, logo = CampusmapofAU.jpg
, image = Annamalai University logo.png
, image_size = 225px
, motto = "With Courage and Faith"
, established =
, type =
State University (Government)
, endowment =
, administrative_staff =
, faculty =
, president =
, principal =
, rector =
, chancellor =
Governor of Tamil Nadu
, vice_chancellor = R. M. Kathiresan
, head_label =
, head =
, academic_staff = 2,281
, students = 32,480
, undergrad = 23,256
, postgrad = 8,067
, doctoral = 998
, city =
Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu
, country =
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, coordinates =
, campus = Rural,
, campus_size =
, language =
English,
Tamil
, free_label =
, free =
, colours =
, mascot =
, sports_nickname = Annamalaians AU
, academic_affiliations =
UGC,
ACU,
NBA,
AIU,
NAAC,
AICTE,
ICAR,
NCTE,
PCI,
MCI,
DCI
DCI may be an abbreviation for:
Technology
* D-chiro-inositol, an isomer of inositol
* Data, context and interaction, an architectural pattern in computer software development
* Direct Count & Intersect, an algorithm for discovering frequent se ...
,
MOE,
WES
Wes or WES may refer to:
* Westmorland, county in England, Chapman code
__NOTOC__ People and fictional characters
* Wes (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Wes Madiko (1964–2021), Cameroonian musici ...
, website =
The Annamalai University is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
state university in
Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. The sprawling campus offers courses of higher education in arts, science, engineering, medical, management, humanities, agriculture, and physical education. The university also provides more than 500 courses through
distance education. With over 32,480 students residing on campus, it is one of the largest unitary, teaching, and residential universities in Asia, and is among the most reputed and ranked universities in India including the rankings from
NIRF,
QS World University Rankings
''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for th ...
,
Times University Rankings,
CWTS Leiden Ranking,
India Today Magazine.
The
National Assessment and Accreditation Council has conferred accreditation to the university in the fourth cycle, and subsequently with its highest
'A+' grade in 2022.
Annamalai University is also recognized among the 18 universities in India having the 'Centre with Potential for Excellence in Particular Area (CPEPA)' with a focus on
drug development and
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
.
Established in 1929, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India. The university was also ranked as 18th most influential institution in India and It is also among the topmost google searched universities in India as well as in the World.
The university is also a permanent member of AMDISA (Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia) that provides the SAQS Accreditation (South Asian Quality System) to the Institutions.
History
The university was founded in 1929 by the entrepreneur
Rajah Sir S. Rm. M. Annamalai Chettiar in the aftermath of the
Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms. In the early 1920s, to serve the downtrodden and to promote Tamil literature, Rajah Sir S. R. M. Annamalai Chettiar founded Sri Minakshi College, Sri Minakshi Tamil College and Sri Minakshi Sanskrit College in a rural setup at Chidambaram. In 1928, Rajah Sir S. R. M. Annamalai Chettiar agreed with the local government to hand over the above said institution for establishing a university. Thus, on 1 January 1929 Annamalai University was established as per Annamalai University Act 1928 (Tamil Nadu Act 1 of 1929). The most significant development is the enactment of the Annamalai University Act, 2013 (Tamil Nadu Act 20 of 2013), which came into force from September 25, 2013, after obtaining the assent of the president of India.
Faculties
The university has ten faculties, namely
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...
,
arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
(including management studies),
dentistry
Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions ...
,
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. ...
,
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
and
technology
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scie ...
,
fine arts,
Indian languages,
marine sciences,
Rajah Muthiah Medical College (medicine, de-affiliated in 2021) and science.
Organization and administration
Governance
The organizational structure of Annamalai University consists of the Senate, the Syndicate, the Academic Council, the faculties, the Finance Committee, and the Boards of studies. The
governor of Tamil Nadu is the chancellor of the university. The vice-chancellor is the executive head of the university. The registrar of the university, who is the secretary of the Syndicate, is the custodian of all the records and chief administrator of the university. The examinations of the university is managed by Office of the Controller of Examinations.
Schools and departments
Annamalai University is one of the largest unitary, teaching, and residential Universities in Southern Asia consisting of 10 faculties and 49 departments of study. This university has played a pivotal role in providing access to higher education to thousands of youths cutting across the social spectrum, especially from economically and socially disadvantaged classes. In this respect, this university's service to the Nation is tremendous. Annamalai University is organized into ten main schools, each of which comprises multiple departments and centres as below.
Faculty of Arts
English, History, Political Science and Public Administration, Economics, Commerce, Sociology and Social Work, Population Studies, Business Administration, Library and Information Science, Centre for Rural Development, Philosophy.
Faculty of Science
Department of Mathematics, Department of Statistics, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Botany, Department of Zoology, Department of Earth Sciences, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, Department of Microbiology, Department of Computer and Information Science.
Faculty of Marine Sciences
Centre of Advanced Study (CAS)
Faculty of Indian Languages
Department of Tamil Studies Research, Hindi, Sanskrit, Center of Advanced Studies in Linguistics.
Faculty of Engineering & Technology
Computer Science and Engineering (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning), Computer Science and Engineering (Data Science), Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Civil and Structural Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering (Manufacturing).
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Fine Arts
Nagaswaram, Thavil, Miruthangam , Flute, Bharathanaatiyam , Nattuvangam, Vocal, Thevaram
Faculty of Agriculture
Agronomy, Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Microbiology, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Agricultural Economics, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Agricultural Extension.
Faculty of Medicine
Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine, Community Medicine, Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Pediatrics, TB & Chest Disease, Dermatology Venereology and Leprosy, Orthopaedics, Otorhinolaryngology, Psychiatry, Radiology, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Anaesthesiology, Neuro Surgery, Urology, Plastic Surgery, Nursing, Emergency Medicine.
Faculty of Dentistry
Periodontology, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology, Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Oral Medicine & Radiology, Public Health Dentistry, Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge, Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics, Microbiology, Anatomy, Pharmacology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.
Affiliated colleges
In July 2021 Higher Education Minister of Tamil Nadu
Mr K. Ponmudy announced to change the status of Annamalai University from unitary to affiliating university. The university have colleges affiliated to it from four districts, namely
Cuddalore,
Kallakurichi Mayiladuthurai and
Villupuram. In his recent announcement 14 more colleges of
Mayiladuthurai district merged with Annamalai University which was earlier affiliated with
Bharathidasan University.
Controversies
In March 2022, the UGC warned students against enrolling for any online and distance learning courses offered by the university as it did not have the requisite recognition to do so from the UGC.
According to University Vice-Chancellor Mr. RM Kathiresan the degrees were offered as per the
Madras High Court direction as the university is having a stay order to the UGC's direction imposing jurisdictional restriction is still valid. And all the hearings and proceedings were in the favour of our varsity. So Unless the UGC's gets that stay vacated the degree distance programmes are valid. He further added that a
National Assessment and Accreditation Council review team visited the campus between March 16 and 18. As the results are expected anytime, we will go for distance education board approval and get it done. The problem will be sorted out soon.
Mr. R Singaravel, director of distance education at the university, said the students degree will not become invalid with the UGC notice. As we are the oldest and most prestigious university under
Government of Tamil Nadu and offering our programmes before the existence of UGC and IGNOU.
UGC's circular that distance education courses at Annamalai University are not valid is incorrect. Contempt of court. The High Court issued a restraining order in our favor in 2018 in favor of the UGC Circular on the grounds that it was in our favor in relation to our university jurisdiction. The UGC reissued a similar circular while the injunction was in force. Subject to contempt of court. Students studying at our university actually have no legal issues. Their courses are legally valid.
University officials also stated that Annamalai University Act 1929 was signed and approved by both the then governor general of the British government and the governor general of the central government. The Annamalai University Act 2013 was approved by both the governor and the president of the state. Therefore, the jurisdiction of the Annamalai University. The same applies to the whole of India as it does to the central universities. Other state university laws are not like that. One approved by the governors of the State.
And Annamalai University remote drive is something that appeared long before the emergence of Delhi IGNOU University. Distance Education as DEC. Something that appeared even before the Council appeared and announced the protocols.
Academics
Accreditation
The
National Assessment and Accreditation Council accredited Annamalai University with a grade of "A+" in 2022.
The Faculty of Agriculture of Annamalai University is accredited with ICAR (NAEAB).
Rankings
The Annamalai University was ranked 1001+ in the world by the ''
Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' of 2020
and 351–400 in Asia.
It was ranked in the 151-200 band overall in India by the
National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for 2020
and in the 151-200 band among universities.
NIRF also ranked it 12 in its pharmacy ranking in 2020.
On 6 August 2022 Annamalai University was ranked 15th in India overall among government universities by
the magazine ''India Today''br>
Distance education
The Directorate of Distance Education was established in 1979 and offers more than 500 courses, including MBAs. All study programmes offered are approved by the
Distance Education Council. The B.Ed. programme is approved by the
National Council for Teacher Education.
Annamalai University opened its first international office in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
, Canada, in 2006, named Annamalai Canada. As it does not have
degree-granting authority in the province of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, it acts as a recruitment office for international students for programs and courses in Tamil language, literature, arts, yoga and dance. It offers bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees awarded by Annamalai University's main campus.
Annamalai University is India's first and oldest university to offer distance education programmes after receiving assent from the central government.
Scholarships and awards
A total of 356 scholarships and awards are given to eligible candidates every year.
Notable alumni
*
P. C. Alexander,
Indian Administrative Service officer, former
Governor of Tamil Nadu and
Governor of Maharashtra
*
K. Anbazhagan, former Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu,
MLA (
Park Town constituency) and General Secretary of
DMK
*
Subbiah Arunachalam
Subbiah Arunachalam (born 1941) is a Chennai, India-based information consultant known for his campaigns in favour of open access for academic journals in developing countries. He has been associated with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation ...
*
C. Sylendra Babu, renowned
Indian Police Service officer of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...
cadre
*
K. Balachander, Indian director, producer, writer, actor, playwright, stage conductor, and comedian who worked mainly in the Tamil film industry; graduated in Zoology
*
Bala V. Balachandran
Bala V. Balachandran (5 July 1937 – 28 September 2021) was an Indian academic who served as Professor Emeritus of Accounting Information & Management at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He was also the founder, Cha ...
, founder and Dean,
Great Lakes Institute of Management,
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of ...
, India
*
K. Balakrishnan (CPI-M), politician
*
R. K. Baliga
Ram Krishna Baliga (29 December 1929 – 26 October 1988) was an engineer and chairman. He is regarded as the father of the Electronics City in Bangalore, India, as he founded and established the Electronic City.
Education and career
Ram Kris ...
, father of the
Electronic City in
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, India
*
T. K. Doraiswamy
T. K. Doraiswamy (21 August 1921 – 17 May 2007), also known by his pen name Nakulan, was an Indian poet, professor of English, novelist, translator and short fiction writer, who wrote both in Tamil and English, and is known for his surrealism ...
, poet and novelist
*
Ere. Elamvazhuthi
Ere. Elamvazhuthi (born 5 September 1925) was a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Cuddalore constituency of Tamil Nadu from 1967 to 1970 representing Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Early life
He was born in Sangolikuppam, a ...
,
MLA for
Cuddalore constituency of Tamil Nadu from 1967 to 1970 representing
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
*
Kulandei Francis, activist, social worker, recipient of the
Magsaysay Award in 2012
*
R Gandhi
Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India from 2014 to 2017. Currently he is a freelance adviser and consultant in financial sector policy and regulation, payment systems, FinTech & currency management.
He was appoint ...
, retired deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India
*
A. S. Gnanasambandan, Tamil writer, scholar and literary critic from Tamil Nadu, India
*
Kovai Gnani
K. Pazhanisamy was a Tamil language writer, Marxist thinker, literary critic and scholar from Tamil Nadu, India, who wrote under the pen name Kovai Gnani. He introduced the Marxist ideology in Tamil literature, in the early 1990s, and authored 28 ...
, writer and Marxist thinker
*
Ravi Gomatam, quantum physicist, director of Bhaktivedanta Institute and Institute for Semantic Information Sciences and Technology, Berkeley, and Mumbai
*
Vijay Govindarajan, best-selling author, Coxe Distinguished Professor at Tuck School at Dartmouth
*Justice
V. R. Krishna Iyer
Justice Vaidyanathapuram Rama Krishna Iyer (15 November 1915 – 4 December 2014) was an Indian judge who became a pioneer of judicial activism. He pioneered the legal-aid movement in the country. Before that, he was a state minister and poli ...
judge, presidential candidate, Minister for Law and Irrigation Kerala
*
Narayanaswamy Jayaraman
Narayanaswamy Jayaraman (born 1964) is an Indian organic chemist and a professor and the chair of the department of organic chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science. He is known for his work on synthesis of complex carbohydrates and new de ...
, organic chemist and
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate
*
D. R. Karthikeyan,
Indian Police Service officer from Tamil Nadu
*
G. Nammalvar, agriculturist, scientist
*
V. Narayanasamy
Velu Narayanasamy (born 30 May 1947) is an Indian politician who served as the 10th Chief Minister of Puducherry from 2016 to 2021. He is a member of Indian National Congress political party.
He previously served as Member of Parliament, re ...
, politician,
Chief Minister of Puducherry
The chief minister of Puducherry is the chief executive of the Indian union territory of Puducherry. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the lieutenant governor is a union territory's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive autho ...
*
K. A. Mathiazhagan
K. A. Mathiazhagan was an Indian politician and co-founder of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). He served as the Finance Minister, Minister of Food, Revenue and Commercial Taxes in the Tamil Nadu government and Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Leg ...
, senate member of this university, Minister of Tamil Nadu and speaker of Tamil Nadu legislative assembly.
*
Venniradai Moorthy, Tamil comedy actor
*
N. S. Satya Murthy – physicist,
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate
*
G. Balakrish Nair, Indian
microbiologist
*
K. S. Narayanaswamy, Carnatic veena exponent of the Thanjavur style
*
Nedumaran, Tamil politician from the state of Tamil Nadu, South India
*
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (11 July 1920 – 12 January 2000) was an Indian politician and writer. He served thrice as the acting Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also finance minister under the governments of C. N. ...
, former
chief minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
of Tamil Nadu
*
K. Ponmudy, Minister Of Higher Education
*
Vijaya T. Rajendar, Tamil actor, singer, director and politician
*
Panruti S. Ramachandran
Panruti S. Ramachandran (born 10 November 1937 in Panruti, Madras Presidency) is an Indian Tamil politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu.
He served as the party presidium chairman of DMDK till 2013.
Early life a ...
*
Sujatha Ramdorai
Sujatha Ramdorai (born 1962) is an algebraic number theorist known for her work on Iwasawa theory. She is a professor of mathematics and Canada Research Chair at University of British Columbia, Canada. She was previously a professor at Tata I ...
, professor of mathematics and
Canada Research Chair at
University of British Columbia
*
Savitha Reddy, dubbing artist in the southern India film industry
*
V. Sethuraman
V. Sethuraman (29 October 1984 – 26 March 2020), also known by his stage name Sethu, was an Indian dermatologist, who was the founder and medical director of ZI Clinic, an upscale dermatology clinic in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was also an acto ...
, dermatologist and actor
*
V. T. Sambanthan, fifth president of
Malaysian Indian Congress and one of the founding fathers of Malaysia
*
E. V. Sampathkumaran, condensed matter physicist,
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate
*
Narayanasami Sathyamurthy,
scientist
*
Pakkiriswamy Chandra Sekharan
Pakkiriswamy Chandra Sekharan (15 April 1934 – 11 July 2017) was an Indian forensic expert, writer and a former director of the Department of Forensics Sciences of the Government of Tamil Nadu. He was best known for his contributions in the inve ...
, forensic expert and
Padma Bhushan recipient
*
S. S. Sivasankar,
MLA (
Kunnam (State Assembly Constituency))
*
S. D. Somasundaram, former cabinet minister
*
S. Srinivasan
Suryanarayanan Srinivasan (1941–1999) was an Indian aeronautical engineer and the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), known for his pioneering work in rocket science. He also served as the director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre ...
, aerospace scientist and
Padma Bhushan recipient
*
Vijayalakshmy Subramaniam,
Carnatic music vocalist
*
M. Swaraj, MLA Kerala
*
Ramanuja Vijayaraghavan
Ramanuja Vijayaraghavan (born 3 January 1931) is an Indian physicist, specializing in condensed matter physics.
Vijayaraghavan pioneered active research in the areas of metal physics, magnetic resonance in biophysical systems, and fine partic ...
, Indian physicist,
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate (1976), UGC Raman Award (1983)
See also
*
List of educational institutions in Tamil Nadu
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Universities in Tamil Nadu
Education in Cuddalore district
Educational institutions established in 1929
1929 establishments in India
Agricultural universities and colleges in India
Agriculture in Tamil Nadu