University of Jammu eyes new-age education model, says VC Prof Umesh Rai

Ahead of the 58th Foundation Day celebrations of the University of Jammu, Vice Chancellor Prof. Umesh Rai on Monday said the University is moving towards a model of higher education that combines academic excellence and research with innovation, skill development, cultural rootedness and greater opportunities for students.

Interacting with media persons during a Curtain Raiser Luncheon, Prof. Rai said Foundation Day was not merely an occasion to look back at the University’s journey, but also an opportunity to reflect on the institution it seeks to become in the years ahead.

“The University must prepare its students for the future while keeping them connected with their culture, society and roots. Our effort is to create an institution where students get opportunities not only to earn a degree, but also to learn, innovate, create, participate and grow,” Prof. Rai said.

Prof. Rai said the NAAC A++ accredited University, ranked 51st in the University Category and 21st among State Public Universities in NIRF, has been steadily expanding its academic portfolio in line with the National Education Policy 2020.

He said that for the first time during the present academic year, the University has introduced Five-Year Integrated Programmes across disciplines with a combined intake capacity of 500 students.

Highlighting the growing response to the University’s academic programmes, Prof. Rai said admissions have nearly doubled from around 1,400 last year to more than 2,800 this year.

He said the increase reflected the growing relevance of the academic programmes being introduced by the University and the confidence being shown by students in the institution.

Several new doctoral, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes have also been introduced in recent years. These include Ph.D. programmes in Physical Education, Rural Studies, Journalism and Mass Communication, Engineering & Technology and Philosophy, besides programmes in Disaster Management, Data Science, Political Science, Sociology, Physical Education and Sports, Library and Information Science and Teacher Education.

The Vice Chancellor said B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering has been introduced at UIET, Kathua Campus from the current academic session, while the Academic Council has approved B.Tech in Robotics and Automation from the next academic year.

He also pointed to the growing academic activity at the off-site campuses. At Poonch Campus, he said, the response to newly introduced programmes in Political Science and Sociology had been encouraging, with admissions increasing significantly during the current academic year.

He said the newly established Department of Foreign Languages is introducing certificate and diploma courses in Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Russian, among other languages, to equip students with global communication skills and widen their academic and employment opportunities.

Highlighting the University’s focus on research, Prof. Rai said the University of Jammu has joined the ANRF-Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation & Research (PAIR) programme as a Spoke institution in collaboration with IIT Delhi, with thematic areas including Environmental Sustainability, Photonics and Energy Technologies.

He said the research impact of the University has shown significant growth, with annual citations increasing from 944 in 2022 to 10,549 in 2025. Ph.D. admissions have also increased from 133 in 2024-25 to 177 in 2025-26, registering an increase of around 33 per cent.

The University, he said, is also strengthening international academic linkages. The Department of Botany has entered into a collaboration with Henan University of Science & Technology, Luoyang, China, while the Department of Computer Science & IT at Bhaderwah Campus has a collaboration with Luleå University of Technology, Sweden. Three faculty exchange programmes have already been conducted under the latter collaboration.

Prof. Rai said innovation was being encouraged across disciplines and the University has received multiple patents sanctioned by the Indian Patent Office. The patented work covers areas including energy storage, medical and health sciences, smart waste management, cybersecurity, network security, Li-Fi communication, biometric authentication and healthcare devices.

The Vice-Chancellor further stated that 10 kanals of land have also been allotted to the University for the Institute of Music and Fine Arts (IMFA) & University of Jammu has for the first time established its Kashmir Campus at Bemina, for which 50 kanals of land has been alloted.

Under new CAPEX projects, ₹15 crore has been allocated for the IMFA Building and ₹14 crore for the Philosophy Building, while ₹5.5 crore has been earmarked for repair and renovation of girls’ and boys’ hostels. Infrastructure and sports facilities are also being strengthened at the University’s off-site campuses.

He referred to the establishment of the Aurobindo Gyan Kendra, the Gandhian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, and the University Council’s approval for the Centre for Regional Studies, Culture, Dialects & Emotional Intelligence of Jammu & Kashmir (CRCD&EI).

On employability, Prof. Rai said the Centre for Distance and Online Education organised its first-ever Job Fair, which attracted 15 reputed companies and 565 aspiring candidates. In another placement drive organised in collaboration with Century Bank Brokers, Dubai, more than 500 students participated, around 400 were shortlisted and 150 students secured placements.

The interaction was attended by Prof. Neelu Rohmetra, Dean Research Studies; Prof. J. P. Singh Joorel, Dean Academic Affairs; Prof. Sangeeta Gupta, Dean Planning and Development;  Prof. Prakash Chand Antahal, Dean Students Welfare; Dr. Neeraj Sharma, Registrar, University of Jammu .

Among others present were Prof. Dushyant Rai, Convenor, Press and Media Committee, Prof. Garima Gupta, Prof. Suvidha Khanna, Prof Pankaj Kumar and Dr. Pallavi Sachdeva.