included GCMMF-Amul, ICICI Bank, Mother Dairy, Coromandel International, NDDB Dairy Services, IDBI Bank, National Cooperative Development Corporation, National Dairy Development Board, National Cooperative Exports Limited and National Cooperative Organics Limited.
