Pune: While rumours of Fergusson College becoming a university are yet to be confirmed as college authorities are unsure about which university status has been granted to them, officials have claimed that they have received a communication from the University Grants Commission (UGC), informing them that Fergusson College has been selected for forming a university.
Fergusson College had received a letter for upgradation to a university from Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) a month ago. Authorities are expecting a confirmation about grant of a university status by next week.
“We have not received any formal communication from RUSA, though UGC has informed us that we have been selected to form a university. RUSA has called for meeting on Monday. Only after that meeting, we will be able to confirm which status university, state, autonomous or deemed to be university has been granted,” said Ravindra Pardeshi, Principal of Fergusson College, at a press meet on Saturday.
Three institutes have been selected for the university status, out which two are from Karnataka and one is from Maharashtra. “We are looking forward to have a clustered university, as we have courses in various disciplines under Deccan Education Society (DES). Once we receive clear provisions on how how to form a cluster university from the Centre, we will send a proposal regarding the same,” said Chairman of DES Sharad Kunthe.
The government will provides an amount of Rs 55 crore, divided between Centre and state, for upgradation of Fergusson College. After the upgradation, the college will convert its 27 departments in Arts and Science streams to eight ‘schools’. For instance, they may be called the school of bio-sciences, school of earth, energy and environmental sciences, etc., which will be headed by directors or deans. There will also be separate centres for skill and personality development and health and wellness.
