University of Mysore
The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. It opened on 27 July 1916. Its first chancellor was the Maharaja of Mysore; the first Vice-Chancellor was H. V. Nanjundaiah. The university became the first outside the British administration in India, the sixth in India as a whole, and the first in Karnataka. It is a state university of the affiliating type, and became autonomous on 3 March 1956, when it gained recognition from the University Grants Commission.
The university encompasses 180 affiliated colleges and four constituent colleges. In addition, the university has 37 postgraduate departments, eight specialised research and training centres, and two postgraduate centres that together offer a total of about 55 regular academic programs to 3,500 students. It also runs a number of employment-oriented diploma courses and certificate programs.
The Mysore University Library comprises over 800,000 books, 2,400 journal titles, and 100,000 volumes of journals. The main campus features an amphitheater, an auditorium, a swimming pool, and hostel accommodations for men and women. As of July 2013, the University of Mysore was accredited "Grade A" by National Assessment and Accreditation Council.
Mysore University has a dedicated Prasaranga, in the lines of Oxford University Press, formally established by Dr.Kuvempu on 6'th July 1960.
History
The University of Mysore is the 6th oldest university in India and the oldest in the state of Karnataka. It was established in 1916 by then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, after two of his educational experts undertook a five-year study of higher education around the world. They structured the new school to encompass elements from universities that promote original research, those that emphasise extending knowledge among the people, and those that combine intellectualism with an educational system calculated to train students for political and social life. H. V. Nanjundaiah, who played a key role in establishing the university, was elected by the Maharaja of Mysore to run the University as the first Vice-Chancellor, and he held the post until his death in 1920. Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya, then Dewan of Mysore, also played a major role in its promotion. The university was inaugurated on 27 July 1916. Maharaja College of Mysore and the Central College of Bangalore, both previously affiliated with Madras University, became part of the new university. The Act was amended in 1933 and 1939 to make the senate representative of public life and to establish the academic council responsible for the academic affairs of the university.During the reorganisation of Mysore state in 1956, the Mysore University Act passed, which made the university an autonomous body. In 1960, the university's graduate centre was set up in the picturesque environs of Kukkarahalli lake. The national poet and Jnanpith Award winner, K. V. Puttappa, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University, christened this campus 'Manasagangotri', meaning: 'the fountainhead of the Ganges of the Mind' or 'the eternal spring of the mind'. Bangalore University was carved out in 1964 starting with Central College, Bangalore, and the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering. Mangalore University was formed out of the colleges in Dakshina Kannada in 1980.
Recent academic restructuring
The university has recently changed academic direction, with a greater emphasis on basic science. It has introduced integrated MSc courses in physics, chemistry, and biochemistry. The University has also formed ties with various Chinese universities for resource sharing and training in information technology education.The International School of Information Management, was created in 2005 through the collaboration of three US universities, as well as Dalhousie University of Canada, and IIIT, Bangalore. Faculty members from these partnering institutions teach at ISiM.
The Third Sector Research Resource Centre was established in 2004. The aim of the centre is '...to undertake and promote interdisciplinary studies and research in the domain of civil society,' with a secondary aim of developing and offering Diploma and Masters programs in the management of non-profit organisations.
More recently, the Department of Law in the university was incorporated into the Mysore University School of Justice. Continuing with the university's initiative to introduce five-year integrated courses to produce professionals with in-depth knowledge, the MUSJ has introduced a program leading to a degree in law, as a bid to enhance the quality of legal education in Karnataka.
Other initiatives currently underway by the University are the establishment of a National Centre for History of Science, a digital library, a Centre for International Programmes, a school of life sciences, an IT division, and a joint campus with IIS-Bangalore. In the last five years, an Archaeological and Folklore Museum has been established in the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion with a donation from the Infosys Foundation.
University Evening College
University Evening College is one of the four constituent colleges of the university, and is open to those who cannot pursue their studies on a regular basis. In accordance with the motto of the University "Nahi Jnaanena Sadrisham", this college has been catering to the educational needs of young as well as middle-aged adults.
The college's branch of the NSS was awarded the national NSS award and NSS state award. Through the NSS unit, the college has '...created a space for the students to participate, enlighten and create a consciousness among the public about social, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues of society.'
The college has an N.C.C unit. The N.C.C is a Tri-Services Organization, comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Crest and Motto
The university's motto, "Na Hi Gyanena Sadrusham" is taken from the Bhagavad Gita. It is inscribed in Devanagari script at the top of the university crest. At the bottom of the same crest is a saying in Sanskrit, reading "Sathyamevoddharamyaham".Campuses
The main campus of the University, created in 1960, lies to the west of the Kukkarahalli Lake. The University headquarters, Crawford Hall, is located across the lake to the east. Two satellite campuses have since been set up in response to the demands for postgraduate education in suburban and rural areas: the Sir M.Visveswaraya Postgraduate Centre at Tubinakere in Mandya, and the Mysore University Postgraduate Centre at Hemagangotri in Hassan.At the time of the University's founding, colleges in the entire state of Mysore came under its jurisdiction. This has since been limited to the Mysore, Mandya, Hassan, and Chamarajanagar districts, with the remaining areas falling under the remit of Bangalore University, Mangalore University, and Kuvempu University. In 1996, the Institute for Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education in the Manasagangotri campus was separated from the University of Mysore to form the Karnataka State Open University.