University Yearbook (Academic Audit Report 2005-10) APPENDIX 2 Details of the University activities since in- ception (2005-10) as submitted to Review Committee of the University Grants Commission in November 2009 Note: The details of statistics and data given hereinbelow may overlap to some or occasionally to a great extent with those given above as part of the MHRD Review Committee Report, but nevertheless, these are reproduced below as it was submitted by us to UGC, and which was carefully examined and returned to us by UGC along with the Review Committee Report and recommendations. This is in the interest of transparency and completeness. At several places, the data and details have been updated to include the occurrences and events after the UGC Committee visit. Name of the Deemed-to-be-University: Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University (formerly known as ‘Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute’) (Declared by Government of India as Deemed-to-be-University under Section 3 of University Grants Commission Act, 1956) P.O. Belur Math, Dist. Howrah West Bengal Pin Code: 711202 (Phone: 033-26549999; fax: 033-26544640; Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Introduction: Under the directions of the Ministry of HRD, UGC reviewed the functioning of all institutions declared by Government of India as deemed-to-be-universities under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, with the help of Expert Committees. The Chairman, UGC, has constituted an Expert Committee whose composition is given below, to review the functioning of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, P.O. Belur Math, Dist Howrah, West Bengal, an institution deemed-to-be-university, vide UGC let- ter D.O.No.6-96/2009 (CPP-I) dated 27 October 2009 from Dr KP Singh, Joint Secretary, University Grants Commission, New Delhi, requesting that the review of the deemed university be conducted at the earliest, preferably within 10-12 days, and enclosing therewith the following documents: • Gazette notification dated 5 January 2005 declaring the institute as deemed-to-be-university, • Gazette notification dated 20 February 2007 declaring the inclusion of three ‘off-campus’ centres within the ambit of the above deemed university, 236 Appendix 2 University Yearbook (Academic Audit Report 2005-10) • List of documents required as annexure, Terms of Reference of the Committee and proforma for report writing by the Expert Committee, • Report of the Expert Committee which initially recommended conferment of the deemed university status to this institute, • Report of the Expert Committees which recommended the inclusion of the ‘off-campus’ centres under the ambit of the deemed university, • Composition of the Expert Committee, • Copy of the proforma already sent to the deemed university for compilation of the information for use of the Expert Committee. In compliance thereof, the Expert Committee, comprising the following members, coordinated by the Member-Secretary, Dr Ratnabali Banerjee, Joint Secretary, UGC Eastern Regional Office, Kolkata, visited the institute deemed-to-be-university at its main campus (headquarters) at Belur Math, Howrah, West Bengal, as well the following ‘off-campus’ centres: • Ramakrishna Mission Divyayan Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, for the Faculty of ‘Integrated Rural and Tribal Development’ • Ramakrishna Mission Centre at Narendrapur, Kolkata, West Bengal, for the Faculty of ‘Integrated Rural Development and Management’ • Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Research Centre at Swami Vivekananda’s Ancestral House, Kolkata, West Bengal, for doctoral and post-doctoral research • International Centre for Human Resource Development for the Disabled, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu The visit began with the ‘Off-campus’ Centre at Ranchi, Jharkhand, and the Committee members arrived at the Ranchi Centre on 12 November 2009. • The dates of the visit of the Expert Committee to the above ‘off-campus’ Faculty Centres and the Belur Main Campuswere 13, 14, 15 and 16 November 2009. Composition of the Committee: The composition of the Expert Committee constituted by the UGC Chairman to review the functioning of the deemed-to-be-university (its main campus at the headquarters at Belur Math and the three approved ‘off- campus’ centres mentioned above) is as follows: • Prof. Kutumba Shastri, Vice Chancellor, Sampoornanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi (Chairman) • Prof. B.S. Jain, former Professor of Mathematics, Delhi University, Delhi • Prof. Manjari Chaudhuri, Head of the Department of Bengali and Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Commerce, Tripura University, Tripura • Prof. B.A. Chopade, Director, Institute of Bio-informatics and Bio-technology, University of Pune, Pune • Prof. Trilochan Shastry, Dean (Academic), Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, Karnataka • Prof. P.K. Pande, Department of Yoga Science, L.B. National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh • Dr Ratnabali Banerjee, Joint Secretary, UGC, Eastern Regional Office, Kolkata (Member-Secretary) Appendix 2 237 University Yearbook (Academic Audit Report 2005-10) The following information and the Report is based on the inputs received by the Expert Committee members from the University in the UGC-prescribed proforma (that had been sent to the University authorities suf- ficiently in advance by UGC) and the inputs received in the course of the Expert Committee Visit from the interactions with the Vice Chancellor, faculty, staff, students and others associated with the University. Background of the Deemed-to-be-University: Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute is an institution declared by Government of India as a deemed-to-be-university, is a multi-campus University with its Headquarters at Belur Math, which is the same as the Headquarters of the well-known worldwide philanthropic and charitable organization ‘Ramakrishna Mission’. Ramakrishna Mission has been engaged in serving humankind without distinction of caste, creed, colour, race, nationality, gender or any other distinction, in the fields of education, health, relief & rehabilitation etc. for more than a century, since its inception as early as 1897 by Swami Vivekananda. Under the aegis of Ramakrishna Mission, the present new University was started in the year 2005, the Government of India declaring the institute as a deemed-to-be-university by a Notification dated 5 January 2005. Swami Vivekananda himself had prophesied just two days before passing away that Belur Math will become a great University. The present University is a first step in the actualization of this prophetic utterance of this great son of India, and has chosen as its ‘thrust areas’ those areas which are in a sense ‘gap areas’ in that these areas scarcely receive attention in any of the conventional universities in India and, further, these areas are meant to directly benefit the underprivileged, and the rural/tribal population of India. Ramakrishna Mission having more than hundred branch-centres all over India, this University was conceived to operate through these vari- ous branch-centres which have developed the necessary infrastructure and the expertise in specific areas for over several decades, using them as ‘off-campus’ centres of the University. The following ‘thrust areas’ have been initially chosen by the deemed university: • Disability Management and Special Education • Integrated Ruraland Tribal Development • Indian Spiritual and Cultural Heritage including Value Education • Fundamental Science Education and Research • Environment and Disaster Management Of the above thrust areas, the first four have already been taken up and courses/programmes in these areas are being conducted at the Belur Main campus as well as the ‘off-campus’ centres mentioned above. Courses/ programmes in thrust area (5) will be started soon. Under thrust area (1) above, teachers’ training programmes at the graduate, postgraduate and research levels in special education, adapted physical education and yoga are being run at the Coimbatore Centre. Under thrust area (2) above, two-year M.Sc. and five-year integrated M.Sc. programmes are being conducted at the Ranchi and Narendrapur Centres. Under thrust area (3) above, diploma courses are being conducted at the Belur Main campus. Under thrust area (4) above, M.Sc., M.Phil., and Ph.D. programmes are being run at the Belur Main campus and Vivekananda Research Centre. We are told that M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes are being contemplated under thrust area (5) at the Narendrapur Centre and Belur Main campus. 238 Appendix 2 University Yearbook (Academic Audit Report 2005-10) 2. Inspection Report 2.1. Name and address of the Deemed University: Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (Declared as Deemed-to-be-University by Government of India under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956), P.O. Belur Math, District Howrah 711202, West Bengal 2.2. Headquarters of the Deemed University (with full address, phone numbers, e-mail etc): Belur Math Main Campus in the District of Howrah, State of West Bengal, Pin Code: 711202, phone number: 033-26549999 (landline), 09830216636 (mobile—Vice Chancellor), fax: 26544640, e-mail: rkmveri@gmail. com, [email protected], [email protected] (Vice Chancellor’s personal email ID) 2.3. Name of the Society/Trust promoting the University: Ramakrishna Mission with headquarters at Belur Math in the district ofHowrah, State of West Bengal » Whether the