- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University
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Coordinates: 32°56′24″N 74°57′14″E / 32.94°N 74.954°E
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University 
Seal of SMVD University
Established 1999[1] Type Statutory[2] Chancellor Sh. N.N. Vohra Vice-Chancellor Prof. R. N. K. Bamezai Students 1,500 - 2,000 Location Katra, India Campus Rural Affiliations Approved Under Section 2(f) & 12(B) of UGC (India)of Act 1956 Website www.smvdu.ac.in, www.smvdu.net.in The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, commonly referred to as SMVD University or SMVDU, is a Statutory university on an 470-acre (190 ha) campus located near Katra, Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated near the Shrine of the Mata Vaishno Devi, after which it is named. The university is fully residential and provides technical education in the field of Engineering, Science, Management, Philosophy and other subjects of contemporary importance, with all technical courses recognized by AICTE, CIC. With the focus on higher learning & research, SMVDU has established itself in the league of eminent institutions of learning in the country.
The University is established as Statutory University under the Act of J&K Legislature in 1999, which defines it as Technical and Fully residential University. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the then Hon’ble President of India, inaugurated the university on 19 August 2004 and conducted its first lecture.
Located at a distance of 45 km from Jammu Airport and 14 km short of the holy town of Katra, the university is situated on spectacular location – a plateau surrounded by mountains on three sides in the foothills of 'Trikuta' Range where the world famous shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is located. It is a self-contained township with most facilities available in-house.
Contents
Background
View of Mata Vaishno Devi University from campus in night
Site Plan of the university
Matrika AuditoriumBack in 1998, the people of Jammu region supported the establishment of Shri Mata vaishno Devi University. This turned into movement which lasted for around two months. Various students, traders, lawyers and various communities joined this movement. Even a 17 day long strike was observed for the cause. Ultimately Jammu and Kashmir state government had to give in and State Legislature enacted SMVDU's act of 1999 which made it a technical and fully residential university.[3]
SMVDU got established as a Statutory University of the J&K Legislature under its Act of 1999 which defines it as a technical and fully residential university. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board owned and Funded the project for construction of University. Hence site spread over an area of 470 acres was procured from Kakriyal village, a flat hill across Jhajjar stream from National Highway 1A(now NH44).
University Grants Commission recognizes it under section 2(f). First convocation was held in 2008 which got delivered by Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. In 2009, UGC granted 12(b) status to the University and it started to get grants from it.
Campus
University is in the proximity of the Trikuta foothills. The 474-acre (1.92 km2) University campus is divided into various blocks such as the Academic Block, Administrative Block, Central Library, Hostels & Residential Area. The various schools of study consist of well equipped, lecture and seminar halls, conference rooms, departmental lab and computer lab and all modern facilities.[4][non-primary source needed]
The Initial campus plan was Designed and Master planned by S.Ghosh & Associates. They were awarded this project through by Winning a national level competition entry. The basic plan got implemented and it was completed by 2006.[5] The buildings designed by S.Ghosh were climate oriented as compared to newer structures which fails in the summers.[6]
Administrative Structure
His Excellency, Governor of J&K is Chancellor of the university and the Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
The Executive Council of the University, with Vice-Chancellor as its head, is the supreme body of the university. The Academic Council is the highest academic body and makes recommendations to the Executive Council on academic matters. The university also has a Finance Committee and the Building & Works Committee. The Planning Board helps the Vice-Chancellor in foreseeing the growth of the university.
Admissions
Many students are admitted into the B.Tech / B.Arch programme every year from amongst the high rankers of AIEEE through the Central Counseling Board (MHRD) of AIEEE (CBSE)
Candidates admitted to M.B.A. programme pass through a three tier selection process based on CAT/MAT Score, Group Discussions & Interviews conducted by panel of academicians from IITs & corporate professionals . Only the selected candidates make it through.
Admissions to other Post-Graduate Programmes (M.Sc, M.Tech, M. A.)[7] & Ph.D are made through National level Entrance Tests & Interviews.
Academics
The university follows the Credit based programme structure which requires students to earn sufficient credits for degree. Industrial/Corporate Training is also mandatory part of curriculum. Students are encouraged to work on industry sponsored projects. Continuous Evaluation System is followed and Evaluation techniques including Quiz, Assignments, Minor & Major Tests are used periodically. Each school has a Board of Studies consisting of eminent academicians and professionals from industry who update the syllabi to ensure relevance of the content viz a viz the needs of industry as well as Research.
Extensive usage of varied contemporary pedagogy like Multi-media teaching aids including Digital Projectors, OHP, Net Enabled Labs, Video Conferencing, Cut Section Models, Simulation Software are used to enrich the teaching-learning process. Field visits are conducted regularly to familiarize students with real world applications of the knowledge learnt.
Visiting Lectures by a variety of faculty members and professionals are arranged on a regular basis to broaden the scope of learning.The university has an excellent Student Teacher Ratio of 12:1, ensuring sufficient faculty access to the students.
Academics Stucture
There are four colleges or faculties, with a Dean heading each one of them. Each college consists of Schools of Study, analogous to departments in a university, headed by a Director. Academic de-centralization allows each school to function in an autonomous manner.
The Schools offer various programs of Study at undergraduate, Post-graduate and Doctorate level.
The University has adopted an IIT/UGC pattern of Study with Choice based credit system and continuous evaluation based on Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 10 point scale.[8]
Programmes of Study
The university offers following Under-graduate and Post-graduate programmes of Study :
- Bachelor of Technology (Computer Science and Engg.)
- Bachelor of Technology (Electronics & Communication Engg.)
- Bachelor of Technology (Electronics & Instrumentation Engg.)
- Bachelor of Technology (Mechanical Engg.)
- Bachelor of Technology (Industrial Bio-Technology)
- Bachelor of Architecture
- Master of Business Administration (M B A)
- Master of Business Administration (Business Economics)
- Master of Science (Mathematics)
- Master of Science (Physics)
- Master of Science (Bio-Technology)
- Master of Technology (Energy Management)
- Master of Technology (Manufacturing & Production)
- Master of Technology (Computer Sciences)
- Master of Arts (English)
- Master of Arts (Philosophy)
- Doctorate Pro-gramme in Bio Technology and Philosophy.
College of Engineering
College of Management
The College of Management consists of the following schools :
College of Sciences
The College of Sciences consists of the following schools :
In addition to the M.Sc program the constituent schools also offer Doctoral Programs.
College of Philosophy Culture & Languages
The College of Humanities & Social Sciences consists of the following schools :
Faculty Profile
The university attracts faculty members from across the country with experience at institutions including IITs, IISc, NITs, IIMs & universities. Each faculty member brings rich experience and diversity of specialization to the university and provides the students with rich spectrum of knowledge.
More than half the faculty members are PhD while the others are actively pursuing PhD. Faculty from outside J&K constitutes more than half of the total number, thus bringing rich cultural diversity within the faculty as well. Faculty members, with a strong commitment towards the development of the students, are the core engine of the university and are involved in managing different aspects of the university affairs.
Since both faculty members as well as students reside on the campus, there is continuous, sustained and productive interaction between them. Faculty members act as Mentors for the students advising them on host of career related and other issues.
Students Life
SMVDU students getting ready for interviewStudent Hostels
The four boys Hostels-Trikuta, Kailash, Nilgiri, Vindhyachal lie at one end of primary axis and are so located that walking time to any school is 3 to 5 minutes. The same holds true for the Vaishnavi & Shivalik Girls Hostel, which is located at the other end of the axis.
Student Assistant-ship Program
A unique program that recognizes and propels academic excellence besides inculcating positive work culture. Top five students in each class are awarded scholarship with tuition fee waiver ranging from 100% to 50% besides monthly Assistantship of Rs.1000/-.
Student activities
The university encourages regular cultural, sports & technical events for students to cultivate a sense of Competition, respect & healthy inter-personal relations.
College Festivals
Following are the major festivals in the Annual Calender:
- Annual National Level Technical Festival ‘Titiksha’,
- Management Festival ‘Tatva’,
- Architecture Festival ‘Srijan’,
- Annual Cultural & Sports Festival ‘Resurgence’
Besides festivals, Annual Science Day, Annual Engineers Day, Monthly Panel discussions “Mind-meet”, and Open Source Technology Meetups are held regularly.
The university recently hosted the Zonal NASA Convention with 750 students of Architecture from North-Indian Architecture institutions.
Research
National & International conferences & Symposia have been organized in the field of Management, Economics, Bio-technology, Energy Management, Electronics, Computer Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, Philosophy & Languages
Labs and Library
The university has established more than 35 well equipped, State-of-art laboratories in all schools of Study. These specialized laboratories have been established for enabling course work, projects & research. Some of these laboratories have been established in collaboration with industry giants like Freescale semiconductor, Xilinx Inc. & Nulux. Department of Biotechnology, GOI has sponsored Bio-informatics Lab while DST support to VLSI Lab is in pipeline.
Realizing the importance of soft skills, the School of Languages has established a specialized Language Lab to enable students to improve their presentation, spoken and technical writing skills.
Each School has its own reference library besides the University Central Library, which houses more than 36,000 books . Virtual Digital Library facility is also available with online catalogue search. University has access to more than 1200 Journals available on-line through AICTE-INDEST consortium including ACM, Springer, IEEE, ASME and Conference Proceedings. 84 Indian & 10 foreign Journals are available in printed format. University has made Book-Bank facility available to the students.
Research Centres
UGC has funded following Research Centres established by the university to pursue active research resulting in patents, products & publications:
- Center for Embedded Instrumentation & Networked Controls
- Center of Excellence in Biotechnology
- Center for Advanced Manufacturing
- Center for Energy Management & Water Resource
- Center of Excellence for Entrepreneurial Development
Computing and Networking
Over 400 Computer Terminals, connected to the internet, are installed with access to network printers and plotters. The Data Center has more than 12 Sun & IBM Servers for hosting Web, Mail, Database and other Applications. The university is connected to the Net with 40 MBPS dedicated line. The campus is fully networked with OFC as the backbone and CAT6 Cabling inside buildings. Wi-Fi connectivity is available across the campus. Licensed design and simulation software for Engineering, Management & Sciences are available. University has also inked the MDSNAA Campus Agreement with Microsoft.
Community Development
Students have established a unique program ‘Vikalp’ under which under-privileged children of near-by community are taught & trained regularly. The children under this program are given free medications from university health care center and are provided one time meal in the students mess.
Outreach
The University has entered into collaboration with Institutions of eminence in India & abroad including IIT Delhi, IIIM, Kurukshetra University, Thapar University, Aachen University Germany, Kun-Shan University Taiwan to enhance faculty-student exchange and co-operate in Research activities(.[citation needed] The university has recently started hosting the British Council Higher Education Center for convenience of students. The university is among the few institutions in the country which host the Counseling Center of AIEEE-CCB.
Placements and Alumni
SMVDU has shown good record of placements in the past few years. TCS, HCL, Syntel, Capgemini are among the few that hired engineering students from the campus. Airtel, Trident, SBI were among the few that hired students registered for MBA.
SMVDU alumni can be found pursuing higher studies in IISc, IITs, NIITs, IIMs and some universities abroad. SMVDU alumni an also be found working in companies like Yahoo,SAP Labs,Samsung, NESS, Cisco, Accenture, Cognizant, Huawei and Dell.
Controversies
Land Controversy
It is believed that the land acquired by the University was not acquired in accordance with the law. But later the culprits were found in the State Revenue Department and the allegation on the University was proven to be false.[9][10][11]
Placement Disputes
A student Esha Sajgotra and two employees Suresh Sharma and Amit Sharma had created a dispute which was solved later.[12]
References
- http://www.goiit.com/posts/list/community-shelf-smvdu-the-rising-institute-in-the-foothills-957665.htm
- http://www.pharmatutor.org/pharma-jobs/vacancies/mar11/require-project-felllow-in-shri-mata-vaishno-devi-university
- http://www.indiaeducationdiary.in/showEE.asp?newsid=8978
- ^ "SMVDU Facts and History". Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University. http://smvdu.net.in/about/aboutsmvdufactshistory. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ "University Profile 2010 : Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University". Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University. http://smvdu.net.in/admissions/universitys-profile-year-2010.html. Retrieved November 06, 2011.
- ^ http://www.earlytimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=73145
- ^ "Campus Information". http://www.smvdu.ac.in/@smvdu/Campus.htm.
- ^ http://www.sghosh.com/projects.php?prjid=5%7C S.Ghoah associates
- ^ http://www.sghosh.com/profile.php S.Ghosh profile
- ^ http://smvdu.net.in/admissions/post-graduate-admissions
- ^ "Academic Structure of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University". Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University. http://smvdu.net.in/academic-structure. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/10nov10/news2.htm Daily Excelsior CB seizes land record from DC office
- ^ http://www.earlytimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=62813 Early times report
- ^ http://www.earlytimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=63629
- ^ http://www.earlytimes.in/newsdet.aspx?q=67701
External links
- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Official Website
- Resurgence, annual cultural and sports festival of SMVDU
- Titiksha, annual Technical festival of SMVDU
- SMVDU Alumni Website
Universities in Jammu and Kashmir University of Kashmir · University of Jammu · Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir · Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu · Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University · Baba Ghulam Shah Badhshah University · Islamic University of Science and TechnologyCategories:- Universities and colleges in Jammu and Kashmir
- Association of Commonwealth Universities
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