Ravenshaw University

Indian Science Congress Association meet of 1962 was held in Ravenshaw College Quadrangle. The College achieved the unique distinction of being one of the three colleges of the country to have been awarded national honour by the government of India through the issue of commemorative stamp in 1978. The college has seen 55 principals. It has been accorded autonomous status since 1989. It stands today on a sprawling campus of 87.4 acres (354,000 m2). The magnificent red brick building of Gothic architecture has had several blocks added to it. The main library is in the new centenary library building. Government of Odisha accorded it unitary state university status in the year 2006 by passing the Ravenshaw University act. Subsequently, it got accredited with University Grants Commission under the section 2f of the UGC act. This was possible because of the efforts of the first vice chancellor of the university, Devdas Chhotray. Since then a number of self financing courses have been offered and the student strength has increased dramatically. Teaching is now imparted to more than 7000 students in Arts, Science and Commerce, management, computer science, electronics and telecommunication, information technology and hotel and hospitality management. Altogether there are 33 academic departments out of which 28 have postgraduate teaching facility and M.Phil. and Ph.D. courses are available in 22 departments. In addition, several new courses have been added under autonomous functioning besides the regular courses. There are 11 hostels, 9 of which are on the campus, accommodating about 2,500 boarders. A new 140 acre campus is being built at Naraj in Cuttack. The college houses, besides Ravenshaw Junior College having student strength of 1536, the Cuttack Study Centre of Indira Gandhi National Open University having student strength of 1133, IAS Coaching Class and Pre-Examination Training Centre for SC/ST students. The campus has a post office, an extension counter of the State Bank of India, a dispensary, a powerhouse, GED, PWD and PHS sections, a canteen, guest house, a gymnasium, and spacious play grounds. Ravenshaw has acquired a distinctive, secular, cosmopolitan culture of its own helping all Ravenshawvians to live in the University motto “Skill is our power”.