FMSC marks 65 years with new building opening

The Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce (FMSC) of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura will mark its 65th anniversary with a series of events beginning on July 23.

The main event will be the opening of a new multi-storey building, the Fifth Wing of the Sri Soratha Mandiraya, on July 24. The new facility spans 13,700 square feet and includes lecture halls, IT laboratories, an auditorium, boardrooms, a language centre, and office and study spaces. The project cost is approximately Rs. 2 billion.

The opening ceremony will be attended by Nalaka Kaluwewe, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, as Chief Guest. Senior Prof. M. M. Pathmalal, Vice Chancellor of the University, will be the Guest of Honour.

The 65th anniversary programme will begin with an overnight pirith chanting on July 23, followed by a sanghika dana to 100 members of the Maha Sangha on July 24. These events are being organized with the support of the alumni association, industry partners, staff, and students.

Management education at the university began in 1959/60 under the leadership of Rev. Weliwitiye Soratha Thero, the first Vice Chancellor of Vidyodaya University, which later became the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. The Faculty was formally established in 1972.

Today, FMSC has 12 academic departments and two academic units, namely Business Administration, Public Administration, Commerce, Estate Management and Valuation, Accountancy, Marketing Management, Human Resource Management, Information Technology, Finance, Business Economics, Decision Sciences, and Entrepreneurship, and two academic units dedicated to Business Communication and Legal Studies.

FMSC serves more than 5,300 internal and 13,500 external students. The academic staff includes 192 lecturers, 55 of whom are professors and 89 hold PhDs. The Faculty offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, as well as extension courses.