"The goal of a university is to give students a safe place to share their ideas, not to keep them safe from ideas."

 

 

We are at a very interesting point in time where the needs of a changing world meet the never-ending search for truth. The goal of this faculty was to help people grow into citizens, leaders, and thinkers who could have an effect on the market, not only get them ready for jobs. 

 

We strongly think that real management education is a deep change, not just a transaction. This is the most important part of our work. Accounting, finance, marketing, human resource management, and entrepreneurship are not merely skills that can be learnt; they are ways of looking at things that help us comprehend how organisations work, how people act, and how power and responsibility touch millions of lives.

 

Academic freedom is the most important virtue we cherish as an institution. Questions are never a problem here. Not only is it okay to think critically, it's expected. This means being ready to examine what you think you know, face hard truths, and go against what everyone else thinks. Even if a manager doesn't know how to think critically, they can still be a manager. However, their job is more about getting things done than about the fundamental nature of managing. Our mission is to help people become more than just good students; we want them to make major contributions to society and the corporate world.

 

We also think that moral and intellectual growth are intimately linked. Knowledge that lacks integrity is risky. Skills that don't involve empathy are shallow. When our graduates join organisations, communities, and families, their character is equally as vital as their expertise when it comes to building strong relationships and making a difference. We are committed to enhancing both our moral and intellectual faculties.

 

At the same time, we are profoundly involved in the reality of modern business. Sri Lanka's regional and national economies need graduates who know how to do business in a way that is ethical, environmentally friendly, and good for the economy. The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), and Master of Business Management (MBM) are professionally designed programmes we provide to meet these needs.

 

I ask everyone, whether they are a student, scholar, or practitioner, to interact with this faculty as fellow searchers of understanding rather than as consumers of education. It is imperative that we possess the capacity to think strategically and creatively in order to surmount the current challenges that our economy, society, and businesses are encountering. To deal with these problems, we need more than just narrow views and limited methods. We need broad and creative thinking. These problems need leaders who can bring together different points of view, stick to strong moral values, and show intellectual courage. A real university education helps people develop these traits.

 

This is the type of graduate we are dedicated to equipping with the skills and values necessary to thrive in a challenging world.

 

Rohan Laksiri

 

Dean of the Faculty of Management and Finance at the University of Ruhuna