The Orientation Programme for the new entrants to the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Honours Degree Programme - 2021-2022 Academic Year, Faculty of Management, University of Peradeniya was successfully conducted from the 08th of March to the 11th of March 2022. The Inauguration Ceremony of the Orientation Programme was held on the 08th of March at the Gymnasium of the University of Peradeniya with the participation of 171 students together with their parents, adhering to the COVID-19 health guidelines. Professor M.D. Lamawansa, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya was the Chief Guest, and the event was graced by Professor Terrence Madujith, Deputy Vice-Chancellor University of Peradeniya, Professor E.M.A.S.B. Ekanayake, Dean Faculty of Management, Deans of the other Faculties, Heads of the Academic Departments and Units of the Faculty of Management and the academic and non-academic staff members of the Faculty of Management. Furthermore, Professor Rasnayaka M. Mudiyanse, the Director, Staff Development Centre, University of Peradeniya delivered an inspirational speech on “University Life”. He proposed a comprehensive framework for the undergraduates to develop themselves as responsible citizens in the future.

With the purpose of familiarizing undergraduates with the university system, a number of informative sessions were conducted on the 10th and the 11th of March 2022. An awareness raising session was conducted on the “Industry Expectations from BBA Undergraduates” by Mr. Indika Liyanahewage, Chief Executive Officer at Eskimo Fashion Knitwear, who emphasized the importance of accomplishing the knowledge, skills and a right set of positive attitudes in pursuing a respective position in the industry after the graduation. The undergraduates were engaged in the sessions conducted by the respective coordinators of the centres and units established in the Faculty, namely, English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU), Centre for Skills for Life, Management Educational Research Center (MERC), and Business Incubation and Innovation Ecosystem Services Centre (BIIES). The supportive services and the programmes, namely, the Library, Physical Education, Career Guidance and Student Personal Counselling, and Learner Management System (LMS) were introduced in order to further educate undergraduates about the university service centres.

The Faculty of Management is the ninth Faculty at the University of Peradeniya, established in 2015. Even though the Faculty of Management at the University of Peradeniya is only seven years old, the University of Peradeniya is the pioneer in Management higher education in the country as it has been offering a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) Degree Programme since 1962. At present, the Faculty of Management offers the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Honours Degree Programme under five specializations related to five Departments and caters to nearly 175 university entrants who sat their G.C.E. (Advanced Level) examination in the Commerce stream each year. In addition, it also offers two inter-faculty degree programmes, namely, B. Com. and B.Sc. in Computation and Management, in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science, respectively. Apart from the internal degree programmes, the Faculty offers a BBA External Degree Programme in online platform and a Diploma in Management and Development programme through the Centre for Distance & Continuing Education (CDCE) of the University of Peradeniya. Furthermore, the Faculty of Management offers two postgraduate diplomas and four masters degree programmes with a view to expanding its services to those who seek postgraduate qualifications and training.

Within seven years of its existence, the Faculty has achieved the highest grade (Grade ‘A’) offered by the Quality Assurance Council of the University Grants Commission (UGC) for its BBA Degree Programme. Recently, the Faculty has also won the AHEAD grants worth of Rs. 120 million through which a building and a computer lab were constructed, and furniture, equipment, and learning materials were purchased to promote outcome-based education and learner-centred teaching.

As part of the strategic plan, the Faculty of Management intends to expand its portfolio in line with the development taking place in the industry by introducing new degree programmes at undergraduate as well as postgraduate levels. For this purpose, the Faculty plans to train the staff and develop its physical infrastructure to provide students with adequate knowledge and facilities to transform them into high-quality graduates.