***

Published on Wednesday, 27 December 2023

Prof. K.K. Aggarwal Takes Up the Role of the new President in South Asian University

New Delhi, 27 December 2023: Prof. KK Aggarwal has joined the South Asian University, New Delhi as its new President. Prof. Aggarwal, who was the founding Vice Chancellor of Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, was appointed President of this international university by its Governing Board in its 11^th Meeting in Kathmandu on 18 & 19 December 2023. He has become the third regular President of SAU since the inception of the university in 2010 by member nations of SAARC.

Prof. Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, who has been the university’s Acting President, handed over the charge to Prof. KK Aggarwal today in SAU’s campus in Maidan Garhi, New Delhi. Prof. Aggarwal had a brief interaction with the available Faculty members and university officials. He spoke about the necessity for all the members of SAU to work as a family with a sense of ownership to achieve the objectives of this beautiful ‘institution’. He shared his past experiences and also expressed optimism on the great achievements and desirable expansions the university can have in the near future. He also took a round of the campus to oversee the campus development.

An accomplished academic and an experienced administrator, Prof. Aggarwal has had his stint at the National Board of Accreditation as its Chairman. He is also the former Chairman of the Board of Governors, MNIT, Jaipur. Before he became the VC at GGS Indraprastha University where he spent 10 years from 1998 to 2008, he was the Pro Vice-Chancellor at Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar for three years.

He was the President of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) from 2002-2004, the President of the Computer Society of India (CSI) from 2007-2009, the President of the South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC) from 2008-2010 and the Sectional President (IT & CS) of the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA).

Prof. Aggarwal received his PhD and Master’s Degree from Kurukshetra University, Haryana. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He had a distinguished career of nearly three decades as an academic in NIT, Kurukshetra, engaged in teaching and research activities in Computer Engineering and Information Technology. Besides various books that he has authored, Prof. Aggarwal has published over 400 research papers in academic journals of repute, about half of which are international journals. He has been invited to deliver lectures by various organisations, institutions and corporate conglomerates from around the world.

The industry has widely consulted him, most notable being his contribution towards the Reliability Analysis for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Prof. Aggarwal was conferred the Honorary Fellowship by the Broadcast Society of India and by the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE). He has been decorated with Life Time Achievement Awards by various organisations, including the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) and the Computer Society of India (CSI).

***

Published on Tuesday, 26 December 2023

South Asian University holds the 11th Meeting of the Governing Board and appointed a new President

New Delhi: The South Asian University, New Delhi convened its 11th Governing Board Meeting in Kathmandu from 18^th to 19^th December 2023. This was the first in-person meeting of the Governing Board Members post the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Members from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka participated in the much-awaited meeting of the apex body to chart the future path for the University.

Prof. Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, Acting President of SAU welcomed and expressed his gratitude to the esteemed members – past and present, and the Governments of the Member Nations of SAARC. He also emphasized the importance of the apex body of this international university for its progress and future development. He further sought continued support from the GB Members for the University to accomplish its defined objectives. Prof. Senthil Venugopal, Acting Vice President, also attended the meeting as a special invitee and presented to the Governing Board a Report on the University’s achievements and activities since the last GB Meeting and elaborated on the future academic plans of the University. Prof. Muhammad Abulaish, Acting Registrar, SAU also attended the meeting as Secretary of the Governing Board, and ensured its seamless organization and overall coordination so that the agenda items could be deliberated and decided.

The Chairperson of the SAU Governing Board, Prof. Dev Raj Adhikari, chaired the two-day meeting. Prof. Adhikari, who is the current Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Nepal in his address to the Board highlighted the role of SAU in facilitating regional cooperation in higher education and research. He also made it a point to thank the previous Governing Board members for their hard work in making SAU a reputable platform for teaching, learning and research in the South Asia region.

His Excellency, Mr. Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of SAARC, attended the meeting as the Chief Guest. He hailed South Asian University as one of the significant accomplishments of SAARC and underlined how the University is contributing to the welfare and improving the quality of life of the peoples of the region through education, as was defined as one of the objectives in its Charter. He further shared his views about how important a potential the University holds to foster socio-economic and cultural collaboration among the South Asian nations.

The Governing Board commended the academic progress and major activities conducted by the University, especially the relocation of the University to the permanent campus in Maidan Garhi, South Delhi. The Board approved the appointment of the next President of SAU. Prof. K. K. Aggarwal from India will be the new regular President of SAU. The Board further endorsed the transfer of Chairmanship of the Governing Board to Pakistan, from Nepal, on the principle of rotation in alphabetical order of the Member Nations. SAU’s budget for 2023-24 and the academic calendar for 2024-25 were also passed by the Board.

Taking note of the necessity to take the expansion plan of the University further, the Board constituted the Academic and Finance Planning Committee. This Committee will look into the Phase II expansion of the University to its full potential with regard to academic and financial aspects as envisaged in the University’s original plan.

The GB members also agreed that regular meetings of the Governing Board, as mandated in the SAU Rules and Regulations, will be convened.

Other esteemed members who attended the meeting included Prof. Dr. Muhammed Alamgir, Chairman (Addl. Charge), University Grants Commission, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Mr. Abdul Motaleb Sorker, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; Mr. Karma Galay, Director General, Department of School Education, Ministry of Education & Skills Development, Thimpu, Bhutan; Dr. Archana Thakur, Joint Secretary, University Grants Commission, New Delhi; Mr. CSR Ram, Joint Secretary (BIMSTEC & SAARC), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; Dr. Maryam Mariya, Minister of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development, Maldives; Dr. Mahamood Shougee, Chancellor of the Maldives National University, Maldives; Ms. Rita Dhital, Joint Secretary, Regional Organization Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kathmandu, Nepal; Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, Executive Director, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, Islamabad; Mr. Umair Ali, Counsellor/ DCM, Embassy of Pakistan, Kathmandu; Senior Professor Sampath Amarathunge, Chairman, University Grants Commission, Colombo, Sri Lanka; Mrs. T. P. Dharmasena, Director General of SAARC, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo, Sri Lanka and Ms. Irosha Cooray, Director, SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu, Nepal.

***

Published on Thursday, 21 December 2023

Eleventh Meeting of the Governing Board of the South Asian University

South Asian University to get Chairman from Pakistan and President from India The South Asian University (SAU) – a flagship project of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) – convened Eleventh Meeting of its Governing Board on 18-19 December 2023 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The Governing Board Members from the Member States, and representatives from the SAARC Secretariat and SAU attended the two-day Meeting in Kathmandu.

H. E. Mr. Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of SAARC, addressed the Inaugural Session of the Meeting as Chief Guest. In his address, Ambassador Sarwar expressed gratitude to the Government of India for hosting the University in New Delhi and facilitating its smooth functioning since its establishment. He thanked the Chairperson of the Governing Board for convening the Meeting and the Members for making it convenient to travel to Kathmandu to attend the Meeting. He also thanked the previous and present Chairpersons and Members of the Governing Board and Office-bearers of the University for their remarkable contributions to bring the University to where it stands today. “One of the objectives of SAARC as outlined in its Charter is to promote welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life. This can best be achieved through education. The establishment of the South Asian University in New Delhi in 2010 is, therefore, considered as one of the significant accomplishments of SAARC,” Ambassador Sarwar asserted. He further said, “As the Centre of Excellence, the University holds great potential to foster socio-economic and cultural collaboration among the South Asian countries.”

Prof. Dev Raj Adhikari, Chairman, University Grants Commission, Nepal, chaired the Meeting. In his opening remarks, Prof. Adhikari welcomed the participants to the Meeting. He appreciated the role of SAU in facilitating regional cooperation in higher education and research. He also thanked the previous Governing Board members for their hard work in making SAU a reputable platform for teaching, learning and research in the South Asia region.

The Governing Board decided to appoint Prof. K. K. Aggarwal from India as the new President of SAU. The Board also agreed to transfer the Chairmanship of the Governing Board to Pakistan, after Nepal, on the principle of rotation in alphabetical order of the Member States, besides endorsing SAU’s budget for 2023-24 and academic calendar for 2024-25.

The Board also reviewed the progress and achievements of SAU since its last Meeting. It appreciated the untiring efforts of the Acting President, Acting Vice President, and Acting Registrar of SAU for their active role in successfully managing the affairs of the University during the transitional period.

As SAARC’s Centre of Excellency, the South Asian University is a unique seat of learning, research and creativity for the citizenry of the region, offering state-of-the-art learning and research facilities with a world-class faculty drawn from within and outside the region. Currently, the University has five Faculties with 7 departments, offering both Masters’ and PhD programmes to around 600 students under the guidance of as many as 55 faculty members. Around 2000 students and research fellows have been educated at the University thus far.

Press Release_SAU 11GB Meeting

***

Published on Tuesday, 23 June 2023

INDIAN EXTERAL AFFAIRS MINISTER (STATE) VISITED SOUTH ASIAN UNIVERSITY NEW CAMPUS

New Delhi: Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, Government of India, visited the new campus of the South Asian University in Maidan Garhi to take stock of the developments. Rudrendra Tandon, Additional Secretary, BIMSTEC and SAARC, Government of India, was also present during the campus visit. The Minister interacted with the university officials led by Prof. Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, Acting President, SAU. A detailed presentation was made to the Minister on various aspects of the campus. Later, the university officials took him round the buildings and facilities. The Minister appreciated the way the campus has developed, and especially mentioned about following the green building norms and zero wastage on rain water harvesting.
The University has initiated the shifting activities from its current Akbar Bhawan campus in Chanakyapuri to this new 100 acre campus, after it received the occupancy certificate last month. The university is starting its formal functioning from the new campus beginning the upcoming semester.
After the Inter-Government Agreement for the establishment of the South Asian University was signed at the 14th SAARC Summit in 2008, the South Asian University Act 2008 was passed by the Indian Parliament, and the University started its first academic session in August 2010 from the Old JNU Campus and shifted to the Akbar Bhawan campus the following year. In 2009, the Government of India allotted a 100 acre plot of land in Maidan Garhi, New Delhi for establishing the permanent Campus. It also provides the funding for the capital establishment of the university, including the campus construction.
The construction of the new SAU campus was carried out under three packages wherein under Package-I, boundary walls were constructed at a cost of INR 2.19 crore in January 2016. The first set of five buildings was taken up under Package-II with a tendered value INR 401.58 crore in June 2016 while seven other buildings and facilities for other services such as water supply, sewers, roads, electricity and utility buildings were taken up under Package-III with a tendered value of INR 588.38 crore.
It may be mentioned that the new campus has bagged the much coveted and highest “Five Star” Griha Rating for its efforts to conserve the environment during the construction and operation stages of the project. The certification is based on a variety of environment-friendly practices followed regarding Site Planning, Water Strategy, Energy Efficiency, Waste Handling Strategy, Social Impact and Transportation Planning.
The university will soon be announcing admission to induct its 14th batch of students. The student composition in this international university comprises scholars from the eight member nations of the SAARC, about half of which come from India while the remaining half are from the rest of the SAARC countries.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

About South Asian University:
South Asian University (SAU) is an international university established, funded and maintained by the governments of the eight member states of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) viz. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAU started its operations from the academic year 2010. The university offers Master’s and PhD programmes in seven areas of studies that include Economics, Computer Science, Biotechnology, International Relations, Legal Studies, Mathematics and Sociology. SAU attracts students from all over South Asia, and its degrees are recognized by all the eight SAARC countries. Many of its graduates have already found employment in the region and some have been offered higher education opportunities in countries beyond South Asia. The university recently shifted to its permanent campus in Maidan Garhi, New Delhi.
For further information, please write to: prahlad@sau.int

***

Published on Tuesday, 23 June 2023

INDIAN EXTERAL AFFAIRS MINISTER (STATE) VISITED SOUTH ASIAN UNIVERSITY NEW CAMPUS

New Delhi: Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, Government of India, visited the new campus of the South Asian University in Maidan Garhi to take stock of the developments. Rudrendra Tandon, Additional Secretary, BIMSTEC and SAARC, Government of India, was also present during the campus visit. The Minister interacted with the university officials led by Prof. Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, Acting President, SAU. A detailed presentation was made to the Minister on various aspects of the campus. Later, the university officials took him round the buildings and facilities. The Minister appreciated the way the campus has developed, and especially mentioned about following the green building norms and zero wastage on rain water harvesting.

The University has initiated the shifting activities from its current Akbar Bhawan campus in Chanakyapuri to this new 100 acre campus, after it received the occupancy certificate last month. The university is starting its formal functioning from the new campus beginning the upcoming semester.

After the Inter-Government Agreement for the establishment of the South Asian University was signed at the 14^th SAARC Summit in 2008, the South Asian University Act 2008 was passed by the Indian Parliament, and the  University started its first academic session in August 2010 from the Old JNU Campus and shifted to the Akbar Bhawan campus the following year. In 2009, the Government of India allotted a 100 acre plot of land in Maidan Garhi, New Delhi for establishing the permanent Campus. It also provides the funding for the capital establishment of the university, including the campus construction.

The construction of the new SAU campus was carried out under three packages wherein under Package-I, boundary walls were constructed at a cost of INR 2.19 crore in January 2016. The first set of five buildings was taken up under Package-II with a tendered value INR 401.58 crore in June 2016 while seven other buildings and facilities for other services such as water supply, sewers, roads, electricity and utility buildings were taken up under Package-III with a tendered value of INR 588.38 crore.

It may be mentioned that the new campus has bagged the much coveted and highest “Five Star” Griha Rating for its efforts to conserve the environment during the construction and operation stages of the project. The certification is based on a variety of environment-friendly practices followed regarding Site Planning, Water Strategy, Energy Efficiency, Waste Handling Strategy, Social Impact and Transportation Planning.

The university will soon be announcing admission to induct its 14^th batch of students. The student composition in this international university comprises scholars from the eight member nations of the SAARC, about half of which come from India while the remaining half are from the rest of the SAARC countries.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

About South Asian University:
South Asian University (SAU) is an international university established, funded and maintained by the governments of the eight member states of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) viz. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAU started its operations from the academic year 2010. The university offers Master’s and PhD programmes in seven areas of studies that include Economics, Computer Science, Biotechnology, International Relations, Legal Studies, Mathematics and Sociology. SAU attracts students from all over South Asia, and its degrees are recognized by all the eight SAARC countries. Many of its graduates have already found employment in the region and some have been offered higher education opportunities in countries beyond South Asia. The university recently shifted to its permanent campus in Maidan Garhi, New Delhi.
For further information, please write to: prahlad@sau.int