Pondicherry University
Pondicherry University, also known as PU, is a collegiate public central university located in Kalapet, Pondicherry, Union Territory of Puducherry, India. It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1985 by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India. The Vice President of India is the Chancellor along with the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry acting as the Chief Rector and the President of India is the Visitor of the University. The university is a collegiate university with its jurisdiction spread over the Union Territory of Puducherry located in Tamil Nadu (Pondicherry and Karaikal), Kerala  (Mahé) and Andhra Pradesh (Yanam), and Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The vast jurisdiction over three Union Territories namely gives the University a national character. The residents speak diverse languages such as English, Tamil, French, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Bengali, Oriya and Kannada. Local skill sets are advanced through several vocational programs such as paramedical courses using the on-site hospital facilities. Campus. Pondicherry University is located in a campus spread over , facing the Bay of Bengal on the East Coast Road. It is accessible from Chennai (168 km) and Bengaluru (326 km). Hostel facilities are available on the  campus for boys and girls. Students from distant places will be given preference on a first-come, first-served basis. The university has a hostel for foreign students that can accommodate more than 30 students. Girls are given rent free accommodation. All physically challenged students get free education including free board and lodge in hostels. The university provides free transport off the campus and within the campus. Organisation and administration. Schools, departments and centres. The entire Academic structure was reorganized during the tenure of Prof J. A. K. Tareen who not only established over 20 new departments, but also established  new schools with over 80 new programs. The university has 14 Schools and 52 departments distributed across Pondicherry and Karaikal campus. Each School is headed by a Dean and each Department has its own Faculty and Supporting Staff working under the Head of the Department. They are also provided with separate buildings which house their Laboratories and Libraries.The following is the list of the Schools/Departments/Centres: Karaikal Campus These centres were established during XII plan when Prof J A K Tareen was vice chancellor. Central Instrumentation Facility. The Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF) was established in the university as  the University Science Instrumentation Centre (USIC) in 1992 under the UGC Plan Scheme. It housed three facilities – Mechanical Shop, Glass blowing Shop and Electrical Shop, to provide support in the repair and servicing of scientific equipment. Fabrication of components for experimental setups is undertaken. The USIC has executed design, development and fabrication works ranging from custom designed sample holders/cells to electronic instrumentation and control modules. In 2005, the centre was reorganised into Central Instrumentation Facility under the School of Physical, Chemical and Applied Sciences and analytical instruments are added to provide analytical service, in addition to the workshop facilities . Academics. Function and role. Teaching and research are its primary functions as in other Central Universities. It has 200 affiliated colleges located in Union Territory of Puducherry (Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu, Karaikal in Tamil Nadu, Mahé in Kerala and Yanam in Andhra Pradesh), Union Territory of Lakshadweep, Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Rankings. Pondicherry University was ranked 801-1000 in the world by the "Times Higher Education World University Rankings" of 2020 and 251-300 in Asia. The QS World University Rankings of 2020 ranked it 301-350 in Asia. It was ranked 81st in India overall by  the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2020 and 58th among universities. The QS World University Rankings of 2022 ranked it 800-1000 in world wide. Library. The university library, named after Ananda Ranga Pillai, was established in September 1986 with one deputy librarian and two assistant librarians. It was moved to the present locale as an independent building in July 1990. The Library is renowned for its disabled friendly modern infrastructure (80,000 sq. ft), fully air-conditioned, WIFI enabled, services for the Visually Challenged among the proactive services with RFID technology and 24/7 remote access to a collection of  4.97 lakhs, of which print is 2.22 and 2.7 lakhs of e-resources (e-books, e-journals, e-databases, e-theses, Academic Online Videos, Video Talks etc.) Student life. Student clubs. SPECTRA- Pondicherry University (LGBTQIA+ support organization). SPECTRA has been working to increase queer visibility and awareness in the university campus and beyond. It also provides a safe space for LGBTQIA students to share their experiences and discuss issues faced by the community. SPECTRA was founded on 15 August 2014 and has been conducting events ever since. One of the first Campus Pride events in India was organized successfully in  2018 at Pondicherry University by SPECTRA. Earth Sciences Club of Pondicherry University. The Earth sciences Club was founded in September 2013. It conducts field trips, screen documentaries, organize debates, quizzes, treasure hunts and so on so forth. It is also involved with organising the annual event "Mrittika" in Department of Earth Sciences. PUQS (Pondicherry University Quiz Society). The students have started the Pondicherry University Quiz Society (PUQS) in June 2012. The inauguration of PUQS was held on 1 August 2011 in Pondicherry University/Lecture Hall Seminar-I. The event was inaugurated by Director of Education of the Pondicherry University, Prof  M Ramadass. The first quizmaster of the show was Nikhil Kurien Jacob. The tagline of the Quiz Society is "It's all about Quizzing." Community Radio Station. Puduvai Vaani, the Community Radio Station(CRS) established by Pondicherry University with the support of UGC located in National Capital Territory of Delhi, India. It works under FM 107.8 MHz a frequency which is currently extended to a catchments area of 20 km radius from the University campus. The test transmission of Puduvai Vaani – Community Radio Station was started on 23 August 2008. This was yet another initiative by Prof J. A. K. Tareen . It was inaugurated by Shri V. Narayanasamy, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Planning & Parliamentary Affairs on 27 December 2008 in the presence of Shri P.Chidambaram, Hon’ble Union Home Minister. The full-time transmission started on 1 January 2009. Silver Jubilee Celebrations. The valedictory of the silver jubilee celebrations of Pondicherry University was held on 18 October 2010. Dr C Rangarajan, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, delivered the keynote address. Lieutenant governor of Puducherry, Iqbal Singh, who was the Chief Rector of the University, was present at the function. Professor J. A. K.  Tareen,Vice Chancellor presided over the function.