[Press release from FIT anniversary celebration committee]
The Faculty of Information Technology (FIT), University of Moratuwa which was established in year 2001 is the only faculty of its kind, producing pioneers to the ever growing IT industry in Sri Lanka. With the rapid growth and expansion of the information technology, FIT provides immense service to the nation by creating highly skilled IT professionals to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of IT personnel in the industry.
Despite the lack of adequate resources, both physical and human, the Faculty commenced its academic activities with a batch of 47 students in 2002. Its first home was a rented facility at Borella. The intake was increased to 100 in 2005 in response to the steadily increasing demand by the IT industry and also to provide more opportunities in this field to the talented youth of the country.
Though a fledgling faculty, FIT started its first postgraduate program in IT in 2004 with the PG Diploma/M.Sc. in Information Technology. In August 2008, the Faculty launched another postgraduate program, the PG Diploma/M. Sc in Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is the first postgraduate programs of this kind in Sri Lanka. The faculty also conducts several professional development programs from time to time. The FIT will continue to develop and expand its academic programs, adapting to the ever-changing needs of the IT industry to become an entity which both the students and the industry would look up to.
A landmark in the faculty's march towards progress is the completion of the first phase of a new state of the art building complex at the University of Moratuwa premises in August 2008. To celebrate this occasion and 7 years of excellence in the field of IT education, the Faculty will hold a series of events comprising of a multi religious ceremony, a symposium and a cricket tournament, followed by an exhibition of student innovations.
An academic conference on the theme "Graduation, Entrepreneurship and Success", will be held on 27th September 2008 at the new faculty premises with the participation students, alumni, members of the staff and industry representatives. Lead by a distinguished panel of resource persons, this conference is intended to provide students with the opportunity to experience through role models and success stories, how they can make a success of their careers in many different ways after graduation. The objectives of this symposium can be further elaborated as:
- To create a culture of entrepreneurship among the students.
- To learn through the experience of accomplished entrepreneurs.
- An opportunity for the students to interact with the industry leaders.
- To create better awareness among the corporate community about the Faculty of IT.
- To establish links with the industry to emphasize the value and recognition of the Faculty as a leading educational body.
- To broaden the knowledge of students on new trends in the IT industry
Among the distinguished resource persons at this event will be Mr.W.K.H Wegapitiya, CEO of Laugfs Holdings Limited, Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarana, Chairman & CEO of WSO2, Mr. Mohamed Azmeer, CEO of ConceptNursery, Mr. Ramesh Shanmuganathan, Group's Chief Information Officer, John Keels Holdings, Mr. Harsha Purasinghe, CEO of Microimage (Pvt) Ltd and Peter De Almeida, CEO of e-nable (Pvt) Ltd.
The event will conclude with a get-together at which all students past and present, will come together to celebrate the inauguration of the Faculty's new home. They will be joined by the industry representatives to create an enthralling atmosphere of celebration and entertainment.
