Mangaluru: As we are about to start the new academic year 2015-‘16, I am happy to share with you the new initiatives and developments that have been put into place during the last academic year. We started with a vision to take our academics to greater heights, provide a clean and secure campus to our students and provide more amenities to the faculty and students for motivating them to perform better.
As the previous year ends, and the new academic year begins, I am satisfied that we have been able to achieve the targets we set for ourselves and that the new initiatives have been both progressive and productive. A brief glimpse of the eventful year is offered here.
Academic Excellence:
1. Back to Roots Initiative:
Inspired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s GIAN Initiative, the University has invited international scholars and eminent academics to return to their roots and teach at Mangalore University. This initiative aims to bring world-class teaching and research to Mangalore University, so as to enhance the quality of our teaching and research programmes.
2. Appointment of Adjunct Professors:
To motivate the faculty and students in teaching and research activities, Adjunct Professors have been appointed to some departments. The University has invited scholars of International eminence from other Universities and national institutes to deliver lectures and inspire our faculty and students.
3. Best Teacher Award:
The last year was full of new events and new initiatives which started with the institution and award of the Best Teacher Awards. On the appropriate occasion of Teachers’ Day, the University recognised the services of teachers and researchers from the three districts coming under the jurisdiction of the University who have contributed to the field of teaching and research. The best teachers from each faculty were also conferred the Best Teacher Award. This was the first time in the history of the University that such awards have been instituted and awarded.
4. Research Support:
The Mangalore University has initiated a number of steps to support research in a vital and integrated manner.
Fellowships for All Research Scholars:
In order to encourage the Research scholars, their fellowships were increased as per the guidelines from UGC. For those research scholars who do not have sponsorship or fellowships, the University is paying a small fellowship to help the research scholars sustain themselves and concentrate on research activities. From the current year, the University would offer Rs.5000 as monthly fellowship to those students who have enrolled for research, who do not otherwise receive such financial support. As a result, Mangalore University would become a 100% research-supported university.
Student Fellowships to Inspire Research:
The University is now initiated steps to offer Fellowships to one student from each postgraduate department in order to inspire them to take up research after their post graduation. Through this measure, the University will ensure that students are motivated to take up research, which is a pressing need of our times.
Research by Guest Faculty:
To encourage the guest faculty perform better a provision was made for them to carry out their research studies also along with their teaching assignment.
Modular Laboratories:
The University has taken steps to upgrade the laboratories of all science departments as modular laboratories, which are environment-friendly and characterised by efficiency, cleanliness, and safety.
Anti-plagiarism steps:
To maintain the standard and quality of research the University has procured the anti-plagiarism software under the Shoda-Ganga Project. This will help in checking plagiarism.
Library Upgradation:
E-resources are being provided in the library and library has remote access too to help faculty and researchers access required book or articles from remote places too.
More Seminars and Conferences:
Encouragement has been given to Faculty members to participate in more number of conferences. The departments are also encouraged to host seminars and conferences as a result the number of conferences has increased to about 15 in 2014-15.
5.Enhanced Salaries:
Teaching staff salaries: The salaries of guest faculty have been hiked to 25,000/- from the 15,000/- they were getting earlier. For those who have qualified NET/SLET, the salary has been increased to 26000/- and for those who have completed their PhD the salary is now fixed at 28,000/-.
Non-teaching staff salaries: Non-teaching (temporary) staff salaries have been suitably increased from Rs.5000 to Rs.9000 to boost their morale and commitment.
6. IT Initiatives:
a. The campus has been made a Wi-Fi campus and internet is available 24X7 on the campus for all faculty, research scholars and students.
b. A new dynamic and interactive web portal has been developed which will help the University to communicate and provide the relevant services to the stake holders.
c. Our University is the first in the country to install digital signage boards and information kiosks on the campus as well as in the PG centres and in its constituent colleges.
d. Mangalore University has adopted the IT initiatives and has surged ahead in e-governance aspects too. Steps have been taken to make examination process more automated and online (having end-to-end solutions and automated processes). The Online Verification System (OVS) which was launched this year is working very successfully.
7. Extension Work:
University has taken up extension activities through village adoption programmes to strengthen the linkage with society which is also the dream project of our honourable Prime minister shri. Narendra Modiji. The University shall adopt 4 villages every year and help in the development of the village.
8. Campus Safety:
To provide safety on the campus we are installing cameras and CCTV systems in important locations and passages. The system is already functional in the administrative block International Hostel and other Hostels.
9. Renovation of Buildings:
10. The work on renovation of University guest houses is complete and New Media centre is opened in the Kaveri guest house. The Science labs are being made Modular Labs which not only give a good look but also are environment friendly. The old hostels are renovated and a new floor is ready for occupation in Sowparnika block of boy’s hostel. Both Mens and Ladies hostel have been provided with Gymnasium to make the students keep up and maintain their health.
11. More Beautiful, Eco-friendly Campus:
Inspired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s Swaccha Bharath Abhiyaan campaign, Mangalore University has initiated the Clean Campus Campaign for a more beautiful campus. The campus is being given a facelift through landscaping and gardening at appropriate places on the campus. Waste management and Vermi-compost plant is being set up to utilise waste in a better way. This project is taken up in collaboration with 5 villages around the University. A rain water harvesting plant will be set up soon to utilise the waste water for productive purposes.
12. Excellence in Sports:
I am happy to say our University has excelled in sports. Our Men’s team has secured second place at all-India level and our Girls’ team has secured third in all-India athletics. Our Sports Alumni feature Olympians and Arjuna Awardees.The work on 400 metre track on the campus is nearing completion, and this will provide a fillip to our sports activities. I am proud to say that our University has received a grant of Rs. 2.4 crore for improving our sports facilities.
13. Student Empowerment:
Poor Students’ Fund: The university is also planning to establish a Fund for the poor and meritorious students and this fund shall be raised through voluntary contribution of Rs.10 by each teaching and non-teaching staff every month from their salaries, and this would be a good enough to help about 25 meritorious and very poor students.
University Open House: For the first time in the history of Mangalore University an Open House was conducted in June to showcase the department and provide information on the courses offered by the department. This event had the motto: “Right Choice for Bright Future.” It is satisfying to note that the number of students seeking admission has increased substantially as a result of this initiative. Gymnasium at the Hostels: As said a sound mind in a sound body, Gymnasiums have been installed in the hostels to help the students also to maintain good health along with their studies.
14. Financial Health:
It is necessary that the University maintain a healthy financial status to cater to the new developments and more so provide support to all teaching and research activities. I am happy to say the research funding this year has increased compared to last year.
15. Enhanced Revenue:
To sustain the above activities, in an environment of largely static funding, the University has to rely on its internal resources to sustain its programmes. As a result, the University increased the fee for the merit students marginally up to about 10% for this academic year for general category students. And for Partially Self-financed category of students, the University has in fact reduced the fee in about 10 departments, and for 13 courses fee has not been increased. Only for the remaining courses numbering about 13, the University has increased the fee from 5 to 20% depending upon the departments and demand for the courses. It is only for three departments that the University has increased the fee by about 30%.
It may be noted that these fees are being increased after a gap of four years, in order to sustain the above initiatives for the benefit of the faculty, students, research scholars, and the society at large.
16.International Students:
For the first time the University has been able to attract, on a large scale and in a sustained manner, international students from different parts of the world for PhD and PG programmes. In the previous year, we grew from a no-student position to 20 international students from Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Namibia, Rwanda, and Yemen. This year we are expecting about 100 to join our University for UG, PG and Ph D programmes. These students are from countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, Iran, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Portugal, South Africa, Tajikistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan.
17.Vision Document:
On the basis of its experiences and aspirations, the Mangalore University has taken the unprecedented step of crafting a Vision for its future. Named the Vision 2030 initiative, the project looks forward to creating a world-class university in the next fifteen years. Over the past six months, the Vision Committee has spent long hours giving shape to this vision, which will provide the university a mandate and a manifesto for its leap into the future.
Note: In response to the report published in our website ” English Vinglish! ‘Syndicate’ spelled as ‘Synidcate’ & other Errors in MU Degree Certificates”, the Registrar (Evaluation)-Mangalore University has sent the following statement :
Reissuing of Degree Certificates issued by Mangalore University
We have observed that the BA/B.Sc., /B.Com. /BSW /M.Sc. /MA /MSW /MBA /PhD certificates issued on the convocation day contains a few printing errors. So all the candidates received the certificates in person on the Convocation Day(17th June 2015) are requested to return the certificates so that new certificates will be issued without any charge. Only 325 certificates were issued on the Convocation day. An internal departmental inquiry has been initiated and appropriate action will be taken in order to prevent such errors in the future. We assure the students and the public that such errors will not occur in future. We have recalled the degree certificates by sending a letter and started issuing the corrected certificate for those who are surrendering the certificate.
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