Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University


The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, commonly referred to as SMVD University or SMVDU, is a university on an 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 recognised by AICTE, CIC and COA. With the focus on higher learning & research, SMVDU has established itself in the league of eminent institutions of learning in the country.
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 a plateau surrounded by mountains on three sides in the foothills of the Trikuta Range where the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is located. It is a self-contained township with most facilities available in-house.

History

Back 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.
SMVDU got established as an Institute under State Legislature Act 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 Kakryal village, a flat hill across Jhajjar stream from National Highway 1A.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University has been established under THE JAMMU AND KASHMIR SHRI MATA VAISHNO DEVI UNIVERSITY ACT, 1999, an act of the J&K State Legislature as an autonomous, highly Technical & fully Residential University.
Under the leadership of the Founding Vice-Chancellor, Prof Bharat B Chattoo Bharat B. Chattoo, the University started functioning as an academic unit in Aug 2004 when it was inaugurated on 19 August 2004 at the hands of the then Hon'ble President of India Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam. Dr. Kalam also delivered the first lecture to the students of the University.

Recognition

The University is approved by UGC under Section 2 & Section 12 of UGC Act of 1956.
The technical programs of the University are recognized by AICTE while Architecture program is recognized by Council of Architecture.
University Grants Commission recognises it under section 2. First convocation was held in 2008 which got delivered by Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. In 2009, UGC granted 12 status to the University and it started to get grants from it.

Funding

The University receives funding from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, an autonomous Board set up in August 1986 under the provisions of The Jammu and Kashmir Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Act, 1986 of J&K State Legislature. The University also gets funds from UGC.

Campus

University is in the proximity of the Trikuta foothills. The 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.
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.

Administrative structure

is nominal 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 JEE through the Central Seat Allocation Board of 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 & PhD are made through National level Entrance Tests & Interviews.
Unlike most of the colleges in India, SMVDU has no reservation quota for certain section of students and the students are allotted seats solely on the basis of their merit.

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 familiarise 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 structure

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 on a 10-point scale.

College of Engineering

The College of Management consists of the following schools:
The College of Sciences consists of the following schools:
The Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences consists of the following Departments:
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University was ranked in the 100-150 category by the National Institutional Ranking Framework university ranking in 2020.
The College of Engineering was ranked 78 by the NIRF engineering ranking in 2020.
School of Architecture was ranked in the 76-100 category by the NIRF university ranking 2020.

Student Assistantship Program

Top ten percent of students in each class are awarded scholarship with tuition fee waiver ranging from 100% to 50% subject to fulfillment of merit restrictions.

Student life on campus

Student hostels

The university has a residential system which can accommodate all the students on campus in six hostels.

College festivals

Following are the major festivals in the annual calendar:
Besides festivals, international conferences, Annual Science Day, Annual Engineers Day, monthly panel discussions "Mind-meet", and open source technology meetups are held regularly.
In March 2010 the university hosted the Zonal NASA Convention with 750 students of architecture from North-Indian architecture institutions.

Research

Labs and library

The university has over 35 laboratories. Each school has its own reference library besides the University Central Library, which contains more than 50,000 books. Virtual Digital Library facility is also available and it is opening for all students. The University has access to more academic journals through AICTE-INDEST consortium.

Research Centres

UGC has funded following Research Centres established by the university to pursue active research resulting in patents, products & publications:
  1. Center for Embedded Instrumentation & Networked Controls
  2. Center of Excellence in Biotechnology
  3. Center for Advanced Manufacturing
  4. Center for Energy Management & Water Resource
  5. Center of Excellence for Entrepreneurial Development

    Community development

Students have established a unique program "Vikalp", under which under-privileged children of nearby community are taught and 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. 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.

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.