| Shivaji University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Dnyanmevamrutam (ज्ञानमेवामृतम ) |
| Motto in English | Knowledge is the elixir of life |
| Established | 1962 |
| Type | Public |
| Chancellor | K. Sankaranarayanan |
| Vice-Chancellor | Prof. (Dr.) N. J. Pawar [1] |
| Location | Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India, India |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | UGC |
| Website | www.unishivaji.ac.in |
Shivaji University (Marathi: शिवाजी विद्यापीठ), established in 1962, is located in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. The University is named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire. It was inaugurated on 18 November 1962 by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the then President of India. Yashwantrao Chavan and Balasaheb Desai took the lead in establishing this University. Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli, and Satara come under its jurisdiction with 225 affiliated colleges and recognised institutes.[2] One of the major objectives behind foundation of this University was to cater to the regional needs of South Maharashtra.
This region of Maharashtra boasts of rich and varied socio-cultural heritage. Under the innovative and socially reformist leadership of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, the princely ruler of Kolhapur, the city had become a focal point of educational opportunities for all classes and communities of South-Western Maharashtra, and northern parts of neighbouring Karnataka. This is also land of Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil, who struggled for taking education to the masses by his innovative 'Earn and Learn' scheme. When the University was founded by the Shivaji University Act of 1962, the objectives set before the University included making opportunities of higher education accessible to rural youth, conducting fundamental and applied research in the field of science and humanities to ensure regional growth and development.