Bhubaneswar, July 23: Xavier University, Odisha, has become a varsity following a notification in the Official Gazette of Odisha.
The varsity plans to start operations this academic year. “We are working hard to enable the university to begin its operations this academic year,” said Fr. Paul Fernandes, director of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB).
The varsity is coming up on 35 acres at Kurki industrial estate in Nijigardh village near Pipili. It will offer courses in engineering, humanities, social sciences, management, law, medical sciences, vocational education, tribal and development studies among others.
This will be the fifth private university in the state after KIIT, Siksha O Anusandhan (SoA), Centurion, and Sri Sri University. The new varsity will be able to accommodate 5,000 students and more than 400 faculty members.
“After the Xavier University Act, 2013, was passed by the Odisha Assembly on April 5, the regulatory procedures to set up the university are being carried out,” said the director. He said the names of its chairman, vice-chancellor, deans and registrars would be announced shortly.
“Besides the business management course, the university will offer programmes at the graduate and post-graduate levels in several disciplines. With 50 per cent reservation for students from Odisha, the varsity is expected to put the state firmly on the map of specialised higher education,” Fernandes said
In June, the department of higher education, in a letter to the varsity, had asked officials to submit a time schedule for completion of the phase-wise construction of the varsity building and for the opening of various streams.
Speaking about the progress of the campus, the director said it was being developed since last year, and was expected to be ready by December.
“This year, the Oxford Summit of Leaders in Science and Education, Oxford University, UK, has recognised XIMB’s sterling reputation, dynamic growth and excellent faculty achievements by conferring upon the director the ‘Best Rector of the Year 2013’. The award ceremony will be held at Oxford in December,” he said.
