Chapter II THE UNIVERSITY

3.

1. (1) Subject to provisions of Section 5 with effect from such date as the Government may, by notification, appoint in this behalf (hereinafter referred to as the appointed date), there shall be established in the State of Odisha a self-financed, private, non-affiliating, unitary University at Silicon Hills, Patia of Bhubaneswar Tehsil in the district of Khorda by the name of “Silicon University, Odisha” after Corpus Fund is set up by the Sponsoring Body in accordance with the provisions of Section 45.
2. (2) The University shall be a body corporate by the aforesaid name having perpetual succession and common seal with powers, subject to the provisions of this Act, to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both movable and immovable which may have become vested in, or may have been acquired by it, and to contract, and to do all things necessary for the purpose of this Act, and shall sue and be sued by the said name.
3. (3) The headquarters of the University shall be at Silicon Hills, Patia of Bhubaneswar Tahasil under the District of Khorda.
4. (4) The jurisdiction of the University shall extend over all that is presently comprised of the College to be recognized, restructured and renamed under sub-section (1), to all schools of studies and Departments for which the corresponding degree and other academic distinction are being conferred by the BPUT, Utkal and to all schools of studies and Departments to be established by the University..

4.

1. (1) On and from the appointed date,
   • (a) the control and management of the College which is with the Sponsoring Body together with the control and management of all properties and assets pertaining to the College, shall stand transferred to, and vest in, the University;
   • (b) all properties and assets pertaining to the College including any cash balance held by the College or on its account, whether in deposit with any Bank or otherwise, shall transferred to, and vest in the University;
   • (c) save as provided in this section, all rights, powers and privileges, duties, debts and liabilities and obligations of the College, contractual or otherwise, arising or accrued or incurred in relation to the affairs of the College shall stand transferred to, and vest in, the University; and
   • (d) every employee and teacher duly appointed in connection with affairs of the College and serving in the College as such immediately before the appointed date, shall hold his office or service in the University by the same terms and conditions and with the same rights and privileges.
2. (2) The properties, assets and rights transferred to the University by virtue of sub-section (1), shall continue to be utilized for the purposes for which they were being utilized and were intended to be utilized immediately before the appointed date.
3. (3) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Biju Patnaik University Act, 2002, the Odisha Universities Act, 1989 and the Statutes made thereunder for the BPUT, Utkal University and the Culture University,
   • (a) the College shall, with effect from the appointed date, cease to be affiliated from the BPUT, Utkal University and shall stand transferred to the University;
   • (b) all schools of studies or programmes of studies or courses of studies, by whatever name called existing in the college prior to the appointed date shall be integrated into the University;
   • (c) any student of the college, who, immediately prior to the appointed date was studying for any examination of BPUT or Utkal University or for any examination of the College, the college being an Autonomous College, shall continue his studies as a student of the University and to be permitted to complete his course in preparation therefor and be permitted to the examination of the University; and
   • (d) for students referred to in clause (c), the University shall make arrangement for conferment of the corresponding degree and other academic distinction on the basis of the result of such examination.

5. Before issue of notification under sub-section

1. (1) of Section 3, the State Government on the report of a High Power Committee constituted for the purpose, shall ensure that the College fulfills the norms and other conditions prescribed or imposed by the Regulatory Bodies in relation to Land, Buildings, Library, Laboratory, Equipments, Computers, Furniture and such other Infrastructure facilities as the State Government may decide.

6. After commencement of this Act and before the appointed date, the Sponsoring Body shall give an undertaking,

1. (a) to appoint at least one Professor, two Associate Professors and three Assistant Professors or Lecturers on full time basis along with necessary supporting staff in each School or Department or Discipline of the University prior to the date such School or Department or Discipline is vested in the University;
2. (b) to take up co-curricular activities to foster a proper academic and healthy socio-cultural environment, such as seminars, debates, quiz programmes and extra curricular activities like games, sports, National Service Scheme, National Cadet Corps and such other things which are necessary for the benefit of students as per the norms laid down by the Regulatory Bodies;
3. (c) to establish welfare programmes for the employees of the University;
4. (d) to fulfill such other conditions and provide such other information as may be prescribed by the Regulatory Bodies, from time to time;
5. (e) that the programmes of study leading to a degree or a post-graduate degree offered by the University shall conform to the relevant regulations or norms of the UGC or the concerned Regulatory Body, as amended, from time to time;
6. (f) that the admission procedure and fixation of fees shall be in accordance with the norms or guidelines, if any, prescribed by the competent Regulatory Bodies;
7. (g) that the admission shall be made strictly on merit basis from All India Examination;
8. (h) that the teaching staff of the University shall have at least the minimum qualifications prescribed by the UGC and AICTE or other concerned Regulatory Body, and be paid appropriate emoluments, if any, as per the UGC, AICTE guidelines and other concerned Regulatory Body;
   • (i) that the University shall be open to all persons and shall not discriminate on grounds of gender, caste, creed, religion, race, domicile and it shall not adopt or impose on any person, any test whatsoever of religious belief or any profession in order to entitle one to be appointed as a teacher of the University or to hold any other office therein or to be admitted as a student or to enjoy or exercise any privilege thereof; and
9. (j) to fulfill such other conditions and provide such other information as may be prescribed by the Regulatory Body.

7. The objects of the University shall be,

1. (a) to disseminate and advance knowledge by providing academic and research facilities in such branches of learning which include Engineering and Technology and Management and subject to the approval of the State Government in any other branches of learning or in any other field of knowledge and education as it may deem fit;
2. (b) to offer continuing and distance education programmes as per norms of concerned statutory or regulatory body or council or any other body constituted by the Central or State Government;
3. (c) to institute degrees, charters, certificates and other academic distinctions on the basis of examination or any other methods of evaluation;
4. (d) to collaborate with other colleges, universities, research institutions, industry associations, professional bodies or any other organization, in India or abroad, to conceptualize, design and develop specific educational and research programmes, training programmes and exchange programmes for students, faculty member and others;
5. (e) to impart futuristic and holistic education at par with international standards to prepare the youth to face global competition and to participate in shaping India to become a world leader;
6. (f) to integrate the existing programmes and courses offered by the respective Schools;
7. (g) to establish any other School as it may deem fit with the approval of the State Government apart from the School of Engineering and Technology, and other Schools existing in the College and integrated into the University;
8. (h) to disseminate knowledge through seminars, conferences, executive education programmes, community development programmes, publications, and training programmes;
   • (i) to undertake programmes for the training and development of faculty members of the University and other Institutions in India or abroad;
9. (j) to undertake collaborative research with any organization in India or abroad;
10. (k) to create higher levels of intellectual abilities;
11. (l) to provide consultancy to industry, Government and Public Organization;
12. (m) to ensure that the standard of the degrees, charters, certificates and other academic distinctions are not lower than those laid down by University Grants Commission and other Regulatory Bodies, as the case may be;
13. (n) to do all things necessary or expedient to promote the above objectives; and
14. (o) to pursue any other objective as may be approved by the State Government.

8. Subject to other provisions of this Act, the Statutes or Rules made thereunder or any other relevant laws for the time being in force, the University shall have the following powers, namely:,

1. (a) to establish Off-Campus Centers and Study Centers and conduct Distance Education as are in the opinion of the University, necessary for the furtherance of its objects in conformity with the provisions of the University Grants Commission (Establishment of and Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities) Regulations, 2003 or any other provision as may be applicable for it from time to time;
2. (b) to establish and develop schools as envisaged in clause
3. (g) of Section 7;
4. (c) to carry out all such other activities as may be necessary and feasible in furtherance of the object of the University;
5. (d) to confer degrees, diplomas, charters, certificates or other academic distinctions and professional designations as envisaged under section 7 in the manner and under conditions laid down in the Statutes and to withdraw or cancel such degrees;
6. (e) to institute and award fellowships, scholarships and prizes in accordance with the Statutes;
7. (f) to demand and receive such fees, bills, invoices and collect charges as may be fixed by the Statutes or Rules, as the case may be;
8. (g) to make provisions for extra-curricular activities for students and employees;
9. (h) to make appointments of the faculty, officers and employees of the University;
   • (i) to receive donations and gifts of any kind and to acquire, hold, manage, maintain and dispose of any movable or immovable property, including Trust and endowment properties for the purpose of the University;
10. (j) to institute and maintain halls and to recognize places of residence for students of the University;
11. (k) to supervise and control the residence, and to regulate the discipline among the students and all categories of employees and to lay down the conditions of service of such employees, including their Code of conduct;
12. (l) to create academic, administrative and support staff and other necessary posts;
13. (m) to co-operate and collaborate with other domestic and overseas Universities and Institutions in such a manner and for such purposes as the University may determine from time to time;
14. (n) to organize and conduct refresher courses, orientation courses, workshops, seminars and other programmmes for teachers, developers of course ware, evaluators and other academic staff;
15. (o) to determine standards of admission to the University with the approval of the Academic Council;
16. (p) to make special provision for students belonging to the State of Odisha for admission in any course of the University ;
17. (q) to do all such other acts or things whether incidental to the powers aforesaid or not, as may be necessary for furtherance of the objects of the University;
18. (r) to prescribe such courses for Bachelor Degree, Master Degree, Doctor or Philosophy, Doctor of Science Degrees and Research and such other Degrees, Charters and Certificates; to provide for the preparation of instructional materials, including films, cassettes, tapes, video cassettes, Compact Disk, Visual Compact Disk and other software;
19. (t) to raise, collect, subscribe and borrow with the approval of the Board of Governors whether on the security of the property of the University, money for the purposes of the University;
20. (u) to enter into, carry out, vary or cancel contracts; and
    • (v) to do all things necessary or expedient to exercise the above powers.

9. The University shall be open to all persons irrespective of class, caste, creed, religion, language, domicile and gender: Provided that for the purpose of admission of students, the University shall provide reservation of fifty-percentum of the seats in each different courses for the students of Odisha subject to satisfying the minimum qualifying standard for admission test and interview: Provided further that any seat remaining vacant due to non-availability of required percentage of students of Odisha, those may be filled up by other students with prior permission of the State Government.

10.

1. (1) The University shall seek, obtain and retain accreditation from respective national accreditation bodies and be subject to relevant provisions of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 and the Regulations or Guidelines made there under from time to time relating to private University.
2. (2) The University shall obtain prior permission or recognition from the concerned Regulatory Bodies, for conferring graduate or post graduate degrees and for other programmes.
3. (3) As regards other programmes on technical education, the relevant laws, rules, regulations in the matter of obtaining approval or recognition or maintaining standards shall apply to the University.

11. The University shall not be entitled to any Grant-in-Aid or any other financial assistance from the State Government or any other body or corporation owned or controlled by the State Government.