Tumkur University

Tumkur University was established in 2004 in Tumkur, Karnataka, India. It was carved out of Bangalore University to accommodate the needs of the students from Tumkur district. Established under the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000, as a multi-faculty university, it has 12 postgraduate departments, 2 constituent colleges and 94 affiliated colleges. It established 29 research centres to promote advanced multi-disciplinary research and academic collaborations. In 2012, the university was recognized under section 12(b) of the UGC Act, 1956.^[1] In the same year, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an inter-university council of the UGC, accredited the University with "B" Grade in the three-grade rating scale.

Faculties

The academic structure is divided into four faculties.

• Faculty of Arts
  • Department of Social Work
• Faculty of Science and Technology
  • Department of Library and Information Science.
    • Faculty members:
      • Dr. Keshava
      • Dr. B.T Sampath Kumar
      • Dr. Rajendra Babu
      • Mr. Rupesh Kumar
      • Smt. Hemavathi
  • Department of Mathematics
  • Department of Physics
  • Department of Chemistry
  • Department of Bio-Chemistry
• Faculty of Commerce and Management
• Faculty of Education

University College of Science

The University College of Science (erstwhile Government Science College) was established in 1940. Beginning as an intermediate college, it was upgraded to a full-fledged first grade college with Bachelors courses in disciplines in the Natural Sciences. Disciplines in the Commerce subjects were introduced in 1970.

The erstwhile Government Science College was inaugurated by His Excellency Sri V.V. Giri, Bar-At-Law, the Governor of Mysore on August 11, 1966. In 1973 it was bifurcated into Science and Arts colleges.

In the year 2000-2001, new subjects like Computer Science, Microbiology, Electronics and Biochemistry were introduced. In 2007-2008, Biotechnology was introduced. In 2008, post graduate courses were introduced in Physics, Chemistry and Environment Science. In 2000, student strength of the college was 1,040; in 2005 it was 1,300; and in year 2007-2008, it was 1,323.

The college has an area of 90 acres and the infrastructure is about 98,800 sq. ft. In 2009, the Government Science College was handed over to Tumkur University, when it was renamed as University College of Science. Presently, it is one of the two constituent colleges of Tumkur University.

University College of Arts

The Government Science College was bifurcated in 1974 into Government Arts College and Government Science College. In 2009, Tumkur University recognised the College as a constituent college of the University and renamed it University College of Arts.

Over the years, the institution has been offering courses in Arts & Commerce. At present, the college has 42 teaching, and 20 non-teaching staff. Nearly 3000 students are pursuing their education in the Arts and Commerce streams. Situated in a sprawling 25-acre plot, the college houses 25 spacious lecture halls, a library with more than 50,000 titles and 55,000 volumes of books on different disciplines, along with journals, magazines, newspapers and a reading and reference section. The College also has indoor and outdoor stadia administered by the Youth Services and Sports Department of the Government of Karnataka. It also has a unit of the National Cadet Corps and the National Service Scheme.

Journals published by the university

International Journal of Science Research

International Journal of Science Research (IJSR) reports on publication of original research contributions in fundamental and applied areas of science. IJSR is a quarterly flagship journal of Tumkur University.

International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities is a scholarly professional biannual journal published by Tumkur University. Its purpose is to provide a forum to share knowledge related to broad range of topics including political science, sociology, history, archaeology, social work, geography, international studies, women’s studies, children’s learning and health, economics, business ethics, cities, intellectual property rights, language acquisition, privacy, the aging population, quality of life, technology in aboriginal communities, information communication technology, library and information science, physical education and sports sciences, dispute resolution, environment, sustainable development and subjects related to commerce and management.

Lokajnana

Lokajnana is a quarterly journal of research, published in Kannada. It contains original and translated research papers.

Recognised research centres

The university has recognised 56 independent academic institutions from all over India as research centres for doctoral and advanced study in various areas of academic research. Notable examples include:

• Institute for Social and Economic Change
• R.V. College of Engineering
• National Institute of Advanced Studies
• Maha Bodhi Society
• Sri Siddhartha Institute of Management Studies
• Malleswaram Ladies Association
• Madras Music Academy
• St. Aloysius College

Honorary distinguished professors

Eminent personalities appointed Honorary Distinguished Professors of the university include:

• Prof. Richard R. Ernst, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (1991, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
• Prof. Anthony Cheetham, FRS, Goldsmiths’ Professor of Materials Science, University of Cambridge, UK
• Prof. Kurt Wüthrich, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2002), Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Professor of Structural Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA and Professor of Biophysics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
• Dr. Sudha Murthy, Chairperson, Infosys Foundation, Bangalore
• Prof. Rudolph Marcus, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (1992), Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, USA
• His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
• Prof. Eric S. Maskin, Nobel Laureate in Economics (2007), Adams University Professor, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Vice chancellors

Campus

Monuments Park

The Monuments Park at Tumkur University is a unique experiment in installation archeology. Ancient stone monuments, inscriptions, war memorials, idols and statues, found in different degrees of decay and degradation across Tumkur District have been collected, curated, conserved and installed in a landscaped park. The Monuments Park was developed as part of the Kannada Bhashabhivruddi Yojane. It contains inscriptions and epithets from several literary and folk sources in Kannada, providing the visitor a glimpse of the cultures of pre-modern Karnataka. The park also contains contemporary art installations.

Automated Weather Station

The Automated Weather Station (AWS), the latest of its kind in the state is an initiative of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Established on the university campus in May 2010, the AWS is an agriculture-support mechanism and a tool for advanced research and education in agriculture, meteorology and environmental sciences. The AWS with its capacity for providing weather updates in a range of 80 km is monitored by a team of researchers from Tumkur University. Updates generated by the AWS on the climate and weather conditions is collected on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

The centre also researches into the impact of humidity on rainfall. The centre facilitates a comparative analysis of similar information available at the 111 AWSs functioning across the state. This is a valuable resource for rain-dependent agricultural ecologies as a database for advanced research and surveys conducted by ISRO, DRDO, Airport Authority, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, media and agriculture universities.

Remote Sensing Centre

RSC was established in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in Tumkur University campus at a cost of Rs 34 lakhs. The centre collects data on the availability of ground water, bio-diversity, green cover, fisheries and mineral availability in Tumkur district. The data will contribute to research in geological and geographical studies and serve as information and service kiosk for farmers of this region.

Gnana Taranga: A Virtual E-learning Centre

Gnana Taranga is an initiative to bring the youth from scheduled castes in the rural areas to the education mainstream through the concept of the Virtual University in the 50 hoblis of 10 taluks in Tumkur district, who constitute more than 50% of the district’s total population. It conducts graduate, post-graduate, certificate and diploma courses by providing self-study and teaching materials at the taluk centers. A digital library, media centre, centre for competitive examinations, research fellowships, dedicated cultural forums, new infrastructure, capacity building and skill development programmes for students belonging to the scheduled castes are being taken up under this scheme at a budget of Rs 200 lakhs.

Gnana Taranga is a part of the comprehensive concept of the Outreach Programme of the University, targeting those students who cannot avail of formal mainstream education. All graduate, post-graduate, diploma and certificate courses offered by the university will be made available under this programme.

Sri Ramana Maharshi Dhyana Kendra

The university has established a Dhyana Kendra named after Sri Ramana Maharshi. The Dhyana Kendra is a place for Yoga and Meditation. A statue of Sri Ramana Maharshi has been established at the platform of the Dhyana Kendra.

Buddhavana

The Buddhavana is a park whose centerpiece is a statue of the Buddha in pink stone sheltered under a bandstand-like canopy. The park contains aphorisms and epithets from the Buddhist sutras.

Dhanvantarivana

Dhanvantari was an early Indian medical practitioner and one of the world’s first surgeons. He is regarded as the deity of Ayurveda.

Dhanvantarivana features many medicinal plants. The center of attraction here is a life-sized statue of Sri Dhanvantari, in front of the University College of Science. Dhanvantarivana is planned to be a full-fledged botanical garden.

References

External links

• Tumkur University Website
• Tumkur University Results