ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020 Established in 2009 by the Ahmedabad Education Society, Over the last three years the Univeristy has become a congregation Ahmedabad University is a liberal arts driven research university. of the highest quality of talent in India, having hired about 40 It is characterised by impeccable governance, philanthropic new regular faculty with doctoral degrees from leading global support and is dedicated to rigorous academic pursuit. Our academic institutions that is consistent with our overall stress on research and teaching spans humanities and languages, social relevance, interdisciplinarity, and a focus on addressing complex sciences, mathematical and physical sciences, biological and problems. The professional schools have faculty with extensive life sciences, performing and visual arts, engineering, and experience and distinguihed record in the industry. For instance, management. Simultaneously, it has ushered in a focus on two of our current Professors of Practice have been MDs of CONTENTS building inquiry as a value through interdisciplinary learning global corporations. linkages between these areas. The Amrut Mody School of Management has built the country’s Our programmes are designed to offer students unprecedented most advanced undergraduate and MBA programmes with SECTION 1 | YEAR AT A GLANCE 04 locus of choice and flexibility in crafting their career interests. strong grounding in liberal arts and industry consulting. Vice Chancellor’s Message 06 An undergraduate student could choose to acquire in-depth The School of Arts and Sciences aims to create an intellectual knowledge in a particular field of study; or choose to acquire environment with a difference and be at the frontiers of SECTION 2 | SCHOOLS a very broad and strong grounding in a cluster of fields; or cutting-edge global research across the natural, physical and acquire expertise in one area while pursuing another area of social sciences, humanities, and performing and visual arts. Amrut Mody School of Management 08 personal interest. Our curriculum design permits students It offers interdisciplinary programmes at undergraduate and School Arts and Sciences 30 to choose to switch majors; create unique and individually graduate levels. The School of Engineering and Applied Science School of Computer Studies 48 customised major-minor combinations. Our emphasis is on is one of the most unique engineering schools in India with School Engineering and Applied Science 52 teaching students to think for themselves - learning to link an engineering foundation spanning several discplines (based theoretical developments to living contexts and bringing one’s on the premise that all engineers must know many disciplines learning to bear on the world at large. The University’s signature to be able to solve complex problems) and a unique hands-on SECTION 3 | CENTRES Foundation Programme and research-oriented pedagogy builds experiential learning environment (i.e., project based learning Centre for Heritage Management 62 the fundamentals of a holistic application of theoretical learning. and building of products) that is strongly centered on design. Centre for Learning Futures 74 Our graduate programmes are at the frontiers of knowledge and their application. The Centre for Learning Futures focuses on innovation Global Centre for Environment and Energy 80 in teaching and learning and runs the reading and writing Physiotherapy College for the Visually Impaired 88 Being learner-centric is the creed of the University. programme of the University. The Centre for Heritage VentureStudio 90 Administration, leadership, infrastructure, academics, and Management is one of its kind in India. It focuses on the admissions are all geared towards it. At Ahmedabad, you learn management of tangible, and intangible heritage as well as on SECTION 4 | THE UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE 101 from the best of faculty who have been trained at some of art history and aesthetics. The Global Centre for Environment the best universities globally and in some of the more cutting and Energy addresses research at the interfaces of three vital SECTION 5 | THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AND 106 edge laboratories. Ahmedabad University strives to engage global challenges - the environment, energy and sustainability THE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH BOARD very intensely with the challenges of the society through its by interlinking Policy, Entrepreneurship, and Science and research programmes and build capabilities to support it with Technology. VentureStudio is the University’s incubator that SECTION 6 | CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE 113 fundamental research. helps students start an innovation driven enterprise. It also offers end to end support to startups, incuding assistance with funding. SECTION 7 | LIFE AT AHMEDABAD UNIVERSITY 122 Key Events at the University 124 SSETU: Wellness for All 128 SECTION 8 | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 138 SECTION 9 | UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE Board of Governors 149 Board of Management 150 Advisory and other Committees 151 $PDQXVFULSWRI.XPÂULOD%KDǽǽDʐV7DQWUDYÂUWWLNDRQHRIWKHPRVWLQIOXHQWLDOWH[WVRIWKHSKLORVRSKLFDOVFKRRORI0ìPÂǓVÂ &RS\ULJKW&DPEULGJH8QLYHUVLW\/LEUDU\ SECTION 10 | FACULTY AND STAFF 155 3URIHVVRU6KLVKLU6D[HQD+XPDQLWLHVDQG/DQJXDJHV6FKRRORI$UWVDQG6FLHQFHV$KPHGDEDG8QLYHUVLW\ $'0,66,216$1'),1$1&,$/$,' FINANCIAL AID 4067 APPLICATIONS REVIEWED AND SCHOLARSHIPS 981 NET ADMISSIONS INR 2,26,48,150 GRADUATING STUDENTS Bachelor of Business Bachelor of Business Bachelor of Administration Administration (Hons) Commerce 234 16 180 Graduating775 Students across Master of Business Master of Management Bachelor of Science in 17 programmes Administration Studies in Heritage Life Sciences (Hons) Management <($5$7$*/$1&( 50 7 FACULTY RESEARCH .(<+,*+/,*+76 6 Ahmedabad University fosters progress of the self Bachelor of Technology Bachelor of Technology Integrated Master of GUEST LECTURE S 32 in Chemical in Mechanical Computer Applications and society. Promoting rigour and relevance in Engineering Engineering research in an interdisciplinary environment has led 36 557 to a collaborative and sustaining partnership with RESEARCH SEMINARS 20 29 29 Awarded Bachelor’s communities for social and intellectual impact. Degrees GRANTS 43 Bachelor of Technology Master of Technology Global Executive MBA During the academic year 2019-2020, faculty at the in Information and in Computer Science in Pharmaceutical University have won 46 new competitive research Communication and Engineering Management grants worth over INR 1024 lakhs. BOOKS 14 Technology 9 15 Awarded212 Master’s BOOK CHAPTERS 33 62 Degrees NEW Integrated Master of Master of Arts in Integrated Master of Business Economics Science in Life INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS JOURNAL ARTICLES 110 Administration Sciences 1 • Maasai Mara University, Kenya (Africa) CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 38 54 41 • University of Nairobi, Kenya (Africa) Awarded6 Doctoral • University of California, Riverside (USA) Degree • SOAS University of London (UK) CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS 75 Doctor of Philosophy Doctor of Philosophy in Life Sciences in Engineering PATENTS FACULTY 4 INVITED LECTURES 67 3 3 STARTUPS 4 STUDENT PRESENTATIONS 23 4 // 160 5 // 160 9,&(&+$1&(//25ʏ60(66$*( The academic year 2019 has been a significant landmark for the University. We introduced our new undergraduate curriculum, admitted the inaugural class to our liberal arts programme (i.e., the BA and the BS programme), and launched a very distinctive engineering curriculum. The year also saw three other salient achievements – competitive research grants won by faculty from within the country and globally grew significantly, the faculty organized two very impactful conferences – the Annual Economics Conference and the Seventh International Conference on Big Data Analytics (BDA 2019), and the University launched a Bio-incubation programme with the establishment of BioNest. Ahmedabad is remaking education – redefining how we teach and how our students learn. The undergraduate curriculum is an effort of over hundred faculty who have been involved for about three years in rethinking teaching and learning. We embed four distinct ways of learning in our curriculum design – ways of thinking, ways of connecting, ways of doing, and ways of becoming. The curriculum is broad and deep. It is flexible and gives choices to students to discover their interest. It is multidisciplinary. It is problem-solving oriented. It builds critical thinking ability, independent-mindedness, and research thinking (learning to ask the right questions). The programme builds multiple skills – some that will help in building citizenship attributes others that will secure sustainable careers. It provides for deep enquiry to develop expertise in a chosen area. Above all, the programme strongly supports entrepreneurship. The undergraduate programme across the University comprises five distinct components: the Foundation Programme introduces our fours ways of learning, develops a holistic learning process, and creates the motivation for deep enquiry; the General Education Requirements build breadth in our students where they take courses across disciplines and schools; the Major Requirements builds depth in a chosen area of specialization; Free Electives allow students to take multiple specializations or minor areas and have the flexibility to explore the diversity of courses we offer; and participate in a Volunteerism programme that develops empathy to work for the underserved. All students entering the undergraduate programme go through our common core, The