History

The University of Calcutta was the first institution in India to offer post-graduate education in applied sciences. The Department of Applied Chemistry was started in 1920. The Department of Applied Physics celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in 2000. With the development of electronics in the Post-war period the University founded the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics under the leadership of Professor S. K. Mitra. Initially, the above departments belonged to the Faculty of Science awarding two years' M. Sc. degrees in respective subjects. In the fifties the three departments constituted the new Faculty of Technology of the University. With the increase in the scope of the subjects the duration of the post-graduate courses was extended to three years and the degrees awarded became known as M. Sc. (Tech.). In the sixties, in accordance with the guidelines of the Institution of Engineers, India and the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), the University introduced three years post-B. Sc., B. Tech. courses followed by three semesters' M. Tech. courses in the above subjects. In 1980 a new Department of Computer Science and Engineering was created under this faculty.

Current Status

At present there are six departments constituting the Faculty of Technology, offering B. Tech. and M. Tech. degrees in Chemical Engineering, Chemical Technology, Polymer Science and Technology (by splitting the Applied Chemistry department), Electrical Engineering, Instrumentation and Optoelectronics (under the umbrella of the Applied Physics department), Radio Physics and Electronics, and Computer Science and Engineering. Recently the University has introduced a B. Tech. course in Information Technology in the department of Radio Physics and Electronics. In addition to the teaching programs the faculty has members who are actively involved in research in many areas of applied sciences. About fifteen Ph. D. degrees are awarded in this Faculty every year. It is a matter of great pride that the University of Calcutta has recently been granted the highest grade (five stars) by the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC), a statutory body constituted by the University Grants Commission. The Applied Sciences program of the University has especially been commended for its excellence.

Need for New Facilities

With the increase in the number of students, the demand for admission into the B. Tech. classes of the University has been increasing tremendously in recent years. Unfortunately, the University cannot accommodate a large section of deserving candidates due to lack of infrastructure, particularly space and equipment. For example, it could admit only twenty students to the Information Technology class, although the AICTE has approved the admission of forty students in the subject. In the present Rashbehari Campus at 92 Acharya Prafulla Ch. Road there is absolutely no scope for any addition to floor space.

In view of the above, the University plans to develop a new campus in the Salt Lake area to accommodate the Technology Faculty and a few other departments (like Bio-Technology) in emerging areas of science. The Govt. of West Bengal has allotted a plot of land measuring about 4.25 acres near the S. N. Bose Center in sector 3 of the township. Two multistoried blocks will be constructed in the proposed campus. One of the two buildings will house the lecture theatres and laboratories for the students. Fourteen/sixteen halls. each accommodating sixty students at B. Tech. level and twenty five/thirty smaller rooms are required for theoretical classes only. In addition, ample floor space, approximately 100,000sqft,hastobecreatedforthelaboratories, offices and faculty rooms. The University Grants Commission has agreed to provide funds for one of the buildings, housing an auditorium, a guesthouse and a hostel for students from the northeast. The seed money for the other, housing the University departments,- will be obtained by selling a 14-cottah plot of land, donated by the widow of an erstwhile Zamindar, at Rowland Road. It is also proposed that when the new facilities are created the existing buildings at 92 APC Road may be utilized by the science departments, which are also facing problems due to acute shortage of space.

You Can Help

Calcutta University is proud of its alumni, who are in positions of distinction in research and development establishments, academic institutions, industries and other organizations in India and abroad. In recent years, alumni of many sister institutions in India have come forward to establish new facilities in their alma mater. The University of Calcutta firmly believes its alumni will not lag behind in creating new facilities in the University to maintain and improve the quality of teaching and research for which it is well known. On behalf of the University, I would like to request the members of the North American Calcutta University Science College Alumni Association to donate generously to this worthy cause.

Many thanks for considering this appeal for funds to benefit Calcutta University's new Technology Campus.