STATE TIMES NEWS
KATRA: Governor, N. N. Vohra on Friday emphasised the need for developing Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) to trigger growth and excellence in identified key areas of teaching and research, to match the emerging challenges in the educational arena. Also, side-by-side, high attention should be paid to focus on nurturing moral and ethical values among the students for growing into honest and principled professionals.
The Governor, who is Chancellor of SMVDU, was chairing the 22nd meeting of the Executive Council of the University at Kakryal near here.
The Governor observed that there is urgent need for the university to comprehensively undertake a critical review of available infrastructure and evolve a well considered 15-20 years perspective plan for adding new schools of teaching and research. Once such identification has been done and time-bound action should be taken to enlarge the infrastructure.
The Governor urged Prof. Sudhir K. Jain, Vice Chancellor of SMVDU, for strictly adhering to the schedule of examinations and declaration of results and ensuring completion of projects within specified timelines.
He stressed on setting up an alumni cell in the university to evaluate the career achievements of its students so that they could in turn share their success stories with the students of the University.
Referring to the establishment of an Academic Staff College at SMVDU, the Governor advised the Vice Chancellor to pursue this matter with the UGC so that this institution comes up at the earliest.
The meeting approved setting up of Technology Business Incubation Centre at SMVDU, establishment of Nano-Technology Cell and admission for NRI/foreign students in the various programmes offered by the University. The meeting also approved setting up of School of Economics under Faculty of Management for introducing five year M. Sc. (Economics) Integrated Programme and inclusion of mother’s name in the academic qualification and related certificates issued by SMVDU such as provisional certificate, migration certificate, degree etc.
While reviewing the status of ongoing works in the University, the Governor urged the Vice Chancellor to ensure completion of remaining work on Basohli Boys Hostel and residential quarters within the envisaged timelines.
The meeting discussed in detail various items and took decisions thereon after detailed deliberations, besides confirming the minutes of the last meeting of the Executive Council of the University.
Prof. Jain gave details of the achievements of the university in varied arenas after the last meeting of the Council. He also dwelt on the efforts being made to improve the existing infrastructure and the initiatives taken in the fields of teaching and research and the draft Action Plan for the future growth.
The Members of the Executive Council put forth several suggestions for the development of the University.
The Executive Council meeting was attended by Prof. Khurshid I. Andrabi, Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir; Prof. R.D Sharma, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu; R.P Agrawal, former Secretary, Union Ministry of Human Resource Development; Prof. Vinayshil Gautam, Chairman, D.K International Foundation, Gurgaon, Haryana; Prof. D. Mukhopadhyay, Dean, Faculty of Management, SMVDU; Prof. V. Verma, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, SMVDU; Prof. V. K. Bhat, Dean, Faculty of Sciences, SMVDU; Dr. Yugal Khajuria, Dean of Students, SMVDU; R.K Gupta, Principal Secretary to the Governor; Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board and Ajay Khajuria, Registrar of the University.
