Cuttack (July 30, 2010): An English language training (ELT) workshop was recently held at Ravenshaw University here in collaboration with Regional English Language Office (RELO) of the US Embassy. 

US resource person and eminent ELT specialist Cray Staggs addressed the first session meant for college teachers and shared his experiences. A total of 35 teachers from general as well as technical colleges of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar attended the programme. The topic for the interactive session was ‘Aspects of Academic Writing’. The language workshop provided teachers an opportunity to learn and teach English better. It helped teachers accept phonetics and understand nuances of modern English language. 

The professional development workshop provided practical ideas to teachers for adopting communicative methodology and improving the effectiveness of English language teaching in colleges. The workshop included training and support for teachers of English, provision of resources, advice and projects to help students improve their English.

The second session was aimed for the students. Around 75 students from different institutions including Ravenshaw University attended the session. The topic for the interactive session was ‘Higher Education in the US’. Cray Staggs and Shweta Khanna conducted the session.

The entire programme was coordinated by reader in english, Ravenshaw University, Dr Madhusmita Pati. HOD English, Ravenshaw University Dr Dipti Ranjan Pattanaik delivered the welcome note and reader in english, Dr Nandita Mohapatra proposed the vote of thanks. The two-day workshop was a grand success.

Cuttack (24 July, 2010): Reader in Geology, Ravenshaw University, Dr Shreerup Goswami has been recently awarded the Best Young Scientist of the Year 2008 Award instituted by the prestigious Odisha Bigyan Academy under the aegis of Government of Odisha. For the first time in the history of this esteemed academy, a scholar of geology has received this much-coveted award.

Dr Goswami, a scientist of international repute, joined Ravenshaw University as a Reader only six months ago.

It’s a great, exhilarating feeling and I feel proud and privileged to be a part of the glorious legacy of the Ravenshaw fraternity, said Dr Goswami. Ravenshaw University has brought glory for me in just six months and it became possible due to the heavenly blessings of our revered Vice Chancellor Mr Devdas Chhotray, he acknowledged.

Dr Goswami thanked the Vice Chancellor for conducting the faculty recruitment interview with impeccable fairness and integrity. A dynamic and robust selection process under his sterling leadership opened the gates of this hallowed institution of fame for me, he said seeking the kind patronage and innovative guidance of the VC for glorious progress of his department and the heritage institution.

After joining Ravenshaw University, Dr Goswami has published one textbook entitled Paribesh Bigyan Ebam Parichalana in Oriya. In addition, besides several publications to his credit, he has published seven research papers in referred journals of national and international repute, three chapters in a book edited by Professor, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois, Prof AK Jain, two popular science articles in reputed science magazine Science Reporter and three abstracts in different proceedings/conference volumes, after joining the University. 

Dr Goswami has 11 years of experience as a geologist, researcher and geo-analyst including six years of experience in postgraduate teaching in geology and environmental sciences. As a Boyscast Fellow awarded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, he has carried out research with eminent palaeontologist Dr John M Anderson at Palaeobotany Division, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Pretoria, South Africa. He is also a Fellow and Life Member of a number of prestigious societies and associations.  He has been invited as a plenary speaker, resource person and subject expert at various national and international conferences and workshops.

Ravenshaw faculty recruitment in full swing

The faculty recruitment process for filling up vacancies of teaching posts in various departments of Ravenshaw University like Sociology, Geology, Economics, English, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Biotechnology, History, Political Science, Mathematics, Commerce, Oriya and Education is already over.

As a University, Ravenshaw has received Government’s approval for creating 153 faculty positions comprising 17 posts of Professors, 45 posts of Readers and 91 posts of Lecturers. The Government has advised the University to process the recruitments as per UGC norms, provisions of Orissa Universities First Statutes (OUFS) and directions of Executive Council of the University. Vice Chancellor Mr. Devdas Chhotray has stressed on maintaining high standards while selecting candidates.

The Selection Committee interviewing the candidates includes subject experts, eminent scholars and academicians of international repute from  prestigious institutions like Kerala State Planning Board, IIT Kharagpur, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, JNU, University of Madras, Punjab University.

Ravenshaw University has taken up this mammoth recruitment enterprise by global advertisement for all 153 faculty positions. In response, more than 7,000 applications have been received. For just and fair recruitment, with required competence, the task of verification of eligibility of applicants and short-listing of eligible candidates has been outsourced to XIMB, Bhubaneswar.  

Lecture on civil aspects of Aviation Management 

Professor Ludwig Weber of Mc Gill University, Montreal, Canada delivered a lecture on the topic “Legal aspects of Aviation Management” on 31st October, 2009 at PLT, Ravenshaw University. He is an eminent international authority on aviation law and teaches in the Institute of Air and Space Law, Mc Gill University and other reputed institutes as a guest faculty.

Students of Ravenshaw Management Centre (RMC) and some BBA students attended the lecture. It is planned to start Aviation Management as an elective course from the next academic session. The lecture was intended to sensitize students on the subject which is gaining momentum.

Ravenshaw University and University of Malaya extend academic link

Prof. Nihar Ranjan Patnaik, Dean, School of Social Sciences and Professor and Head, Department of History, Ravenshaw University visited the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 3, 2009 for discussion and understanding regarding academic link between Ravenshaw University and University of Malaya. The discussions were focused on exploring the possibilities of academic collaboration between the two Universities. Possibilities of collaborative activities in various areas such as academic exchange programmes, short-term visits for research, field studies and conferences were also explored.  

He described the rich academic heritage and glorious history of Ravenshaw University and informed about the future plans of the University under the dynamic leadership of Vice Chancellor Mr. Devdas Chhotray. He proposed for exchange of faculty, research scholars, university publications, and library, documentation and research materials between the two institutions and called for promoting joint research activities through student exchange programmes, departmental links and conferences, seminars and cultural cooperation programmes.

Prof. Patnaik also delivered a talk on the topic ‘Human Sacrifice among the Kandh Tribe in India’ which was highly appreciated by the students as well as teaching staff of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Indian Studies, University of Malaya.

Earlier, Prof. Patnaik presented a paper and chaired a session in the 16th World Congress of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES 2009) held at Kunming in China during 27-31 July, 2009. His research paper, ‘Marriage Rites: Changes and Continuities among the Kandh Tribe’, was widely acclaimed in the conference. He chaired the session ‘Changing Rites of Passage and Marginalization’ in the panel, ‘Diverse Ethnic Rites of Passage’. 

RU joins hands with NUS for academic linkage

Dr. Nihar Ranjan Patnaik, Chairman, Council of Deans, Dean of School of Social Sciences and Professor and Head of the Department of History of Ravenshaw University visited the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore on June 8, 2009 to discuss the possibility of academic linkage and collaboration between the institutions.

Dr. Patnaik also visited the prestigious Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), Singapore under NUS. He informed that ISAS has agreed to provide assistance to researchers and post-doctoral students from the Advanced Centre for South Asian Studies, Ravenshaw University by allowing the use of ISAS/ NUS library and meeting with ISAS researchers.

In his acknowledgement letter, Vice Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, NUS, John Richardson encouraged leading researchers of Ravenshaw University to contact researchers at ISAS/ NUS with common interests. 

Dr. Patnaik also delivered a talk on the topic “Cultural Contacts of Kalinga (Orissa) with South-East Asia: A Case Study of Bali” at the Institute of South-East Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore which was widely acclaimed. There was a discussion regarding access of Ravenshaw University’s research students and colleagues to the ISEAS library and the possibility of inter-library exchange of books.

He also participated and presented a paper in SSEASR Conference held at Denpasar, Indonesia.