Bhubaneswar: As part of its industry-institution interaction programme, Public Sector Aluminium major Nalco will sign a MoU with Utkal University for all-round development including infrastructure and intellectual development and provide a platform to students, teachers and researchers for their innovative ideas through a dedicated web portal.
This was announced by Nalco CMD Tapan Kumar Chand at the 74th Foundation Day of Utkal University here today.
Inaugurating the event, Governor and Chancellor of the University Dr SC Jamir said Universities’ role in shaping the ambition and personal performance of young people is paramount. By educating our youth, universities must also be incubators of global citizens, and generators of future leadership. “We should aspire to inculcate a view of the world that is broad, multifaceted and interconnected. Put briefly, we should aspire to teach how to think, and not just what to think.
Outlining the role of universities in the present time the Governor said the quest to create “world-class” universities has become something of a global obsession. Governments across the world have put the development of competitive higher education and research systems at the heart of their national economic strategies. “Rankings are carefully and primarily designed to capture excellence in teaching and research. We must strengthen the research capacity of our universities, and its translation into economic impact,” he pointed out.
Terming Utkal University as the Mother University in the state, Jamir said the University is a heritage institution in Odisha and today it has the history to look back over seven decades of progress and its evolution as an important centre for higher learning. Despite challenges, the University occupies a pre-eminent role in the educational landscape for young people in the 20th century. It has been playing a key role in fostering academic excellence from its inception. This University promotes academic leadership as exemplified by its distinguished alumni. It has produced leaders in various fields. The long list of scholars, scientists, faculties, social activists, sportspersons that emerged from this University were Pan-Indian in outlook and achievement. “The University is more than just an education institution; it is a critical meeting point of diverse ideas,” he added.
Vice-Chancellor Prof AK Das highlighted the contribution of Utkal University to the growth of Odisha. Among others, Prof RK Baral, Chairman, PG Council, MK Biswal, Registrar and Director, Students Welfare spoke on the occasion.
The Governor inaugurated Virtual Tutorial Laboratory under RUSA and Institute of Teacher Education. Gold medals and prizes were distributed to successful students of the university in different categories.