MDU Rohtak (Maharshi Dayanand University)
Prelude
Maharshi Dayanand University, ab initio established as Rohtak University, Rohtak, came into existence by an Act No. 25 of 1975 of the Haryana Legislative Assembly in 1976 with the objective to promote inter-disciplinary higher education and research in the fields of environmental, ecological and life sciences. It was rechristened as Maharshi Dayanand University in 1977 after the name of a great visionary and social reformer, Maharshi Dayanand. It had a unitary and residential character in its nascent stage, but became an affiliating University in November 1978. The University secured the recognition of University Grants Commission – the higher education regulatory body of India - for central Govt. grants in Feb. 1983.
The University is located at Rohtak in the state of Haryana - about 75 kms from Delhi on Delhi-Hisar National Highway (NH-10), and is about 240 kms from Chandigarh, the State Capital. It is well connected both by rail as well as road. Rohtak is the education hub of the State with excellent facilities for education in all fields of knowledge.
The University campus, spread over an area of over 665.44 acres, is well laid with state-of-the-art buildings and magnificent road network, and presents a spectacle of harmony in architecture and natural beauty. Educational and research programmes are offered through its 36 departments. There are as many as 10 Teaching Blocks, 10 Hostels with another 10 in the offing, an elegant Vivekananda Library with 6 off-shoots, the majestic Tagore Auditorium equipped with modern gadgetry and amenities, spectacular Students Activities Centre, Campus School, Health Centre, Faculty House, Sports Stadium, Swimming Pool, Multipurpose Gymnasium Hall, Community Centre, Printing Press, Canteens, Shopping Complex, and an Administrative Block. About 550 residential units are available for the faculty members and non-teaching staff. There is a very robust Campus Wide Network – an amalgam of cable and wi-fi technologies, with 1 Gbps internet connectivity. A serene ‘Yajanshala’ addresses the spiritual and health needs of the campus community. Branches of State Bank of India and Central Co-operative Bank are the other facilities available on the Campus.
Besides, the University runs some programmes through its Indira Gandhi P.G. Regional Centre, Meerpur (Rewari) and University Institute of Law & Management Studies (ULIMS), Gurgaon. The Regional Centre offers nine P.G. Programmes, while UILMS offers two.
Over 490 Institutions/Colleges of general education, Engineering, Technology, Computer Sciences and Management Sciences located in 10 districts of the State are affiliated to this University.
University Library System
The University Library System comprises a central library named as Vivekananda Library and a host of satellite libraries - Management Library, Law Library, Engineering Library, Maths Library, Hotel Management Library, and Departmental Libraries in the Departments of Sociology and History. The Vivekananda Library is so strategically located that it is just five minutes walk from the departments and the hostels. It is housed in a magnificent three storeyed building with 84000 sq. ft. area and a seating capacity of 800. It opens from 9.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. on six days of the week, and from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. One of its Reading Halls with seating capacity of about 250 keeps open round the clock throughout the year. The Hall is air-conditioned. The reading chairs meet all levels of comfort and modernism. All the functions of the library – check-out check-in, catalogue, serials system, and acquisition system - are automated. Information Kiosks are in place for accessing the online catalogue and other databases of the library. The Internet lab of the Library has been designed elegantly – it is air-conditioned, and has a bandwidth connectivity of 1 Gbps, 60 latest PCs, beautiful furniture, etc. The multimedia library has 20 latest PCs and headphones each, and provides facilities for development of communication skills and watching audio/video CDs in a variety of subjects. Its one-to-one videoconferencing facility is wrapped around state-of-the-art equipment and technology. The Library has a rich collection of knowledge resources - over 2,50,000 volumes of books and 50,000 bound volumes of journals, and subscribes to 540 Indian and foreign journals in print form. Online access is provided to 5300 e-Journals through UGC Infonet facility, over 200 e-Open Access Journals, SCOPUS- an Elsevier owned database of abstracts from about 18,000 science and social journals, e-Emeralds Plus- a full text database of management journals published by Emerald Group, and Manupatra- a full text law database. The University invests over Rs. 200 lakhs annually on the enrichment of its knowledge base, besides having substantial recurring and non-recurring budget for other library activities including upgradation of existing facilities. The Library also maintains Campus-wide Network, IP-based Telephony system and University’s website, and offers B.L.I.Sc. and M.L.I.Sc. Courses through distance mode under the aegis of Directorate of Distance Education.
Computing and Internet facilities
The University has a robust state-of-the-art Campus Wide Network. It is wrapped around OFC and wi-fi technologies. All the departments/offices/hostels are linked to the Campus Network. The University has a Computer Centre for the benefit of students, research scholars, teachers and other staff. The Computer Centre conducts computer awareness programmes for the staff from time to time, and facilitates analysis of research data of the research scholars. Besides the central facility, majority of the departments have their own computer labs.
Hostels
The University provides residential accommodation on the campus to over 2500 students in its 10 hostels – five each for girls and boys. The construction of 10 more hostels - 5 each for boys and girls- has been undertaken. The new hostels, each with accommodation for 250 residents, will be ready by mid-2011.
Maintenance of salubrious and caring environment in the hostel complexes and provision of hygienic food at reasonable charges always remains the endeavour of the university authorities. Mess in each hostel is run by the residents on cooperative basis. Each hostel has facilities for indoor games, recreation, STD, and canteen. Some hostels have been provided Wi-Fi internet connectivity, while extension of this facility to other hostels is in the offing. Each Girls’ Hostel is looked after by a full time Lady Warden. There is a Cyber Café with 30 PCs in the Girls’ Hostels complex. Besides internet surfing, it has facilities for computer printing, typing, photocopying service packed eatables, cold drinks, and coffee.
Sports Facilities
The Directorate of Sports has produced many sportspersons of national and international repute – 7 Arjuna and 5 Bhim Awardees - who brought laurels not only to the University and the State, but to the country at large. For harnessing the potential of the youth and promoting sports, the University has created excellent infrastructure including an ultra modern Gymnasium Hall for all indoor activities, a Swimming Pool of international standard, Squash Court, Boxing Ring, Wresting Hall, Tennis Courts, Basketball Courts, and a sprawling sports complex having all playfields. The synthetic Athletics Track, and Astroturf Hockey ground are imminent. The Directorate hosts about 60 inter-college tournaments for men and women players of the colleges affiliated to M.D. University, Rohtak, and organizes coaching camps for its students and deputes the teams for participation in inter-university tournaments and national games. With the state-of-the-art infrastructure in place and emphasis placed on sports, the University can be adjudged as the ‘sports nursery’.
University Centre for Competitive Examinations
The University Centre for Competitive Examinations, ever since its establishment in 1989, has been continuously striving to guide the students in electing their careers. The Cent
