Keeping track of progress on Vedanta University (proposed near Puri, Orissa, India)

Couple of weeks back one of the Vedanta official of Orissa origin (possibly with others from Vedanta) was visiting various US campuses. They came to Phoenix, AZ but by the time I came to know about it they had already left. They visited Phoenix to see either Arizona State University in Tempe or University of Arizona at Tucson or both. Apparantly the climate of Arizona and its landscape has some similarity with the climate of Balighai (near Puri). They both are very hot in the summer; the winter temeprature of Phoenix is slightly lower than that of Balighai. In Phoenix the temperature hardly ever goes below freezing and is very pleasant in the winter. (It is very hot in the summer.)

Landscapewise Phoenix and Tucson have a lot of palm trees. The Phoenix area has a lot of lakes. One of the images in the Vedanta university flash presentation (2 min 18 sec from the start) is similar to the Palm walk of Arizona State University. Stanford also has a palm drive, but it looks quite different.

Hello Mr. Baral,

Please refer to this link which describes how Orissa managed to get the MOU for Vedanta signedin face of stiff competition .
http://www.andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=4369

'Vedanta University' on the lines of Stanford, Harvard and Oxford, being promoted by UK-based NRI industrialist Anil Agarwal might take its root in the State.

Experts views Hyderabad as a definite high-potential candidate for the location of the world-class university.

Talks with the AP, Maharashtra and Rajasthan governments had already been done and officials from Vedanta is in the process of talking to Karnataka and Goa. A final decision on the location is to be taken by April this year.

The 'not-for-profit' Vedanta University will strive to impart world-class education and drive a cutting-edge research agenda, with an envisaged student population of more than 100,000.

The university would also aim to nurture all-round excellence, beyond the academic dimension, to produce tomorrow's Nobel laureates, Olympic champions and community leaders.

The vision implies spawning of an education and research township, around the university in a manner similar to Stanford University.

Vedanta Resources is a leading diversified metals and mining group with operations in India, Australia and Zambia. The group has an annual turnover of $ 4 billion.

The above article shows that practically every state in India wanted this university to be a set up in their state. We have got this university as a masterstroke. I think as a state we should learn to take opportunity when it knocks on our doorsteps.

I would appreciate if you publish my letter in your Vedanta university blog.

Thanks & Regards
Umashankar Das

INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH,
P-33, CIT Road Scheme XM,
Beliaghata,
Kolkata-700010,
West Bengal,
India.

University of Michigan: 20,965 acres total (out of which 3176 acres in suburban area)

Texas A & M University: 5200 acres total

July 25, 2006

Flap Arises Over Donation to Indian University

Opponents of a $1-billion plan to establish a new university in India say the donor, the businessman Anil Agarwal, has pledged the money in an attempt to divert attention from his allegedly corrupt mining deal, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education.

“He wants to deflect criticism of his deal with the government to mine bauxite ore on terms that are much below market value,” said Srikant Jena, a senior member of the Congress Party, the main opposition party in Orissa, where the university will be built. “He is trying to gain recognition as a do-gooder so that the scam can be covered up.”

A spokesman for Vedanta University, named after Mr. Agarwal’s company, Vedanta Resources, declined to comment on the specifics of the accusations, saying that the $1-billion pledge was made by the donor rather than his business.

In http://chronicle.com/jobs/print.php?id=0000467109-01
of Chronicle of Higher Education.

Position: Chief Academic Officer
Institution: Vedanta University
Location: India
Date posted: 7/28/2006

Vedanta University
Rewrite the history of academia

Lead India to the forefront of academic excellence as the

Chief Academic Officer

of the Vedanta University

With a land area of over 8000 acres, the Vedanta University campus is located in a picturesque setting on the eastern coast of India along the Bay of Bengal. Liberal Arts, Basic Sciences, Engineering, Law, Management, Communications, Architecture, Medicine and Performing Arts are the core disciplines that will be introduced in a phased manner after the commencement of the University in July 2008. The university has a very strong research focus with special emphasis on cross disciplinary research in areas such as Agricultural Research, Information & Communication Technology, Health Sciences, Rural Economics and Manufacturing Sciences.

An initial endowment of $1 Billion for this not-for-profit university has been committed by Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Resources Plc. The university has an independent board of trustees which confers complete managerial, financial, and academic autonomy to the University administration.

Ayers Saint Gross, the internationally renowned Architectural firm based in Baltimore, MD, have been hired to design the master plan and architectural guidelines for the campus. The first phase of this state-of-the-art campus and world class township (for both students and faculty) is expected to be ready by January 2008. The trustees of the Vedanta University Foundation are currently in the process of hiring experienced University administrators and academicians to form the core management team of the institute.

Reporting directly to the President and the Board of Trustees, the Chief Academic Officer provides leadership, vision, and coordination for all aspects of Academic Affairs. His/Her responsibilities will include determining core academic agenda, faculty size, roles and responsibilities, recruitment strategy and governing policies. One of the initial challenges for the CAO will be to hire the core set of individuals who will go on to become the deans of the various schools. He/She will be expected to articulate approaches to research and work closely to ensure that the academic vision of the university is coordinated with the campus plan and architecture.

Candidate Profile: 10-15 years of experience at a top tier university in the US or UK and working at a senior level administrative position (President, Provost, CFO, Dean, etc). India related experience would be useful.

For further information please visit www.vedanta.edu.in.

Please send a resume and cover letter by August 28th, 2006 to careers@vedanta.edu.in.

Categories: Chief academic officers/vice presidents, Provosts

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Contact Information:

E-mail : careers@vedanta.edu.in
Web Site : www.vedanta.edu.in

In case you may not have noticed, we have
added links to the Vedanta University web site and
the shockwave and power point presentations about the
university in the left hand side bar. Thanks to Prof. Sanjoy Das
for discovering these links.

cheers
Chitta

http://chitta.googlepages.com/2006-aug5-samaja-supporting-vedanta-univ-prof-kishore-chandra-tripathy.pdf

http://chitta.googlepages.com/2006-aug3-samaja-vedanta-laxman-mohapatra.pdf

He supports Vedanta University and suggests that top educationalists such as Prof. Amartya Sen, Prof. Yogesh Pati and Prof. C. N. R. Rao should be invited to help chart the course of this university.

cheers
Chitta