VALUE PROPOSITION

The proposed Vedanta University becomes a statutory entity with the passing of the Vedanta University Act in the Orissa Legislature. The act will establish the university as a legally defined non-profit educational institution. Vedanta University will be administered by an independent board of governors who will oversee the University's commitment to advancing knowledge and nurturing leaders.

The University will be endowed and intially developed by a $1 Billion contribution from the Anil Agarwal Foundation, a not-for-profit institution established to oversee the development of Vedanta University.

The University will be a leader in higher education, an exemplar for Universities across Asia and the world.

The university will be distinctive in many dimensions:

Endowment

Vedanta University will be established with an initial endowment as part of a US $1 billion contribution by the philanthropist Mr. Anil Agarwal for the development of the University. The endowment fund is a corpus that will facilitate the long-term financial sustainability of the University.

The endowment is essential to the vision of Vedanta University. First, it secures autonomy for core academic programmes, insulating the University's mission from volatile market demands. Second, a healthy endowment is necessary to attract world-class faculty: it is a sign of long-term sustainability of the institution and ensures the consistent ability to pursue knowledge.

Incomes from endowment will be used to help meet the annual operating expenses of the University. A committee of the Board of Trustees will manage the Endowment and obtain the best possible return from various investment instruments.

Vedanta Integrated, Multi-Disciplinary Curriculum

Vedanta University will be a regional innovator in two key respects: prioritizing an integrated undergraduate education and second, its world-class research ambitions. While there have been many innovative institutions of higher education in India, it would be fair to say that none of these institutions have placed emphasis on both critical functions of a university.

The university is designed to provide excellent liberal education with strong links between research and teaching. It is intended to be elitist in its standards for the quality of research and teaching. At the same time, recognizing the deep social inequities that constitute India's realities, it will endeavor to be egalitarian in the recruitment and social composition of students. A commitment to need-blind admissions, increasing access to marginalized groups, communities and regions will be part of Vedanta University's mission. We intend to develop strong links to schools serving these communities so as to enable promising students from such backgrounds to have access to world-class academic facilities.

The University believes that education should build perspectives as well as provide meaningful employment skills. In practice, undergraduate education has been isolated from post-graduate and research institutions; further, the rigidity of the Indian higher education system rarely allows students to learn across departments even within the same institutions. Vedanta University's trajectory will include liberal arts & natural science programmes being offered alongside several professional programmes - the students having the flexibility to customize their education from various offerings at the University. Many new graduate programmes, like Education, Public Health etc., will help develop the much needed manpower and research for these and other under managed, yet important, sectors of the Indian society. Professional schools like engineering, management, media, creative arts & design, law etc. will be organized to change the way Indian education in these disciplines are imparted, to provide the necessary talent for society, to provide the vast professional knowledge needed in non-professional training and employment etc. The Arts & Science programmes, finally, will remain the core school for the University at the undergraduate level.

One of the unique characteristics of the undergraduate education will be to allow students the flexibility to design their degree based on their own career objectives and needs. For example, a student desirous of becoming a patent attorney may choose courses from Philosophy, Economics and Engineering Science (or Biology) to prepare her entrance to a Law programme. Another student might study Business, Economics and Languages to prepare her for a job in international marketing. A third might focus on Telecommunications and Sociology to enter the world of Media.

The University will strive to prepare the next generation of global leaders. The students and graduates of the University will be recognized as much by their analytical abilities and critical reasoning as by their deep appreciation and linkages to the world around them.

World-Class Research

Research and teaching will be directly linked: Vedanta University will actively ensure that teaching, and particularly undergraduate teaching, is not removed from contemporary research. The University research agenda will establish cross-disciplinary centres of excellence for creating knowledge in new areas, provide resources and facilities to support research at par with the best Universities around the world, and develop mechanisms to involve students in research as an integral part of their learning.

Vedanta University faculty will be consistently encouraged to advance knowledge in their field(s) of expertise. The University will promote agenda-based research for enhancement of public services and governance. In addition, the University will forge links with the best research centres around the world and promote Industry partnerships to facilitate ideas and innovation. The integrated research park will nurture initiatives to commercialize viable ideas and provide access to the frontlines of innovation.

Through emphasis on both research and teaching, the University will train the next generation of faculty and revive a culture of scholarship of higher education in India. India must become globally competitive in knowledge production by investing in preparing and retaining world-class scholars.

Vedanta Campus

Vedanta University will be built from scratch on over 6,000 acres near the Puri-Konark marine drive between Nuanai and Balighai. The University will be connected by a dedicated railway station and an expressway directly to the new Bhubaneshwar International Airport.

The campus will be developed in a phased manner to nurture a vibrant university township with a population of more than 500,000. The master plan is being developed by a specialized firm and global leader in campus planning, US-based Ayers Saint Gross. The development of the University and township will engage local and international architects in creating unparalleled infrastructure. The township will give rise to schools, recreational facilities, residential areas, commercial activities, parks, cultural institutions, and a research park. The interaction between the University, the research park and business incubator will lead to an interdependent and economically generative research and education complex.

The campus will also include a developed central water body, Olympic caliber sports facilities, and support infrastructure to nurture a growing community around the University complex.

International Community

Vedanta University will engage students, faculty, and visitors from around the world. The University will provide an academic environment that is more attractive to an internationally diversified student body - promoting Indian institutions as globally competitive options for higher learning. The University will be positioned as a leading centre for Asia-centric learning and as an environment that exposes students to Indian culture and society.

The University strives to develop global leaders that will include Nobel Laureates, Heads of State, Olympic Champions, Community Leaders, Captains of Industry, Thought Leaders, Social Reformers, etc.

Governance

The University will be a benchmark for university governance in India. The Vedanta University will be established as a not-for-profit statutory entity by the passing of the Vedanta University Act. The institution will be empowered to run the University and the entire array of activities required to achieve the objectives for which the University will be setup. The hallmarks of this structure are founded on an arrangement of autonomy and linkages between the University Foundation and university administration.

The University will establish a governance structure at par with that of the most highly evolved insitutions in the world, preserving academic autonomy, tolerating dissent, and enabling a vibrant culture of continuous progress in knowledge.

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