Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology
Encyclopedia
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T, Pantnagar University or simply "Pantnagar") is the first agricultural university of India
. It was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru
on 17 November 1960 as the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University (UPAU). Later the name was changed to Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 1972 in memory of the great freedom fighter Govind Ballabh Pant
. The University was declared as the best among all the other State Universities in India, in 1997. The University lies in the campus-town of Pantnagar
in the district of Udham Singh Nagar in the state of Uttarakhand
. The university is regarded as the harbinger of Green Revolution
in India.
recommended setting up rural universities in India on American land-grant
model. Uttar Pradesh
(UP), under chief-ministership of Govind Ballabh Pant
, took the first step and in 1954 invited an Indo- American team headed by Dr K R Damle, the Vice-President of ICAR
, to consider an area around Tarai State farm in Nainital district as a possible site for a rural university. This area was actually a dense forest near Himalayan foothills and the government was using this area to rehabilitate Hindu/ Sikh migrants from West Pakistan, in the aftermath of the partition
. Encouraged by favourable view of the Damle team, two senior government officials- H S Sandhu and A N Jha visited United States to look for collaborations with US Universities. In consultation with University of Illinois dean Dr H W Hannah, the state of UP presented a proposal to the Central government in 1956 for establishing a Land-grant style university. Thereafter, a contract between the Government of India, the Technical Cooperation Mission and few US land grant universities, was signed to promote agricultural education in India. The US universities included the University of Tennessee
, the Ohio State University
, the Kansas State University
, the University of Illinois, the Pennsylvania State University
and the University of Missouri
. The task of mentoring the proposed university in UP was assigned to the University of Illinois which signed a contract in 1959.
, on 17 November 1960. In the early Days, Illinois faculty served the university in designing its education system and putting in place an effective research and extension system. Six to eight Illinois faculty used to stay in Pantnagar at a time serving between 2 and 4 year terms for a period of 12 years. Dr. William Thompson, a team member on site at Pantnagar, shared that it was unusual for the project to start a university in a place with nothing. All buildings and facilities had to be constructed in the jungle there. In 1965, drastic upheaval of the university board of directors, which was spurred by lack of state government support for the institution, caused removal of the entire administrative and governance team of the university. D P Singh was named vice chancellor of the university with complete control over its affairs until a new board of directors was chosen. Under Singh's leadership, many necessary upgrades took place, and the university flourished. The University of Illinois left Pantnagar in 1972, when President Richard Nixon
ordered Americans out of the near east.
The UP Act XI-V of 1958- the founding legislative act was later amended under UP Universities Re-enactment and Amendment Act 1972 and the University was rechristened as Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology keeping in view the contributions of Govind Ballabh Pant
.
Pantnagar is a symbol of successful partnership between India
and the United States
. US greatly influenced the development of the university through its funding of several university programs. Many of the university’s research activities were funded by the Rockefeller Foundation
, the Ford Foundation
, the Indo-U.S. Technical Cooperation Programme, and the United States Agency for International Development
(program Public Law 480). The establishment of this university brought about a revolution in agricultural education, research and extension. It paved the way for setting up of 41 other state agricultural universities in the country.
(HYV) seeds and related technology. The Mexican wheat
varieties, developed by Norman Borlaug
were tested in Pantnagar and locally adaptable selections, like Pantnagar Kalyan Sona and other improved varieties were released for farmers. The university utilized its 16000 acres (64.7 km²) of land to launch one of the largest seed production programs at that time, under the brand name Pantnagar Seeds, which became a household name in rural India. The contribution of the university was recognized by Norman Borlaug
, who described Pantnagar as "Harbinger of Green Revolution
".
is built vertically and has a larger total floor area but occupies a smaller piece of land. Berry College
occupies 28000 acres (113.3 km²) of contiguous land, and Paul Smith's College
occupies 14200 acres (57.5 km²) of land in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, but neither is a university. Duke University
occupies 8709 acres (35.2 km²), but they are not contiguous. The United States Air Force Academy
has a contiguous 18000 acres (72.8 km²) at its disposal, but it is not a university. Dartmouth College
, with a large land grant
, owns more than 50000 acres (202.3 km²),but only 269 acres (109 ha) of those are part of the campus. Stanford University
owns 8183 acres (33.1 km²), which makes it the third largest university in the world, in terms of contiguous area.Sewanee: The University of the South occupies 13000 acres (52.6 km²) in its "Domain", making it largest contiguous university campus.
The university campus is located at a distance of 250 km from Delhi
in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand
. The nearby towns are Rudrapur
(16 km), Haldwani
(25 km) and Nainital (65 km). Two National Highways- NH 87 and Bareilly
- Nainital highway touch the campus. Pantnagar Airport
, operated by Airports Authority of India
is located in the campus, 2.5 km west of main administrative building. Two railway stations of North Eastern Railways
- Pantnagar (IR
Code PBW) and Haldi Road (IR
Code HLDD) are located in the campus at a distance of 4 km (east) and 3 km (west) respectively from administrative building. University shuttle service, local rickshaws
, auto-rickshaws
and matador vans
connect various parts of the campus. Pantnagar is a purely residential university and comprises an independent township in itself. Population
of Pantnagar, prior to establishment of Industrial estate was 35,820 (Census
, 2001). Pantnagar is a part of Pantnagar
- Gadarpur
assembly constituency. The 'Concentric semicircles' or the 'rising sun' plan of the campus-centre was a brainchild of Department of Architecture of Illinois University. Pantnagar is often seen as a small and remote tourist location
of the state is ex-officio Chancellor
of the University and (s)he appoints a Vice-chancellor
(VC), who functions as a full-time Chief executive of the university. The VC chairs a 13-membered Board of Management, which is the highest executive body of the university and oversees primarily financial and administrative matters and also ratifies recommendations of other councils of the university. The other councils are the Academic council, the Research council and the Extension education council. Governor of Uttarakhand
Mrs Margaret Alva is present Chancellor and Dr B S Bisht is present VC of the university.
The university is financed primarily from grant-in-aid of the state government and also through grants received from central government
through ICAR
, besides income from student tution fees, sponsored research, university farm etc. Total allocated budget for the university in the year 2008-2009 stood at Rs 201.194 crores(~ US$ 48 million), which puts Pantnagar among top five SAUs in terms of financial resources. In recognition of its achieved excellence, Pantnagar was selected for a special one time grant of Rs 50 crores, as announced in the Union budget of 2007-2008.
Recently, a high powered central government committee- The Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education(Yashpal Committee, 2009) has recommended converting agricultural universities into general universities encompassing all branches of studies.
and its academic activities are organized through its constituent colleges (faculties),which run large undergraduate (UG)
programs. All Masters
and PhD
students are part of College of Post Graduate Studies, however they have strong association with one of the other colleges as per their academic major
. Distributed among colleges and other units of the university, there are 763 teachers and officers 59 technical personnel, 631 administrative personnel and 1425 class III employees, amounting to a total staff strength of 2878 against a students strength of 2800-3000, which makes teacher taught ratio of about 1:6 and student-staff ratio about 1:1.
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T, Pantnagar University or simply "Pantnagar") is the first agricultural university of India
. It was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru
on 17 November 1960 as the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University (UPAU). Later the name was changed to Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 1972 in memory of the great freedom fighter Govind Ballabh Pant
. The University was declared as the best among all the other State Universities in India, in 1997. The University lies in the campus-town of Pantnagar
in the district of Udham Singh Nagar in the state of Uttarakhand
. The university is regarded as the harbinger of Green Revolution
in India.
recommended setting up rural universities in India on American land-grant
model. Uttar Pradesh
(UP), under chief-ministership of Govind Ballabh Pant
, took the first step and in 1954 invited an Indo- American team headed by Dr K R Damle, the Vice-President of ICAR
, to consider an area around Tarai State farm in Nainital district as a possible site for a rural university. This area was actually a dense forest near Himalayan foothills and the government was using this area to rehabilitate Hindu/ Sikh migrants from West Pakistan, in the aftermath of the partition
. Encouraged by favourable view of the Damle team, two senior government officials- H S Sandhu and A N Jha visited United States to look for collaborations with US Universities. In consultation with University of Illinois dean Dr H W Hannah, the state of UP presented a proposal to the Central government in 1956 for establishing a Land-grant style university. Thereafter, a contract between the Government of India, the Technical Cooperation Mission and few US land grant universities, was signed to promote agricultural education in India. The US universities included the University of Tennessee
, the Ohio State University
, the Kansas State University
, the University of Illinois, the Pennsylvania State University
and the University of Missouri
. The task of mentoring the proposed university in UP was assigned to the University of Illinois which signed a contract in 1959.
The University was dedicated to the Nation by the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru
, on 17 November 1960. In the early Days, Illinois faculty served the university in designing its education system and putting in place an effective research and extension system. Six to eight Illinois faculty used to stay in Pantnagar at a time serving between 2 and 4 year terms for a period of 12 years. Dr. William Thompson, a team member on site at Pantnagar, shared that it was unusual for the project to start a university in a place with nothing. All buildings and facilities had to be constructed in the jungle there. In 1965, drastic upheaval of the university board of directors, which was spurred by lack of state government support for the institution, caused removal of the entire administrative and governance team of the university. D P Singh was named vice chancellor of the university with complete control over its affairs until a new board of directors was chosen. Under Singh's leadership, many necessary upgrades took place, and the university flourished. The University of Illinois left Pantnagar in 1972, when President Richard Nixon
ordered Americans out of the near east.
The UP Act XI-V of 1958- the founding legislative act was later amended under UP Universities Re-enactment and Amendment Act 1972 and the University was rechristened as Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology keeping in view the contributions of Govind Ballabh Pant
.
Pantnagar is a symbol of successful partnership between India
and the United States
. US greatly influenced the development of the university through its funding of several university programs. Many of the university’s research activities were funded by the Rockefeller Foundation
, the Ford Foundation
, the Indo-U.S. Technical Cooperation Programme, and the United States Agency for International Development
(program Public Law 480). The establishment of this university brought about a revolution in agricultural education, research and extension. It paved the way for setting up of 41 other state agricultural universities in the country.
(HYV) seeds and related technology. The Mexican wheat
varieties, developed by Norman Borlaug
were tested in Pantnagar and locally adaptable selections, like Pantnagar Kalyan Sona and other improved varieties were released for farmers. The university utilized its 16000 acres (64.7 km²) of land to launch one of the largest seed production programs at that time, under the brand name Pantnagar Seeds, which became a household name in rural India. The contribution of the university was recognized by Norman Borlaug
, who described Pantnagar as "Harbinger of Green Revolution
".
is built vertically and has a larger total floor area but occupies a smaller piece of land. Berry College
occupies 28000 acres (113.3 km²) of contiguous land, and Paul Smith's College
occupies 14200 acres (57.5 km²) of land in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, but neither is a university. Duke University
occupies 8709 acres (35.2 km²), but they are not contiguous. The United States Air Force Academy
has a contiguous 18000 acres (72.8 km²) at its disposal, but it is not a university. Dartmouth College
, with a large land grant
, owns more than 50000 acres (202.3 km²),but only 269 acres (109 ha) of those are part of the campus. Stanford University
owns 8183 acres (33.1 km²), which makes it the third largest university in the world, in terms of contiguous area.Sewanee: The University of the South occupies 13000 acres (52.6 km²) in its "Domain", making it largest contiguous university campus.
The university campus is located at a distance of 250 km from Delhi
in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand
. The nearby towns are Rudrapur
(16 km), Haldwani
(25 km) and Nainital (65 km). Two National Highways- NH 87 and Bareilly
- Nainital highway touch the campus. Pantnagar Airport
, operated by Airports Authority of India
is located in the campus, 2.5 km west of main administrative building. Two railway stations of North Eastern Railways
- Pantnagar (IR
Code PBW) and Haldi Road (IR
Code HLDD) are located in the campus at a distance of 4 km (east) and 3 km (west) respectively from administrative building. University shuttle service, local rickshaws
, auto-rickshaws
and matador vans
connect various parts of the campus. Pantnagar is a purely residential university and comprises an independent township in itself. Population
of Pantnagar, prior to establishment of Industrial estate was 35,820 (Census
, 2001). Pantnagar is a part of Pantnagar
- Gadarpur
assembly constituency. The 'Concentric semicircles' or the 'rising sun' plan of the campus-centre was a brainchild of Department of Architecture of Illinois University. Pantnagar is often seen as a small and remote tourist location
of the state is ex-officio Chancellor
of the University and (s)he appoints a Vice-chancellor
(VC), who functions as a full-time Chief executive of the university. The VC chairs a 13-membered Board of Management, which is the highest executive body of the university and oversees primarily financial and administrative matters and also ratifies recommendations of other councils of the university. The other councils are the Academic council, the Research council and the Extension education council. Governor of Uttarakhand
Mrs Margaret Alva is present Chancellor and Dr B S Bisht is present VC of the university.
The university is financed primarily from grant-in-aid of the state government and also through grants received from central government
through ICAR
, besides income from student tution fees, sponsored research, university farm etc. Total allocated budget for the university in the year 2008-2009 stood at Rs 201.194 crores(~ US$ 48 million), which puts Pantnagar among top five SAUs in terms of financial resources. In recognition of its achieved excellence, Pantnagar was selected for a special one time grant of Rs 50 crores, as announced in the Union budget of 2007-2008.
Recently, a high powered central government committee- The Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education(Yashpal Committee, 2009) has recommended converting agricultural universities into general universities encompassing all branches of studies.
and its academic activities are organized through its constituent colleges (faculties),which run large undergraduate (UG)
programs. All Masters
and PhD
students are part of College of Post Graduate Studies, however they have strong association with one of the other colleges as per their academic major
. Distributed among colleges and other units of the university, there are 763 teachers and officers 59 technical personnel, 631 administrative personnel and 1425 class III employees, amounting to a total staff strength of 2878 against a students strength of 2800-3000, which makes teacher taught ratio of about 1:6 and student-staff ratio about 1:1.
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T, Pantnagar University or simply "Pantnagar") is the first agricultural university of India
. It was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru
on 17 November 1960 as the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University (UPAU). Later the name was changed to Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 1972 in memory of the great freedom fighter Govind Ballabh Pant
. The University was declared as the best among all the other State Universities in India, in 1997. The University lies in the campus-town of Pantnagar
in the district of Udham Singh Nagar in the state of Uttarakhand
. The university is regarded as the harbinger of Green Revolution
in India.
recommended setting up rural universities in India on American land-grant
model. Uttar Pradesh
(UP), under chief-ministership of Govind Ballabh Pant
, took the first step and in 1954 invited an Indo- American team headed by Dr K R Damle, the Vice-President of ICAR
, to consider an area around Tarai State farm in Nainital district as a possible site for a rural university. This area was actually a dense forest near Himalayan foothills and the government was using this area to rehabilitate Hindu/ Sikh migrants from West Pakistan, in the aftermath of the partition
. Encouraged by favourable view of the Damle team, two senior government officials- H S Sandhu and A N Jha visited United States to look for collaborations with US Universities. In consultation with University of Illinois dean Dr H W Hannah, the state of UP presented a proposal to the Central government in 1956 for establishing a Land-grant style university. Thereafter, a contract between the Government of India, the Technical Cooperation Mission and few US land grant universities, was signed to promote agricultural education in India. The US universities included the University of Tennessee
, the Ohio State University
, the Kansas State University
, the University of Illinois, the Pennsylvania State University
and the University of Missouri
. The task of mentoring the proposed university in UP was assigned to the University of Illinois which signed a contract in 1959.
The University was dedicated to the Nation by the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru
, on 17 November 1960. In the early Days, Illinois faculty served the university in designing its education system and putting in place an effective research and extension system. Six to eight Illinois faculty used to stay in Pantnagar at a time serving between 2 and 4 year terms for a period of 12 years. Dr. William Thompson, a team member on site at Pantnagar, shared that it was unusual for the project to start a university in a place with nothing. All buildings and facilities had to be constructed in the jungle there. In 1965, drastic upheaval of the university board of directors, which was spurred by lack of state government support for the institution, caused removal of the entire administrative and governance team of the university. D P Singh was named vice chancellor of the university with complete control over its affairs until a new board of directors was chosen. Under Singh's leadership, many necessary upgrades took place, and the university flourished. The University of Illinois left Pantnagar in 1972, when President Richard Nixon
ordered Americans out of the near east.
The UP Act XI-V of 1958- the founding legislative act was later amended under UP Universities Re-enactment and Amendment Act 1972 and the University was rechristened as Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology keeping in view the contributions of Govind Ballabh Pant
.
Pantnagar is a symbol of successful partnership between India
and the United States
. US greatly influenced the development of the university through its funding of several university programs. Many of the university’s research activities were funded by the Rockefeller Foundation
, the Ford Foundation
, the Indo-U.S. Technical Cooperation Programme, and the United States Agency for International Development
(program Public Law 480). The establishment of this university brought about a revolution in agricultural education, research and extension. It paved the way for setting up of 41 other state agricultural universities in the country.
(HYV) seeds and related technology. The Mexican wheat
varieties, developed by Norman Borlaug
were tested in Pantnagar and locally adaptable selections, like Pantnagar Kalyan Sona and other improved varieties were released for farmers. The university utilized its 16000 acres (64.7 km²) of land to launch one of the largest seed production programs at that time, under the brand name Pantnagar Seeds, which became a household name in rural India. The contribution of the university was recognized by Norman Borlaug
, who described Pantnagar as "Harbinger of Green Revolution
".
is built vertically and has a larger total floor area but occupies a smaller piece of land. Berry College
occupies 28000 acres (113.3 km²) of contiguous land, and Paul Smith's College
occupies 14200 acres (57.5 km²) of land in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, but neither is a university. Duke University
occupies 8709 acres (35.2 km²), but they are not contiguous. The United States Air Force Academy
has a contiguous 18000 acres (72.8 km²) at its disposal, but it is not a university. Dartmouth College
, with a large land grant
, owns more than 50000 acres (202.3 km²),but only 269 acres (109 ha) of those are part of the campus. Stanford University
owns 8183 acres (33.1 km²), which makes it the third largest university in the world, in terms of contiguous area.Sewanee: The University of the South occupies 13000 acres (52.6 km²) in its "Domain", making it largest contiguous university campus.
The university campus is located at a distance of 250 km from Delhi
in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand
. The nearby towns are Rudrapur
(16 km), Haldwani
(25 km) and Nainital (65 km). Two National Highways- NH 87 and Bareilly
- Nainital highway touch the campus. Pantnagar Airport
, operated by Airports Authority of India
is located in the campus, 2.5 km west of main administrative building. Two railway stations of North Eastern Railways
- Pantnagar (IR
Code PBW) and Haldi Road (IR
Code HLDD) are located in the campus at a distance of 4 km (east) and 3 km (west) respectively from administrative building. University shuttle service, local rickshaws
, auto-rickshaws
and matador vans
connect various parts of the campus. Pantnagar is a purely residential university and comprises an independent township in itself. Population
of Pantnagar, prior to establishment of Industrial estate was 35,820 (Census
, 2001). Pantnagar is a part of Pantnagar
- Gadarpur
assembly constituency. The 'Concentric semicircles' or the 'rising sun' plan of the campus-centre was a brainchild of Department of Architecture of Illinois University. Pantnagar is often seen as a small and remote tourist location
of the state is ex-officio Chancellor
of the University and (s)he appoints a Vice-chancellor
(VC), who functions as a full-time Chief executive of the university. The VC chairs a 13-membered Board of Management, which is the highest executive body of the university and oversees primarily financial and administrative matters and also ratifies recommendations of other councils of the university. The other councils are the Academic council, the Research council and the Extension education council. Governor of Uttarakhand
Mrs Margaret Alva is present Chancellor and Dr B S Bisht is present VC of the university.
The university is financed primarily from grant-in-aid of the state government and also through grants received from central government
through ICAR
, besides income from student tution fees, sponsored research, university farm etc. Total allocated budget for the university in the year 2008-2009 stood at Rs 201.194 crores(~ US$ 48 million), which puts Pantnagar among top five SAUs in terms of financial resources. In recognition of its achieved excellence, Pantnagar was selected for a special one time grant of Rs 50 crores, as announced in the Union budget of 2007-2008.
Recently, a high powered central government committee- The Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education(Yashpal Committee, 2009) has recommended converting agricultural universities into general universities encompassing all branches of studies.
and its academic activities are organized through its constituent colleges (faculties),which run large undergraduate (UG)
programs. All Masters
and PhD
students are part of College of Post Graduate Studies, however they have strong association with one of the other colleges as per their academic major
. Distributed among colleges and other units of the university, there are 763 teachers and officers 59 technical personnel, 631 administrative personnel and 1425 class III employees, amounting to a total staff strength of 2878 against a students strength of 2800-3000, which makes teacher taught ratio of about 1:6 and student-staff ratio about 1:1.
to a semester
system in the 1980s to reduce the workload on students. There are 200-210 net instructional days per year, which is highest in India. The minimum duration of all UG programs of the university is 8 semesters (4 years), except BVSc&AH
(10 semesters, 5 year). All the UG programs are infused with extensive practical training and include one semester of compulsory internship/ work experience
. All Masters programs
are of 4 semester (2 years), except MCA
(6 semester/ 3 years). Normal duration for PhD
is 6 semesters. The university follows a credit based GPA system for evaluation. In 1998, it shifted from the US style 5-point and letter grade system to a 10 point GPA based system, for easy conversion to percentages, which are more commonly used in India.
The university follows 100% internal evaluation on continuous basis. A course has typically 2 pre-final exams (popularly called as "hourlies"), 1 lab final exam and 1 semester-end final exam, totaling 4 evaluation cycles per semester. Typically, a UG student registers for 8 courses in a semester, leading to 8*4= 32 exams i.e. on an average basis, 1 exam on every fourth working day. Since its inception, Pantnagar University is known for its academic rigor for keeping its students always busy.
Research is coordinated by a Directorate of Experiment Station and carried out through 70 subject-matter departments spread across colleges, 14 specialized research centres located in the campus, 7 dedicated off-campus research stations and 10 off-campus horticultural research-cum-extension centres. So far, the university has released 211 varieties
, many of which played important role in Green Revolution
. The work of the university in introducing soybean
as a crop in India is well known. As Uttarakhand
has been declared an 'Organic state', the present thrust of research is on Organic farming
and Biological pest control
. The university has developed a pregnancy
diagnostic kit for cattle and its Salmonellosis
vaccine
for poultry
is in advanced trials. In 1991, engineers of the university developed a 'Zero-till Ferti seed drill' for No-till farming
along with NATIONAL AGRO INDUSTRIES Ludhiana Punjab, which has been immensely popular in Haryana
, Punjab
and other areas of Indo-gangetic plains. CIMMYT/CGIAR has described zero tillage technology based on the Pantnagar seed drill
as the most widely adopted resource conserving technology in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, till date.
is one of the three mandates of the university. University organizes informal continuing education
programs for rural
people for achieving better diffusion of innovation. The university reaches out to a wider clientele through short term training programs at its campuses, Farmer Field Schools, Participatory technology development
programs, radio
and television
broadcast, community radio
based narrowcasting
, print media, Farmer's fairs, and other innovative communication technologies. The university maintains a State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute and a network of 11 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Farm Science Centres,KVKs) located in various districts.
. Hostel
accommodation is compulsory for every student, except for the wards of university employees who live in the campus. In Pantnagar campus,there are 23 hostels (called as 'Bhawans'), including 7 for girls, 2 for married couples and 1 for working women. The older hostels are named after important personalities of India- Gandhi, Subhas, Nehru, Shastri
, Pant
, Patel
, Tagore
, Sarojini
, Kasturba
, Visvesvarayya, Chittaranjan
(I and II) and Vivekananda with one exception of a hostel named 'Silver Jublee'
, which commemorates 25 years of the university. The names of newly constructed ones are inspired from geography of Uttarakhand- Gangotri, Yamunotri
, Shivalik
, Mandakini
, Bhagirathi, Alaknanda
etc.,with an exception of a newly opened hostel named 'Golden Jublee'
, commemorating 50 years of the university. Most of older hostels are located along the 'third arc' as per the original 'concentric semicircles' campus plan,while newer ones are located on radial roads or other parts of the campus. There are two guest houses- Lambert's Square and International Guest House, which also has a hostel wing for foreign students and an attached Farmer's Hostel. The hostels have student managed or in few cases, outsourced Cafeteria
style food services. All the faculty members and employees of the university stay in bungalows and apartments located in various parts of the campus.
regularly organizes classical music
and dance concerts by renowned artistes.CHETNA student wing works for upliftment of poor children in the campus. The university National Cadet Corps (NCC)
chapter organizes basic military training and adventure sports for student-cadets. The Remount & Veterinary (R&V) core is a Cavalry
regiment of NCC
operating in the university, which trains students for professional Equestrianism
(horse riding). Pantnagar is among very few universities in India to have a full fledged Air Squadron under NCC
Air Wing, which promotes aviation and airmanship among students through its activities organized in the airport
located within the university campus. All the undergraduate students of Pantnagar take part in community service
, which fetches them 2 credits towards their degrees in form of a mandatory NSS
course involving 240 hours/ 10 days of social service. Students also take part in various Liberal education
courses offered by the university like dance
, music
, yoga
, Indian cultural heritage, personality development
, English vocabulary
, Indian languages (Tamil
, Punjabi
), foreign languages (French
, German
) etc. Stevenson stadium is the hub of sports activities, which are organized through 17 sport clubs
functioning in the university.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
on 17 November 1960 as the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University (UPAU). Later the name was changed to Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 1972 in memory of the great freedom fighter Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
. The University was declared as the best among all the other State Universities in India, in 1997. The University lies in the campus-town of Pantnagar
Pantnagar
Pantnagar is a town and a University campus in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand. Nainital, Rudrapur and Kiccha, Haldwani are the major cities surrounding Pantnagar....
in the district of Udham Singh Nagar in the state of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. The university is regarded as the harbinger of Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
in India.
Pre-establishment groundwork (1949–1959)
The first Education Commission of India (1949) headed by Sarvepalli RadhakrishnanSarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , OM, FBA was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was the first Vice President of India and subsequently the second President of India ....
recommended setting up rural universities in India on American land-grant
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
model. Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
(UP), under chief-ministership of Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
, took the first step and in 1954 invited an Indo- American team headed by Dr K R Damle, the Vice-President of ICAR
Icar
Icar is a free science fiction role-playing game designed and published by Rob Lang. Icar was first created in 1990 by Robert Lang by viewing others playing RPGs at the Finchley Games Club. Although most of the content is created by Robert Lang, the game is supported by a close knit team of play...
, to consider an area around Tarai State farm in Nainital district as a possible site for a rural university. This area was actually a dense forest near Himalayan foothills and the government was using this area to rehabilitate Hindu/ Sikh migrants from West Pakistan, in the aftermath of the partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. Encouraged by favourable view of the Damle team, two senior government officials- H S Sandhu and A N Jha visited United States to look for collaborations with US Universities. In consultation with University of Illinois dean Dr H W Hannah, the state of UP presented a proposal to the Central government in 1956 for establishing a Land-grant style university. Thereafter, a contract between the Government of India, the Technical Cooperation Mission and few US land grant universities, was signed to promote agricultural education in India. The US universities included the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, the Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, the University of Illinois, the Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
and the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. The task of mentoring the proposed university in UP was assigned to the University of Illinois which signed a contract in 1959.
Initial years and development (1960–1972)
The University was dedicated to the Nation by the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, on 17 November 1960. In the early Days, Illinois faculty served the university in designing its education system and putting in place an effective research and extension system. Six to eight Illinois faculty used to stay in Pantnagar at a time serving between 2 and 4 year terms for a period of 12 years. Dr. William Thompson, a team member on site at Pantnagar, shared that it was unusual for the project to start a university in a place with nothing. All buildings and facilities had to be constructed in the jungle there. In 1965, drastic upheaval of the university board of directors, which was spurred by lack of state government support for the institution, caused removal of the entire administrative and governance team of the university. D P Singh was named vice chancellor of the university with complete control over its affairs until a new board of directors was chosen. Under Singh's leadership, many necessary upgrades took place, and the university flourished. The University of Illinois left Pantnagar in 1972, when President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
ordered Americans out of the near east.
The UP Act XI-V of 1958- the founding legislative act was later amended under UP Universities Re-enactment and Amendment Act 1972 and the University was rechristened as Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology keeping in view the contributions of Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
.
Pantnagar is a symbol of successful partnership between India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. US greatly influenced the development of the university through its funding of several university programs. Many of the university’s research activities were funded by the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, the Indo-U.S. Technical Cooperation Programme, and the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
(program Public Law 480). The establishment of this university brought about a revolution in agricultural education, research and extension. It paved the way for setting up of 41 other state agricultural universities in the country.
Role in ushering Green Revolution
Pantnagar University soon became a significant force in the development and transfer of High Yielding VarietyHigh yielding variety
High-yielding varieties are any of a group of genetically enhanced cultivars of crops such as rice, maize and wheat that have an increased growth rate, an increased percentage of usable plant parts or an increased resistance against crop diseases....
(HYV) seeds and related technology. The Mexican wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
varieties, developed by Norman Borlaug
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...
were tested in Pantnagar and locally adaptable selections, like Pantnagar Kalyan Sona and other improved varieties were released for farmers. The university utilized its 16000 acres (64.7 km²) of land to launch one of the largest seed production programs at that time, under the brand name Pantnagar Seeds, which became a household name in rural India. The contribution of the university was recognized by Norman Borlaug
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...
, who described Pantnagar as "Harbinger of Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
".
Campus
The University campus at Pantnagar is spread in an area of 12661 acres (51.2 km²) which makes it the second largest university in the world, in terms of contiguous area. Before 2002, the university owned16000 acres (64.7 km²), out of which 3339 acres (13.5 km²) was transferred to State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand (SIDCUL) for developing an Integrated Industrial estate, thus leaving present 12661 acres (51.2 km²) with the university . Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
is built vertically and has a larger total floor area but occupies a smaller piece of land. Berry College
Berry College
Berry College is an American accredited, private, four-year liberal arts college located in Mount Berry, unincorporated Floyd County, Georgia, north of Rome. It was founded in 1902 by Martha Berry.-Location:Berry College is located on U.S...
occupies 28000 acres (113.3 km²) of contiguous land, and Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College is a private college and is the only four year institution of higher education located within the boundary of the Adirondack State Park in Upstate New York...
occupies 14200 acres (57.5 km²) of land in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, but neither is a university. Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
occupies 8709 acres (35.2 km²), but they are not contiguous. The United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
has a contiguous 18000 acres (72.8 km²) at its disposal, but it is not a university. Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, with a large land grant
Second College Grant, New Hampshire
Second College Grant is a township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The area of this township is owned and controlled by Dartmouth College. As of the 2010 census, the grant had a total population of 0....
, owns more than 50000 acres (202.3 km²),but only 269 acres (109 ha) of those are part of the campus. Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
owns 8183 acres (33.1 km²), which makes it the third largest university in the world, in terms of contiguous area.Sewanee: The University of the South occupies 13000 acres (52.6 km²) in its "Domain", making it largest contiguous university campus.
The university campus is located at a distance of 250 km from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. The nearby towns are Rudrapur
Rudrapur
Rudrapur is a city and a municipal board in Udham Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.It comes under one of the most fertile ares of India,i.e...
(16 km), Haldwani
Haldwani
Haldwani is a city, which along with its twin township of Kathgodam forms the Haldwani-Kathgodam municipal board in Nainital District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand....
(25 km) and Nainital (65 km). Two National Highways- NH 87 and Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
- Nainital highway touch the campus. Pantnagar Airport
Pantnagar Airport
Pantnagar Airport is a domestic airport that serves the town of Pantnagar in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand that is operated by the Airports Authority of India. The airstrip was able to accommodate only small aircraft until 2008, when the length of the runway was increased to 4,500 feet to...
, operated by Airports Authority of India
Airports Authority of India
The Airports Authority of India is an organization working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation that manages most of the airports in India. The AAI manages and operates 126 airports including 16 international airports, 89 domestic airports and 26 civil enclaves. The corporate headquarters are at...
is located in the campus, 2.5 km west of main administrative building. Two railway stations of North Eastern Railways
North Eastern Railway (India)
The North Eastern Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Gorakhpur and comprises Lucknow and Varanasi divisions as well as reorganized Izzatnagar division....
- Pantnagar (IR
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
Code PBW) and Haldi Road (IR
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
Code HLDD) are located in the campus at a distance of 4 km (east) and 3 km (west) respectively from administrative building. University shuttle service, local rickshaws
Cycle rickshaw
The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport; it is also known by a variety of other names such as velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab, cyclo, becak, trisikad, or trishaw or, simply, rickshaw which also refers to auto rickshaws, and the, now uncommon, rickshaws pulled by a person on foot...
, auto-rickshaws
Auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw or three-wheeler is a usually three-wheeled cabin cycle for private use and as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw...
and matador vans
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
connect various parts of the campus. Pantnagar is a purely residential university and comprises an independent township in itself. Population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Pantnagar, prior to establishment of Industrial estate was 35,820 (Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, 2001). Pantnagar is a part of Pantnagar
Pantnagar
Pantnagar is a town and a University campus in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand. Nainital, Rudrapur and Kiccha, Haldwani are the major cities surrounding Pantnagar....
- Gadarpur
Gadarpur
Gadarpur is a city and a municipal board in Udham Singh Nagar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India.-Demographics: India census, Gadarpur had a population of 13,638. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Gadarpur has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national...
assembly constituency. The 'Concentric semicircles' or the 'rising sun' plan of the campus-centre was a brainchild of Department of Architecture of Illinois University. Pantnagar is often seen as a small and remote tourist location
Administration and Organization
In the Indian higher education system, Pantnagar is classified as a State Agricultural University (SAU). The university is in the jurisdiction of the state government. The GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the state is ex-officio Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the University and (s)he appoints a Vice-chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
(VC), who functions as a full-time Chief executive of the university. The VC chairs a 13-membered Board of Management, which is the highest executive body of the university and oversees primarily financial and administrative matters and also ratifies recommendations of other councils of the university. The other councils are the Academic council, the Research council and the Extension education council. Governor of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
Mrs Margaret Alva is present Chancellor and Dr B S Bisht is present VC of the university.
| State | ICAR | Other sources | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-2006 | 91.365 (84.570) | 26.970 (22.735) | 24.286 (24.653) | 142.621 (131.958) |
| 2006-2007 | 105.068 (94.016) | 28.331 (29.502) | 11.467 (13.833) | 144.866 (137.351) |
| 2007-2008 | 120.596 (115.990) | 46.012 (47.302) | 18.028 (11.166) | 184.636 (174.458) |
| 2008-2009 | 144.416 (138.925) | 37.066 (36.274) | 19.712 (15.458) | 201.194 (190.657) |
| 2009-2010 | 127.259 (143.556) | 29.866 (29.438) | 12.053 (10.330) | 169.178 (183.324) |
The university is financed primarily from grant-in-aid of the state government and also through grants received from central government
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
through ICAR
Icar
Icar is a free science fiction role-playing game designed and published by Rob Lang. Icar was first created in 1990 by Robert Lang by viewing others playing RPGs at the Finchley Games Club. Although most of the content is created by Robert Lang, the game is supported by a close knit team of play...
, besides income from student tution fees, sponsored research, university farm etc. Total allocated budget for the university in the year 2008-2009 stood at Rs 201.194 crores(~ US$ 48 million), which puts Pantnagar among top five SAUs in terms of financial resources. In recognition of its achieved excellence, Pantnagar was selected for a special one time grant of Rs 50 crores, as announced in the Union budget of 2007-2008.
Recently, a high powered central government committee- The Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education(Yashpal Committee, 2009) has recommended converting agricultural universities into general universities encompassing all branches of studies.
Colleges
Pantnagar is a non-affiliating universityAffiliating university
An affiliating university is one that sets courses of study, conducts examinations, and awards educational credentials, but leaves the chore of undergraduate instruction to an array of colleges; the affiliation, then, is between university and college....
and its academic activities are organized through its constituent colleges (faculties),which run large undergraduate (UG)
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
programs. All Masters
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
students are part of College of Post Graduate Studies, however they have strong association with one of the other colleges as per their academic major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
. Distributed among colleges and other units of the university, there are 763 teachers and officers 59 technical personnel, 631 administrative personnel and 1425 class III employees, amounting to a total staff strength of 2878 against a students strength of 2800-3000, which makes teacher taught ratio of about 1:6 and student-staff ratio about 1:1.
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T, Pantnagar University or simply "Pantnagar") is the first agricultural university of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
on 17 November 1960 as the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University (UPAU). Later the name was changed to Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 1972 in memory of the great freedom fighter Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
. The University was declared as the best among all the other State Universities in India, in 1997. The University lies in the campus-town of Pantnagar
Pantnagar
Pantnagar is a town and a University campus in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand. Nainital, Rudrapur and Kiccha, Haldwani are the major cities surrounding Pantnagar....
in the district of Udham Singh Nagar in the state of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. The university is regarded as the harbinger of Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
in India.
Pre-establishment groundwork (1949–1959)
The first Education Commission of India (1949) headed by Sarvepalli RadhakrishnanSarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , OM, FBA was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was the first Vice President of India and subsequently the second President of India ....
recommended setting up rural universities in India on American land-grant
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
model. Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
(UP), under chief-ministership of Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
, took the first step and in 1954 invited an Indo- American team headed by Dr K R Damle, the Vice-President of ICAR
Icar
Icar is a free science fiction role-playing game designed and published by Rob Lang. Icar was first created in 1990 by Robert Lang by viewing others playing RPGs at the Finchley Games Club. Although most of the content is created by Robert Lang, the game is supported by a close knit team of play...
, to consider an area around Tarai State farm in Nainital district as a possible site for a rural university. This area was actually a dense forest near Himalayan foothills and the government was using this area to rehabilitate Hindu/ Sikh migrants from West Pakistan, in the aftermath of the partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. Encouraged by favourable view of the Damle team, two senior government officials- H S Sandhu and A N Jha visited United States to look for collaborations with US Universities. In consultation with University of Illinois dean Dr H W Hannah, the state of UP presented a proposal to the Central government in 1956 for establishing a Land-grant style university. Thereafter, a contract between the Government of India, the Technical Cooperation Mission and few US land grant universities, was signed to promote agricultural education in India. The US universities included the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, the Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, the University of Illinois, the Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
and the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. The task of mentoring the proposed university in UP was assigned to the University of Illinois which signed a contract in 1959.
Initial years and development (1960–1972)
The University was dedicated to the Nation by the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, on 17 November 1960. In the early Days, Illinois faculty served the university in designing its education system and putting in place an effective research and extension system. Six to eight Illinois faculty used to stay in Pantnagar at a time serving between 2 and 4 year terms for a period of 12 years. Dr. William Thompson, a team member on site at Pantnagar, shared that it was unusual for the project to start a university in a place with nothing. All buildings and facilities had to be constructed in the jungle there. In 1965, drastic upheaval of the university board of directors, which was spurred by lack of state government support for the institution, caused removal of the entire administrative and governance team of the university. D P Singh was named vice chancellor of the university with complete control over its affairs until a new board of directors was chosen. Under Singh's leadership, many necessary upgrades took place, and the university flourished. The University of Illinois left Pantnagar in 1972, when President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
ordered Americans out of the near east.
The UP Act XI-V of 1958- the founding legislative act was later amended under UP Universities Re-enactment and Amendment Act 1972 and the University was rechristened as Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology keeping in view the contributions of Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
.
Pantnagar is a symbol of successful partnership between India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. US greatly influenced the development of the university through its funding of several university programs. Many of the university’s research activities were funded by the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, the Indo-U.S. Technical Cooperation Programme, and the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
(program Public Law 480). The establishment of this university brought about a revolution in agricultural education, research and extension. It paved the way for setting up of 41 other state agricultural universities in the country.
Role in ushering Green Revolution
Pantnagar University soon became a significant force in the development and transfer of High Yielding VarietyHigh yielding variety
High-yielding varieties are any of a group of genetically enhanced cultivars of crops such as rice, maize and wheat that have an increased growth rate, an increased percentage of usable plant parts or an increased resistance against crop diseases....
(HYV) seeds and related technology. The Mexican wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
varieties, developed by Norman Borlaug
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...
were tested in Pantnagar and locally adaptable selections, like Pantnagar Kalyan Sona and other improved varieties were released for farmers. The university utilized its 16000 acres (64.7 km²) of land to launch one of the largest seed production programs at that time, under the brand name Pantnagar Seeds, which became a household name in rural India. The contribution of the university was recognized by Norman Borlaug
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...
, who described Pantnagar as "Harbinger of Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
".
Campus
The University campus at Pantnagar is spread in an area of 12661 acres (51.2 km²) which makes it the second largest university in the world, in terms of contiguous area. Before 2002, the university owned16000 acres (64.7 km²), out of which 3339 acres (13.5 km²) was transferred to State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand (SIDCUL) for developing an Integrated Industrial estate, thus leaving present 12661 acres (51.2 km²) with the university . Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
is built vertically and has a larger total floor area but occupies a smaller piece of land. Berry College
Berry College
Berry College is an American accredited, private, four-year liberal arts college located in Mount Berry, unincorporated Floyd County, Georgia, north of Rome. It was founded in 1902 by Martha Berry.-Location:Berry College is located on U.S...
occupies 28000 acres (113.3 km²) of contiguous land, and Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College is a private college and is the only four year institution of higher education located within the boundary of the Adirondack State Park in Upstate New York...
occupies 14200 acres (57.5 km²) of land in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, but neither is a university. Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
occupies 8709 acres (35.2 km²), but they are not contiguous. The United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
has a contiguous 18000 acres (72.8 km²) at its disposal, but it is not a university. Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, with a large land grant
Second College Grant, New Hampshire
Second College Grant is a township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The area of this township is owned and controlled by Dartmouth College. As of the 2010 census, the grant had a total population of 0....
, owns more than 50000 acres (202.3 km²),but only 269 acres (109 ha) of those are part of the campus. Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
owns 8183 acres (33.1 km²), which makes it the third largest university in the world, in terms of contiguous area.Sewanee: The University of the South occupies 13000 acres (52.6 km²) in its "Domain", making it largest contiguous university campus.
The university campus is located at a distance of 250 km from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. The nearby towns are Rudrapur
Rudrapur
Rudrapur is a city and a municipal board in Udham Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.It comes under one of the most fertile ares of India,i.e...
(16 km), Haldwani
Haldwani
Haldwani is a city, which along with its twin township of Kathgodam forms the Haldwani-Kathgodam municipal board in Nainital District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand....
(25 km) and Nainital (65 km). Two National Highways- NH 87 and Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
- Nainital highway touch the campus. Pantnagar Airport
Pantnagar Airport
Pantnagar Airport is a domestic airport that serves the town of Pantnagar in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand that is operated by the Airports Authority of India. The airstrip was able to accommodate only small aircraft until 2008, when the length of the runway was increased to 4,500 feet to...
, operated by Airports Authority of India
Airports Authority of India
The Airports Authority of India is an organization working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation that manages most of the airports in India. The AAI manages and operates 126 airports including 16 international airports, 89 domestic airports and 26 civil enclaves. The corporate headquarters are at...
is located in the campus, 2.5 km west of main administrative building. Two railway stations of North Eastern Railways
North Eastern Railway (India)
The North Eastern Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Gorakhpur and comprises Lucknow and Varanasi divisions as well as reorganized Izzatnagar division....
- Pantnagar (IR
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
Code PBW) and Haldi Road (IR
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
Code HLDD) are located in the campus at a distance of 4 km (east) and 3 km (west) respectively from administrative building. University shuttle service, local rickshaws
Cycle rickshaw
The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport; it is also known by a variety of other names such as velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab, cyclo, becak, trisikad, or trishaw or, simply, rickshaw which also refers to auto rickshaws, and the, now uncommon, rickshaws pulled by a person on foot...
, auto-rickshaws
Auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw or three-wheeler is a usually three-wheeled cabin cycle for private use and as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw...
and matador vans
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
connect various parts of the campus. Pantnagar is a purely residential university and comprises an independent township in itself. Population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Pantnagar, prior to establishment of Industrial estate was 35,820 (Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, 2001). Pantnagar is a part of Pantnagar
Pantnagar
Pantnagar is a town and a University campus in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand. Nainital, Rudrapur and Kiccha, Haldwani are the major cities surrounding Pantnagar....
- Gadarpur
Gadarpur
Gadarpur is a city and a municipal board in Udham Singh Nagar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India.-Demographics: India census, Gadarpur had a population of 13,638. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Gadarpur has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national...
assembly constituency. The 'Concentric semicircles' or the 'rising sun' plan of the campus-centre was a brainchild of Department of Architecture of Illinois University. Pantnagar is often seen as a small and remote tourist location
Administration and Organization
In the Indian higher education system, Pantnagar is classified as a State Agricultural University (SAU). The university is in the jurisdiction of the state government. The GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the state is ex-officio Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the University and (s)he appoints a Vice-chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
(VC), who functions as a full-time Chief executive of the university. The VC chairs a 13-membered Board of Management, which is the highest executive body of the university and oversees primarily financial and administrative matters and also ratifies recommendations of other councils of the university. The other councils are the Academic council, the Research council and the Extension education council. Governor of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
Mrs Margaret Alva is present Chancellor and Dr B S Bisht is present VC of the university.
| State | ICAR | Other sources | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-2006 | 91.365 (84.570) | 26.970 (22.735) | 24.286 (24.653) | 142.621 (131.958) |
| 2006-2007 | 105.068 (94.016) | 28.331 (29.502) | 11.467 (13.833) | 144.866 (137.351) |
| 2007-2008 | 120.596 (115.990) | 46.012 (47.302) | 18.028 (11.166) | 184.636 (174.458) |
| 2008-2009 | 144.416 (138.925) | 37.066 (36.274) | 19.712 (15.458) | 201.194 (190.657) |
| 2009-2010 | 127.259 (143.556) | 29.866 (29.438) | 12.053 (10.330) | 169.178 (183.324) |
The university is financed primarily from grant-in-aid of the state government and also through grants received from central government
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
through ICAR
Icar
Icar is a free science fiction role-playing game designed and published by Rob Lang. Icar was first created in 1990 by Robert Lang by viewing others playing RPGs at the Finchley Games Club. Although most of the content is created by Robert Lang, the game is supported by a close knit team of play...
, besides income from student tution fees, sponsored research, university farm etc. Total allocated budget for the university in the year 2008-2009 stood at Rs 201.194 crores(~ US$ 48 million), which puts Pantnagar among top five SAUs in terms of financial resources. In recognition of its achieved excellence, Pantnagar was selected for a special one time grant of Rs 50 crores, as announced in the Union budget of 2007-2008.
Recently, a high powered central government committee- The Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education(Yashpal Committee, 2009) has recommended converting agricultural universities into general universities encompassing all branches of studies.
Colleges
Pantnagar is a non-affiliating universityAffiliating university
An affiliating university is one that sets courses of study, conducts examinations, and awards educational credentials, but leaves the chore of undergraduate instruction to an array of colleges; the affiliation, then, is between university and college....
and its academic activities are organized through its constituent colleges (faculties),which run large undergraduate (UG)
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
programs. All Masters
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
students are part of College of Post Graduate Studies, however they have strong association with one of the other colleges as per their academic major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
. Distributed among colleges and other units of the university, there are 763 teachers and officers 59 technical personnel, 631 administrative personnel and 1425 class III employees, amounting to a total staff strength of 2878 against a students strength of 2800-3000, which makes teacher taught ratio of about 1:6 and student-staff ratio about 1:1.
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T, Pantnagar University or simply "Pantnagar") is the first agricultural university of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
on 17 November 1960 as the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University (UPAU). Later the name was changed to Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 1972 in memory of the great freedom fighter Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
. The University was declared as the best among all the other State Universities in India, in 1997. The University lies in the campus-town of Pantnagar
Pantnagar
Pantnagar is a town and a University campus in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand. Nainital, Rudrapur and Kiccha, Haldwani are the major cities surrounding Pantnagar....
in the district of Udham Singh Nagar in the state of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. The university is regarded as the harbinger of Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
in India.
Pre-establishment groundwork (1949–1959)
The first Education Commission of India (1949) headed by Sarvepalli RadhakrishnanSarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , OM, FBA was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was the first Vice President of India and subsequently the second President of India ....
recommended setting up rural universities in India on American land-grant
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
model. Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
(UP), under chief-ministership of Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
, took the first step and in 1954 invited an Indo- American team headed by Dr K R Damle, the Vice-President of ICAR
Icar
Icar is a free science fiction role-playing game designed and published by Rob Lang. Icar was first created in 1990 by Robert Lang by viewing others playing RPGs at the Finchley Games Club. Although most of the content is created by Robert Lang, the game is supported by a close knit team of play...
, to consider an area around Tarai State farm in Nainital district as a possible site for a rural university. This area was actually a dense forest near Himalayan foothills and the government was using this area to rehabilitate Hindu/ Sikh migrants from West Pakistan, in the aftermath of the partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. Encouraged by favourable view of the Damle team, two senior government officials- H S Sandhu and A N Jha visited United States to look for collaborations with US Universities. In consultation with University of Illinois dean Dr H W Hannah, the state of UP presented a proposal to the Central government in 1956 for establishing a Land-grant style university. Thereafter, a contract between the Government of India, the Technical Cooperation Mission and few US land grant universities, was signed to promote agricultural education in India. The US universities included the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, the Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, the University of Illinois, the Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
and the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. The task of mentoring the proposed university in UP was assigned to the University of Illinois which signed a contract in 1959.
Initial years and development (1960–1972)
The University was dedicated to the Nation by the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, on 17 November 1960. In the early Days, Illinois faculty served the university in designing its education system and putting in place an effective research and extension system. Six to eight Illinois faculty used to stay in Pantnagar at a time serving between 2 and 4 year terms for a period of 12 years. Dr. William Thompson, a team member on site at Pantnagar, shared that it was unusual for the project to start a university in a place with nothing. All buildings and facilities had to be constructed in the jungle there. In 1965, drastic upheaval of the university board of directors, which was spurred by lack of state government support for the institution, caused removal of the entire administrative and governance team of the university. D P Singh was named vice chancellor of the university with complete control over its affairs until a new board of directors was chosen. Under Singh's leadership, many necessary upgrades took place, and the university flourished. The University of Illinois left Pantnagar in 1972, when President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
ordered Americans out of the near east.
The UP Act XI-V of 1958- the founding legislative act was later amended under UP Universities Re-enactment and Amendment Act 1972 and the University was rechristened as Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology keeping in view the contributions of Govind Ballabh Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
.
Pantnagar is a symbol of successful partnership between India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. US greatly influenced the development of the university through its funding of several university programs. Many of the university’s research activities were funded by the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, the Indo-U.S. Technical Cooperation Programme, and the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
(program Public Law 480). The establishment of this university brought about a revolution in agricultural education, research and extension. It paved the way for setting up of 41 other state agricultural universities in the country.
Role in ushering Green Revolution
Pantnagar University soon became a significant force in the development and transfer of High Yielding VarietyHigh yielding variety
High-yielding varieties are any of a group of genetically enhanced cultivars of crops such as rice, maize and wheat that have an increased growth rate, an increased percentage of usable plant parts or an increased resistance against crop diseases....
(HYV) seeds and related technology. The Mexican wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
varieties, developed by Norman Borlaug
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...
were tested in Pantnagar and locally adaptable selections, like Pantnagar Kalyan Sona and other improved varieties were released for farmers. The university utilized its 16000 acres (64.7 km²) of land to launch one of the largest seed production programs at that time, under the brand name Pantnagar Seeds, which became a household name in rural India. The contribution of the university was recognized by Norman Borlaug
Norman Borlaug
Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...
, who described Pantnagar as "Harbinger of Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
".
Campus
The University campus at Pantnagar is spread in an area of 12661 acres (51.2 km²) which makes it the second largest university in the world, in terms of contiguous area. Before 2002, the university owned16000 acres (64.7 km²), out of which 3339 acres (13.5 km²) was transferred to State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand (SIDCUL) for developing an Integrated Industrial estate, thus leaving present 12661 acres (51.2 km²) with the university . Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
is built vertically and has a larger total floor area but occupies a smaller piece of land. Berry College
Berry College
Berry College is an American accredited, private, four-year liberal arts college located in Mount Berry, unincorporated Floyd County, Georgia, north of Rome. It was founded in 1902 by Martha Berry.-Location:Berry College is located on U.S...
occupies 28000 acres (113.3 km²) of contiguous land, and Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College is a private college and is the only four year institution of higher education located within the boundary of the Adirondack State Park in Upstate New York...
occupies 14200 acres (57.5 km²) of land in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, but neither is a university. Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
occupies 8709 acres (35.2 km²), but they are not contiguous. The United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
has a contiguous 18000 acres (72.8 km²) at its disposal, but it is not a university. Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, with a large land grant
Second College Grant, New Hampshire
Second College Grant is a township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The area of this township is owned and controlled by Dartmouth College. As of the 2010 census, the grant had a total population of 0....
, owns more than 50000 acres (202.3 km²),but only 269 acres (109 ha) of those are part of the campus. Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
owns 8183 acres (33.1 km²), which makes it the third largest university in the world, in terms of contiguous area.Sewanee: The University of the South occupies 13000 acres (52.6 km²) in its "Domain", making it largest contiguous university campus.
The university campus is located at a distance of 250 km from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. The nearby towns are Rudrapur
Rudrapur
Rudrapur is a city and a municipal board in Udham Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.It comes under one of the most fertile ares of India,i.e...
(16 km), Haldwani
Haldwani
Haldwani is a city, which along with its twin township of Kathgodam forms the Haldwani-Kathgodam municipal board in Nainital District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand....
(25 km) and Nainital (65 km). Two National Highways- NH 87 and Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
- Nainital highway touch the campus. Pantnagar Airport
Pantnagar Airport
Pantnagar Airport is a domestic airport that serves the town of Pantnagar in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand that is operated by the Airports Authority of India. The airstrip was able to accommodate only small aircraft until 2008, when the length of the runway was increased to 4,500 feet to...
, operated by Airports Authority of India
Airports Authority of India
The Airports Authority of India is an organization working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation that manages most of the airports in India. The AAI manages and operates 126 airports including 16 international airports, 89 domestic airports and 26 civil enclaves. The corporate headquarters are at...
is located in the campus, 2.5 km west of main administrative building. Two railway stations of North Eastern Railways
North Eastern Railway (India)
The North Eastern Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Gorakhpur and comprises Lucknow and Varanasi divisions as well as reorganized Izzatnagar division....
- Pantnagar (IR
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
Code PBW) and Haldi Road (IR
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
Code HLDD) are located in the campus at a distance of 4 km (east) and 3 km (west) respectively from administrative building. University shuttle service, local rickshaws
Cycle rickshaw
The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport; it is also known by a variety of other names such as velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab, cyclo, becak, trisikad, or trishaw or, simply, rickshaw which also refers to auto rickshaws, and the, now uncommon, rickshaws pulled by a person on foot...
, auto-rickshaws
Auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw or three-wheeler is a usually three-wheeled cabin cycle for private use and as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw...
and matador vans
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
connect various parts of the campus. Pantnagar is a purely residential university and comprises an independent township in itself. Population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Pantnagar, prior to establishment of Industrial estate was 35,820 (Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, 2001). Pantnagar is a part of Pantnagar
Pantnagar
Pantnagar is a town and a University campus in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand. Nainital, Rudrapur and Kiccha, Haldwani are the major cities surrounding Pantnagar....
- Gadarpur
Gadarpur
Gadarpur is a city and a municipal board in Udham Singh Nagar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India.-Demographics: India census, Gadarpur had a population of 13,638. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Gadarpur has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national...
assembly constituency. The 'Concentric semicircles' or the 'rising sun' plan of the campus-centre was a brainchild of Department of Architecture of Illinois University. Pantnagar is often seen as a small and remote tourist location
Administration and Organization
In the Indian higher education system, Pantnagar is classified as a State Agricultural University (SAU). The university is in the jurisdiction of the state government. The GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the state is ex-officio Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the University and (s)he appoints a Vice-chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
(VC), who functions as a full-time Chief executive of the university. The VC chairs a 13-membered Board of Management, which is the highest executive body of the university and oversees primarily financial and administrative matters and also ratifies recommendations of other councils of the university. The other councils are the Academic council, the Research council and the Extension education council. Governor of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
Mrs Margaret Alva is present Chancellor and Dr B S Bisht is present VC of the university.
| State | ICAR | Other sources | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-2006 | 91.365 (84.570) | 26.970 (22.735) | 24.286 (24.653) | 142.621 (131.958) |
| 2006-2007 | 105.068 (94.016) | 28.331 (29.502) | 11.467 (13.833) | 144.866 (137.351) |
| 2007-2008 | 120.596 (115.990) | 46.012 (47.302) | 18.028 (11.166) | 184.636 (174.458) |
| 2008-2009 | 144.416 (138.925) | 37.066 (36.274) | 19.712 (15.458) | 201.194 (190.657) |
| 2009-2010 | 127.259 (143.556) | 29.866 (29.438) | 12.053 (10.330) | 169.178 (183.324) |
The university is financed primarily from grant-in-aid of the state government and also through grants received from central government
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
through ICAR
Icar
Icar is a free science fiction role-playing game designed and published by Rob Lang. Icar was first created in 1990 by Robert Lang by viewing others playing RPGs at the Finchley Games Club. Although most of the content is created by Robert Lang, the game is supported by a close knit team of play...
, besides income from student tution fees, sponsored research, university farm etc. Total allocated budget for the university in the year 2008-2009 stood at Rs 201.194 crores(~ US$ 48 million), which puts Pantnagar among top five SAUs in terms of financial resources. In recognition of its achieved excellence, Pantnagar was selected for a special one time grant of Rs 50 crores, as announced in the Union budget of 2007-2008.
Recently, a high powered central government committee- The Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education(Yashpal Committee, 2009) has recommended converting agricultural universities into general universities encompassing all branches of studies.
Colleges
Pantnagar is a non-affiliating universityAffiliating university
An affiliating university is one that sets courses of study, conducts examinations, and awards educational credentials, but leaves the chore of undergraduate instruction to an array of colleges; the affiliation, then, is between university and college....
and its academic activities are organized through its constituent colleges (faculties),which run large undergraduate (UG)
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
programs. All Masters
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
students are part of College of Post Graduate Studies, however they have strong association with one of the other colleges as per their academic major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
. Distributed among colleges and other units of the university, there are 763 teachers and officers 59 technical personnel, 631 administrative personnel and 1425 class III employees, amounting to a total staff strength of 2878 against a students strength of 2800-3000, which makes teacher taught ratio of about 1:6 and student-staff ratio about 1:1.
| Colleges of GBPUA&T, Pantnagar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| College | Year founded | Annual student intake | Faculty strength | |
| Main Campus | ||||
| College of Agriculture College of Agriculture, Pantnagar The College of Agriculture, Pantnagar, India, is a constituent of Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar. It was opened on 17 November 1960 when Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, inaugurated the university... |
1960 | 425 | 170 | |
| College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences | 1960 | 255 | 81 | |
| College of Technology College of Technology, Pantnagar The College of Technology is a college in Pantnagar, Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand, India. It was established under the then Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University and now called Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology. The College of Technology was established in this... |
1962 | 532 | 98 | |
| College of Basic Sciences and Humanities | 1963 | 185 | 72 | |
| College of Post Graduate Studies | 1963 | * | * | |
| College of Home Science | 1971 | 125 | 25 | |
| College of Fishery Sciences | 1985 | 41 | 13 | |
| College of Agribusiness Management | 1996 | 90 | 9 | |
| International School for Agriculture | 2010 | 17 | ** | |
| Off campus | ||||
| College of Forestry and Hill Agriculture at Ranichauri | 1991 | 47 | 38 | |
| Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali College of Horticulture at Bharsar | 2002 | 31 | 17 | |
| Institute of Biotechnology at Patwadangar | 2005 | -- | 2 | |
| *Counted in associated College | **Participating faculty from various departments | |||
Education system
The university shifted from a trimesterAcademic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
to a semester
Academic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
system in the 1980s to reduce the workload on students. There are 200-210 net instructional days per year, which is highest in India. The minimum duration of all UG programs of the university is 8 semesters (4 years), except BVSc&AH
Bachelor of Veterinary Science
The Bachelor of Veterinary Science or "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine" is a bachelor's degree for studies in veterinary science in the United Kingdom and some other countries. In the US, these degrees are equivalent to DVM/VMD degrees...
(10 semesters, 5 year). All the UG programs are infused with extensive practical training and include one semester of compulsory internship/ work experience
Work experience
Work experience is the experience that a person has been working, or worked in a specific field or occupation.- Volunteer work and internships :...
. All Masters programs
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
are of 4 semester (2 years), except MCA
Master of Computer Applications
The Master of Computer Applications is a postgraduate degree in computer application streams awarded in India. Full time MCA programmes normally take three academic years. The primary emphasis in MCA curriculum is on the development of diverse types of application software rather than designing...
(6 semester/ 3 years). Normal duration for PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
is 6 semesters. The university follows a credit based GPA system for evaluation. In 1998, it shifted from the US style 5-point and letter grade system to a 10 point GPA based system, for easy conversion to percentages, which are more commonly used in India.
| Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
where:
|
is the number of courses,
is credits of the 
course,
is grade points for the 
course.The university follows 100% internal evaluation on continuous basis. A course has typically 2 pre-final exams (popularly called as "hourlies"), 1 lab final exam and 1 semester-end final exam, totaling 4 evaluation cycles per semester. Typically, a UG student registers for 8 courses in a semester, leading to 8*4= 32 exams i.e. on an average basis, 1 exam on every fourth working day. Since its inception, Pantnagar University is known for its academic rigor for keeping its students always busy.
Research
Being an Agriculture and Technology university, the main focus of research is on agriculture and engineering.Research is coordinated by a Directorate of Experiment Station and carried out through 70 subject-matter departments spread across colleges, 14 specialized research centres located in the campus, 7 dedicated off-campus research stations and 10 off-campus horticultural research-cum-extension centres. So far, the university has released 211 varieties
Variety (plant)
Plant variety is a legal term, following the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants Convention. Recognition of a cultivated plant as a "variety" in this particular sense provides its breeder with some legal protection, so-called plant breeders' rights, depending to some...
, many of which played important role in Green Revolution
Green Revolution
Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....
. The work of the university in introducing soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
as a crop in India is well known. As Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
has been declared an 'Organic state', the present thrust of research is on Organic farming
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
and Biological pest control
Biological pest control
Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms...
. The university has developed a pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
diagnostic kit for cattle and its Salmonellosis
Salmonellosis
Salmonellosis is an infection with Salmonella bacteria. Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. In most cases, the illness lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment...
vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
for poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
is in advanced trials. In 1991, engineers of the university developed a 'Zero-till Ferti seed drill' for No-till farming
No-till farming
No-till farming is a way of growing crops from year to year without disturbing the soil through tillage. No-till is an agricultural technique which increases the amount of water and organic matter in the soil and decreases erosion...
along with NATIONAL AGRO INDUSTRIES Ludhiana Punjab, which has been immensely popular in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
and other areas of Indo-gangetic plains. CIMMYT/CGIAR has described zero tillage technology based on the Pantnagar seed drill
Seed drill
A seed drill is a sowing device that precisely positions seeds in the soil and then covers them. Before the introduction of the seed drill, the common practice was to plant seeds by hand. Besides being wasteful, planting was very imprecise and led to a poor distribution of seeds, leading to low...
as the most widely adopted resource conserving technology in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, till date.
Extension
ExtensionAgricultural extension
Agricultural extension was once known as the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education...
is one of the three mandates of the university. University organizes informal continuing education
Continuing education
Continuing education is an all-encompassing term within a broad spectrum of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada...
programs for rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
people for achieving better diffusion of innovation. The university reaches out to a wider clientele through short term training programs at its campuses, Farmer Field Schools, Participatory technology development
Participatory technology development
Participatory technology development is an approach to learning and innovation that is used in international development as part of projects and programmes relating to sustainable agriculture...
programs, radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast, community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
based narrowcasting
Narrowcasting
Narrowcasting has traditionally been understood as the dissemination of information to a narrow audience, not to the general public. Narrowcasting involves aiming media messages at specific segments of the public defined by values, preferences, or demographic attributes. Also called niche...
, print media, Farmer's fairs, and other innovative communication technologies. The university maintains a State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute and a network of 11 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Farm Science Centres,KVKs) located in various districts.
Residential life
Pantnagar is a residential universityResidential college
A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship with the overall...
. Hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
accommodation is compulsory for every student, except for the wards of university employees who live in the campus. In Pantnagar campus,there are 23 hostels (called as 'Bhawans'), including 7 for girls, 2 for married couples and 1 for working women. The older hostels are named after important personalities of India- Gandhi, Subhas, Nehru, Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Srivastava Shastri was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.-Early life:...
, Pant
Govind Ballabh Pant
Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist, and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand and of the movement to establish Hindi as the official language of India.-Early life:Govind Ballabh Pant was born on September 10, 1887 in...
, Patel
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of India...
, Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
, Sarojini
Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu , also known by the sobriquet The Nightingale of India, was a child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet...
, Kasturba
Kasturba Gandhi
Kastürbā Gāndhi was the wife of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, marrying him in an arranged marriage in 1883.-Early life and background:...
, Visvesvarayya, Chittaranjan
Chittaranjan Das
Chittaranjan Das was an eminent Bengali lawyer and a major figure in the Indian independence movement.-Personal life:...
(I and II) and Vivekananda with one exception of a hostel named 'Silver Jublee'
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
, which commemorates 25 years of the university. The names of newly constructed ones are inspired from geography of Uttarakhand- Gangotri, Yamunotri
Yamunotri
Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the Goddess Yamuna in Hinduism. It is situated at an altitude of in the Garhwal Himalayas and located approximately North of Uttarkashi, the headquarters of the Uttarkashi district in the Garhwal Division of Uttarakhand, India...
, Shivalik
Shivalik
Shivalik may refer to:* Shivalik class frigate* Siwalik Hills, a series of ranges of outer foothills of Himalaya crossing Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan....
, Mandakini
Mandakini
Mandakini is a former Bollywood actress. She had a brief, controversial career in Hindi movies and was rumoured to have a relationship with gangster Dawood Ibrahim.-Early life:Mandakini was born in an Indian family in Meerut...
, Bhagirathi, Alaknanda
Alaknanda River
The Alaknanda is a Himalayan river in the state of Uttarakhand, India that is one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism...
etc.,with an exception of a newly opened hostel named 'Golden Jublee'
Golden Jubilee
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.- In Thailand :King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, celebrated his Golden Jubilee on 9 June 1996.- In the Commonwealth Realms :...
, commemorating 50 years of the university. Most of older hostels are located along the 'third arc' as per the original 'concentric semicircles' campus plan,while newer ones are located on radial roads or other parts of the campus. There are two guest houses- Lambert's Square and International Guest House, which also has a hostel wing for foreign students and an attached Farmer's Hostel. The hostels have student managed or in few cases, outsourced Cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
style food services. All the faculty members and employees of the university stay in bungalows and apartments located in various parts of the campus.
Extra- curricular activities
Most of the student's activities are organized through college level 'Professional Societies', like the Agriculture Society, the Engineering Society, the Management Society etc. These societies organize popular fests, fairs, cultural nights, treasure hunts and various competitions all through the year. Apart from these, there are departmental societies, hostel level societies and other organizations like- Vivekanand Swadhyaya Mandal, Sanskritic Chetna Parishad etc. which organize popular student's activities. The Pantnagar Chapter of SPIC MACAYSPIC MACAY
The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth, often known by its initials , is not just a non-profit organization which promotes Indian classical music, Indian classical dance, and other aspects of Indian culture, it is a movement with chapters in over 300 towns...
regularly organizes classical music
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
and dance concerts by renowned artistes.CHETNA student wing works for upliftment of poor children in the campus. The university National Cadet Corps (NCC)
National Cadet Corps (India)
The National Cadet Corps is the Indian military cadet corps with its Headquarters at New Delhi. It is open to school and college students on voluntary basis....
chapter organizes basic military training and adventure sports for student-cadets. The Remount & Veterinary (R&V) core is a Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
regiment of NCC
National Cadet Corps (India)
The National Cadet Corps is the Indian military cadet corps with its Headquarters at New Delhi. It is open to school and college students on voluntary basis....
operating in the university, which trains students for professional Equestrianism
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
(horse riding). Pantnagar is among very few universities in India to have a full fledged Air Squadron under NCC
National Cadet Corps (India)
The National Cadet Corps is the Indian military cadet corps with its Headquarters at New Delhi. It is open to school and college students on voluntary basis....
Air Wing, which promotes aviation and airmanship among students through its activities organized in the airport
Pantnagar Airport
Pantnagar Airport is a domestic airport that serves the town of Pantnagar in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand that is operated by the Airports Authority of India. The airstrip was able to accommodate only small aircraft until 2008, when the length of the runway was increased to 4,500 feet to...
located within the university campus. All the undergraduate students of Pantnagar take part in community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
, which fetches them 2 credits towards their degrees in form of a mandatory NSS
National Service Scheme
National Service Scheme ' is an Indian government-sponsored program under the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India. It was started in 1969.-History:...
course involving 240 hours/ 10 days of social service. Students also take part in various Liberal education
Liberal education
A Liberal education is a system or course of education suitable for the cultivation of a free human being. It is based on the medieval concept of the liberal arts or, more commonly now, the liberalism of the Age of Enlightenment...
courses offered by the university like dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, Indian cultural heritage, personality development
Personality Development
An individual's personality is an aggregate conglomeration of decisions we've made throughout our lives . There are inherent natural, genetic, and environmental factors that contribute to the development of our personality. According to process of socialization, "personality also colors our values,...
, English vocabulary
Vocabulary
A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge...
, Indian languages (Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
), foreign languages (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) etc. Stevenson stadium is the hub of sports activities, which are organized through 17 sport clubs
Sports club
A sports club or sport club, sometimes athletics club or sports association is a club for the purpose of playing one or more sports...
functioning in the university.
Notable alumni
- Baba SehgalBaba SehgalBaba Sehgal, a Khatri Sikh, is an Indian rapper and actor. Brought up in Lucknow, he was famous in the mid 1990s. He is credited as the first Indian rapper to jump on the Indipop bandwagon, and released an album which got frequent airplay on MTV India...
, Indian popIndian popIndian pop music , often known as Indian-Pop, Hindi Pop, Indipop or Indi-pop, refers to pop music in India. Pop music really started in the South Asian region with the famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966...
singer - Islam A. SiddiquiIslam A. SiddiquiAmbassador Islam A. Siddiqui is Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative . Prior to this, he was Vice President for Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America, a biotechnology industry consortium....
, US President Barack Obama's Chief Agricultural NegotiatorChief Agricultural NegotiatorThe Chief Agricultural Negotiator is an ambassador of the Office of the United States Trade Representative responsible for conducting and overseeing international negotiations related to trade in agricultural products... - Vineet NayarVineet NayarVineet Nayar is an Indian businessperson, IT executive, the CEO, Vice Chairman and fulltime member of the Board of Directors of HCL Technologies.-Education:Vineet Nayar was born in 1962...
, Chief Executive Officer of HCL TechnologiesHCL TechnologiesHCL Technologies Limited is a leading global IT services company headquartered in Noida, India. It is primarily engaged in providing a range of software services, business process outsourcing and infrastructure services. HCL Technologies is fourth largest IT company in India and is ranked 48 in...