University of Burdwan

The University of Burdwan is a public state university located in Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal, India. It was established by the West Bengal Government as a teaching and affiliating university on 15 June 1960 with six postgraduate departments and 30 undergraduate colleges spread over three districts that come under the jurisdiction of the university. The university currently offers more than 30 undergraduate and 66 postgraduate courses. It has grown as the second largest state university in West Bengal after University of Calcutta. Over the years, the University has consistently performed in the NIRF ranking by securing rank within top 100 under ‘University’ Category and occupied the rank of 89, 92, 85 and 87 in the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.

History

The University of Burdwan was established on 15 June 1960, under the state university category of Government of West Bengal with Sukumar Sen, an esteemed Indian Civil Services officer and the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, as its inaugural Vice-Chancellor. The university's foundation was significantly influenced by the abolition of the Zamindari system in the 1950s.Sir Uday Chand Mahtab Maharajadhiraja Bahadur, the last scion of the Burdwan Raj, exhibited extraordinary generosity by bequeathing almost the entirety of his ancestral estate to the state government. This, combined with the visionary efforts of the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, paved the way for the establishment of this prestigious institution. Today, administrative functions are primarily conducted at the Rajbati campus, the former palace of the Barddhaman Maharaja, while academic activities predominantly take place at the Golapbag campus.
In its nascent stage, the university commenced operations with a focus on the humanities. A year later, the science faculties were introduced, aligning with the university's original vision of fostering a bias towards science and technology to meet the industrial demands of the time. This vision was further realised with the establishment of the Burdwan Medical College and the Regional Engineering College in Durgapur. Presently, the university boasts around 22 postgraduate departments across various disciplines. Notably, the University Institute of Technology, recently established under the university's direct control, has received approval from the All India Council for Technical Education, after the establishment of National Institute of Technology, Durgapur replacing the REC Durgapur.
The university offers a diverse array of courses, including those in physical education, B.Ed., foreign languages, computer applications, and population education. Additionally, the university is home to an Adult Continuing Education Centre and an Academic Staff College. Rajbati, the university's administrative centre, houses a museum and art gallery, showcasing artefacts that include pottery from prehistoric times.
The university's Distance Education wing offers postgraduate education in various subjects and professional undergraduate courses. With a strong sense of social responsibility, the university has actively supported the establishment of the Meghnad Saha Planetarium and a Science Centre. Moreover, the university has founded a Rural Technology Centre, named after Shri Binoy Krishna Choudhury, a former West Bengal government minister, to provide vocational training and create self-employment opportunities for rural youth. Future plans include the development of a centre for creative arts.

Campuses

The University of Burdwan has multiple campuses spread across Bardhaman. These campuses house various academic departments, research centers, and administrative offices.

Golapbag Campus

The Golapbag Campus is the university's primary academic hub, spread across a vast area with lush greenery. It houses various science, humanities, engineering, and technology departments. Several research laboratories and academic buildings are located here. The University Institute of Technology, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in engineering, is situated within this campus.

Rajbati Campus

The Rajbati Campus is the administrative headquarters of the university. It is located near the Bardhaman Railway Station. This campus includes the Vice-Chancellor's Secretariat, the Registrar's Office, and central administrative units. It also houses the University Central Library and several research centers. The campus features heritage buildings from the colonial era.

Tara Bag Campus

The Tara Bag Campus primarily focuses on business and management studies. It accommodates the School of Management along with seminar and conference halls. The campus has girls hostels and quarters of the teaching and non teaching staff. Here also has a university guest house.

Facilities

The university provides various facilities for students and staff. The University Health Centre offers medical services. The Central Library has an extensive collection of books, journals, and digital resources. The Sports Complex includes facilities for athletics and student recreation.

Organisation and administration

Governance

Burdwan University is an autonomous state university, with the Governor of West Bengal serving as its Chancellor. The daily administration of the university is overseen by the Vice-Chancellor, who is appointed by the Governor based on the recommendations of the state government. The Vice-Chancellor is supported in this role by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, typically a senior faculty member and also for the Faculty of Engineering and Technology.

Rank	Position	Current office holder
1	Chancellor	Governor of West Bengal
2	Vice Chancellor	Sankar Kumar Nath
3	Pro-Vice Chancellor	Vacant
4	Registrar	Dr. Sujit Kumar Chowdhury
5	Controller of Examination	Dr. Anindya Jyoti Pal
6	Financial Officer	Dr. Sougata Chakrabarti
7	Dean	Sunil Karforma
8	Dean	Pradip Chattopadhyay
9	The President of WBCHSE	Dr. Chiranjib Bhattacharya
10	The President of WBBSE	Dr. Ramanuj Ganguly
11	The President of WBBME	Md. Fazle Rabbi
12	The Chairperson of UGC	Vineet Joshi, IAS
13	The Chairperson of NCTE	Pankaj Arora
14	AICTE Nominated	V. R. Desai, IIT-KGP
15	Principal of UIT
16	Head of the Departments	Various
17	Principal of Affiliated Colleges	Various

No.	Name
1.	Sukumar Sen, ICS
2.	Braja Kanta Guha, ICS
3.	Dr. Dhirendra Mohan Sen
4.	Param Nath Bhaduri
5.	Ramaranjan Mukherji
6.	Shashi Bhusan Choudhury
7.	Ramaranjan Mukherjee
8.	Birendra Nath Goswami
9.	Shankari Prosad Banerjee
10.	Mohit Bhattacharya
11.	Dilip Kumar Basu
12.	Amit Kumar Mallik
13.	Subrata Pal
14.	Dr. Shoroshimohan Dan
15.	Smriti Kumar Sarkar
16.	Nimai Chandra Saha
17.	Biswajit Ghosh
18.	Goutam Chandra
19.	Sankar Kumar Nath

File:The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee being presented a memento by the Governor of West Bengal, Shri M.K. Narayanan, at the 34th Convocation of Burdwan University, at Burdwan, West Bengal on November 22, 2013.jpg|thumb|right|240px|The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee being presented a memento by the Governor of West Bengal, Shri M.K. Narayanan, at the 34th Convocation of Burdwan University, at Burdwan, West Bengal on November 22, 2013

Faculties and departments

The University of Burdwan has 39 departments organized into two faculty councils.

Centre

University Institute of Technology (UIT)

University Institute of Technology, The University of Burdwan represents the Faculty of Engineering & Technology , constituent to The University of Burdwan, located in Burdwan, West Bengal. It is the only Government Engineering Public Technical Institute located in Purba Bardhaman. Earlier it represented the faculty of Engineering that was at National Institute of Technology, Durgapur since its inception. This college building was inaugurated in 2001 by the then chief minister of West Bengal Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

Jurisdictions

Burdwan University now serves as an academic hub for over 74 affiliated colleges, with its jurisdiction extending across Birbhum district, Purba Bardhaman district and Hooghly district The university's affiliation ensures that these institutions adhere to a high standard of education, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in various disciplines. Through its affiliation, Burdwan University provides academic guidance, curriculum development, and examination services, ensuring that the quality of education remains consistent and rigorous across all its colleges. This extensive network not only supports the educational needs of the region but also contributes significantly to the cultural and intellectual fabric of Radh Bengal. Some of the colleges are listed below: