Ravenshaw University in two years under the leadership of VC Devdas Chhotray
Following is excerpted from a report in tathya.in.
- With a heritage of 150 years, it has a vision to grow as a Knowledge Center for the South East Asia, with 25000 residents in campus, by 2025 AD.
- Mr. Chhotray, who joined as the first Vice Chancellor of the Ravenshaw University on 15 November, two years ago obtained UGC approval in a record time of 6 months.
- Ravenshaw has also been restructured into eight Schools of Studies and several Centers on the model of JNU.
- … the new administration has introduced semester system of course work, with flexibility in choice of subjects.
- The university has ensured uninterrupted academic sessions, timely results and excellence in performance.
- Ravenshaw has now opened up 153 new faculty positions for which 6500 applications have been received on line.
- Ravenshaw has started its flagship MBA program from the current year in collaboration with XIMB, Bhubaneshwar.
- In collaboration with ICICI Bank, Ravenshaw has launched a PG Diploma Course in Banking and Insurance Management.
- Activities have been intensified for establishment of School of Aviation Management, jointly with the University of Kremb, Vienna, School of Foreign Languages and Master’s Course in Development Management.
- Initiative for establishment of the Center for Contemporary Music, with a large scale of Music Library and Department of Sound, Center for Understanding Orissa and Spoken English Portfolio is yielding results.
- Government of India has funded Ravenshaw for making the first barrier free University in the State and introducing disability studies.
- Ministry of Tourism has consented to set up a School of Hospitality & Hotel Management.
- Ministry of Communication & IT are considering a project for Language Technology Center, and Ministry of Culture will support a Conservation and Documentation Cell in the Ravenshaw Library.
- The Ministry of External Affairs has set up a Regional Centre for ICCR inside the Ravenshaw Campus and the Ministry of I & B have licensed Ravenshaw to run a FM Channel, as ‘Ravenshaw Radio’.
- In the meantime the State Government has cleared the project for a second campus, ‘Ravenshaw II’, by granting 150 acres of prime land in Cuttack free of cost.
- On the co-curricular front, Ravenshaw has floated 30 forums for students including the Ravenshaw Film Society, and has taken measures to set up Art Centre, Heritage Museum, and Ravenshaw Choir, said sources.
- Writing of the History of Ravenshaw College (1868-2006), has been commissioned.
- Under the Project ‘Ravenshaw -200’, two hundred eminent and elderly Ravenshavians are being captured in camera while reminiscencing their college days, to create a base of oral history.
- Ravenshaw has reinstituted many prestigious events like ‘Borasambar Debate’ after decades of discontinuance.
- Ravenshaw has proposed to set up a publication enterprise, the Ravenshaw University Press (RUP), for serious academic works, as well as peer reviewed research journals.
- It is also negotiating with the Ginger Group of Hotels for a 100 room unit as a public private partnership and utilize a part of the facility as a University Guest House for visiting faculties.
7 comments November 17th, 2008