Punjabi University

Punjabi University is a state university located in Patiala, Punjab, India. It was established on 30 April 1962, and is only the second university in the world to be named after a language, after Hebrew University of Israel. Originally it was conceived as a unitary multi-faculty teaching and research university, primarily meant for the development and enrichment of Punjabi language and culture, but alive to the social and education requirements of the state.
History.
Punjabi University was established on 30 April 1962 under the Punjabi University Act 1961 as a residential and teaching university, not as an affiliating University. It started functioning from temporary accommodation in Barandari Palace building. Initially its jurisdictional area was fixed as the radius. There were only nine colleges – six professional and three art and science colleges in Patiala — which fell within its jurisdiction. The university moved to its present campus in 1965. The campus is spread over about . The campus at Patiala makes international standard facilities available for students and researchers.
Although initially the main task before the university was to develop and promote the language of the Punjabi people, it has since evolved into a multi-faculty educational institution. It grew into an affiliating university in 1969, with 43 colleges affiliated to it and covering Patiala, Sangrur and Bathinda districts of Punjab. Since then, it developed significantly and acquired a distinctive character among the centres of education and research in the country. Now, it has more than 278 affiliated colleges spread over nine districts of Punjab. The affiliated colleges are in districts of Patiala, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, Bathinda, Mansa, Mohali, Rupnagar and Faridkot.
Campus.
The university campus is spread over an area of over , on the Patiala-Chandigarh road, about 7 kilometers from Patiala. The institution has more than 70 teaching and research departments, covering disciplines in Humanities, Science, Engineering, Pharmacy, Law, Fine Arts, Computer Science and Business Management. University also conducts various degree, diploma and certificate courses through distance learning. University not only caters to students from northern region, but students from African countries also take admission here.
The campus has amenities like a State Bank of India branch, Post office, Science and Arts Auditorium, open-air theatre, guest and faculty houses, seminar complexes, faculty club, botanical garden and several spacious lawns, a model school and own fleet of buses for transportation of students and staff.
The university has undertaken the responsibility of maintaining the estate of Norah Richards at Andretta, Himachal Pradesh. Arrangements have been made for faculty members and students who wish to carry out study and research in the fields of theatre and television. The university manages Balbir Singh Sahitya Kendra at Dehradun, the capital city of the Uttarakhand. There is a rich library with rare books and manuscripts bequeathed by Bhai Vir Singh, Balbir Singh and Prof Puran Singh, the doyens of Punjabi literature. Research on comparative religions is carried out at this center.
Regional centres and Neighborhood campuses.
The university has four regional centres: the Guru Kashi Regional Center at Bathinda, Guru Kashi Campus at Talwandi Sabo, Regional Centre for Information Technology and Management at Mohali, Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan Institute of Advanced Studies in Urdu, Persian and Arabic at Malerkotla. Punjabi University also maintains seven neighborhood campuses at Rampura Phul, Jhunir, Sardulgarh, Ralla, Maur, Jaito and Dehla Seehan.
Constituent colleges.
The university has also established 13 constituent colleges at Mansa, Rampura Phul, Sardulgarh, Ghudda, Bahadurpur (Mansa), Barnala, Benra (Dhuri),Chuni Kalan, Dhilwan, Ghanaur, Jaito, Meera Pur and Moonak.
Organization and administration.
The governance of the university is conducted through the Syndicate, which is the highest decision-making body of the university. The Syndicate approves matters pertaining to the administration of the university as well as academics, once the academic council has passed the matter. The vice-chancellor is chairman of syndicate. The Governor of Punjab is chancellor of University and titular head of the university. The Senate and academic Council are other advisory and decision making bodies of the university. All these bodies of university were established under the Punjab Act no. 35 of 1961.
The teacher's elected body is Punjabi University Teacher Association (PUTA) and other staff is represented through employees association. The elections to both these association has been conducted annually.
Academics.
Punjabi University is a large, primarily residential and affiliating university. University follows a semester system with Autumn semester usually starting in late July and Spring semester ending in early May. Academics at University is organized into eleven faculties and departments under various faculties.
Teaching and learning.
The prominent university departments are:
Research centers and institutes.
University has established various research departments and chairs to conduct research work in various fields of study.
Faculty and research.
All the departments are involved to promote research culture and spirit. Most of the departments have been able to mobilize additional research funding from UGC, DST, CSIR, Planning Commission, government departments and other official funding agencies. Many of science departments have been able to develop research tie-ups with industry and have undertaken several consultancy assignments.
To ensure academic freedom, the departments organize seminars, symposia, conferences and workshops every year. The teachers are encouraged to participate in national and international seminars through liberal funding. Many teachers are invited to deliver plenary lectures and preside over the sessions at seminars and conferences.
Reputation and rankings.
Punjabi University was ranked at 64th among universities and 23 in the pharmacy ranking in NIRF India Ranking in 2020.
Admissions.
Admissions to various departments are conducted through centralized admission cell. University conducts many kinds of certificate, diploma, degree and PhD courses in various subjects.
University Library.
Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha Central Library is a hub of academic and research activities. It stocks more than 415,000 books and subscribes to several hundred journals. The library is kept open for 360 days of the year from 8.15 a.m. to 8.15 p.m. The library has a reading hall, which has a capacity for 400 readers. A separate hall for using the personal books and a Reading Room has been provided at the ground floor. One night Reading Room remains open from 8.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m. Ganda Singh Punjabi Reference Library, which is an integral part of the library, is housed in a new building interlinked with the main building. This part of the library has 41,548 books on Punjabi Language, Literature, Punjab History and Culture. The University Library is maintains libraries in some of the departments at the campus, Extension Library at S.A.S.Nagar (Mohali), and a Library at Regional Center Bathinda. Besides, Balbir Singh Sahitya Kendra, Dehradun has a library containing rare books and manuscripts.
Student life.
Sports.
Students are encouraged to take active part in sports. Facilities for games such as hockey, football, cricket, basketball, volleyball, athletics, etc. and well as indoor games are provided. The Punjabi University has a large gymnasium and a hall for indoor games. It is one of the very few institutions in India to possess its own velodrome.
The University has been awarded Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy nine times, the latest being in the year 2016–2017. MAKA Trophy represents the highest award given for inter-university sports and university sportsperson performance in international and national arena by the Government of India.
Hostels.
There are three residential hostels for boys and four residential hostels for girls. The hostels house 4000 students. In addition to this, separate boys and girls hostel for engineering college have started functioning.
Health services.
A health center has an X-ray unit and a laboratory for medical tests. The center has an AIDS awareness wing. Students are entitled to free medical aid by the University Health Center.
Other facilities.
The university has also established a placement cell for personality development and job assistance to students. An IAS training centre has been established at university, where coaching for various competitive exams have been imparted. The transport department runs a fleet of buses for linking the campus to various parts of Patiala city.
Notable people.
Punjabi University's graduates have found success in a variety of diverse fields including cultural, political, film industry, social-service, public and private sectors. The list contains many people including current & former faculty and Alumni.