History and Evolution

Mangalore University campus at Mangalagangothri, located about 20 km to the south-east of the historic coastal town of Mangalore, sets the tone for the educational endeavours of the three districts under the jurisdiction of the University. It is a picturesque campus that sprawls over 353 acres, overlooking the confluence of the river Nethravathi with the Arabian Sea on one side, and the cloud-capped Western Ghats on the other. It grew out of a modest Postgraduate Centre of the University of Mysore to become the focal point of an independent University in 1980. The campus, which once housed only three postgraduate departments, now has 26 postgraduate departments, supported by modern infrastructure and experienced faculty. Mangalore University has grown impressively since its inception with 204 affiliated colleges, two constituent colleges (at Mangalore and Madikeri) and five autonomous colleges. The University has established Jnana Kaveri, the PG Centre at Chikka Aluvara, Somwarpet taluk, Kodagu district, with two departments, and offers 11 postgraduate and two Ph D. programmes.

The University campus is a self-contained facility that provides all the essential facilities and infrastructure for the pursuit of excellence in higher education. Among the several central facilities at Mangalagangothri, mention may be made of the spacious and modern library, University Science Instrumentation Centre, Microtron Centre, Humanities Block, MBA Block, Science Faculty Building, and a Cybercafe. In the campus, there are three internationally recognized science research centres: (i) Microtron Centre, (ii) Center for Application of Radiation and Radioisotope Technology (CARRT), (iii) Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Radioactivity (CARER), which have been established through funding from Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. Under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, the special scheme, Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE) for the development of research infrastructure in Universities, has enabled establishment of state-of-the-art research facilities on the campus.

There is an impressive administrative building, two guest houses for visiting dignitaries and faculty, a well-equipped health centre, a shopping complex, two nationalized banks, and an ATM centre. A post office and a telephone exchange function from the campus. The University has provided a good number of residential quarters for its employees on the campus itself.

The University has taken steps to establish contacts through the exchange of scholars and students with universities in USA, UK, Finland, Japan, Norway, Germany, Spain and other countries. MoUs have been established with leading institutions of the world for research collaboration. A number of our faculty have been able to get fellowships and visit various universities to carry out their postdoctoral work. They have been on research assignments with assistance from Commonwealth, Humboldt, Rotary, Agatha Harrison Memorial, Rockefeller and Macarthur fellowships. The University has thus taken steps to benefit from the current trend of globalization. Eminent scientists and scholars have been empaneled as Adjunct Faculty to improving the quality and quantum of research, and to support the teaching programmes. An International Students Centre too has been set up to facilitate internationalization in the campus profile.