he has  been an  instrumental  driving force to move the university into the  international and national arena. The permanent academic building of School of Physical Sciences was constructed and inaugurated. The extension of administrative building was completed and some sections were shifted to the new building for more efficient functioning of the office. A well equipped  central library with a large stock of books has got new momentum due to the personal initiative of the Vice-Chancellor. The Departments of Ecology, Chemistry and Physics have been shifted into a  permanent building near the central library.  Internet facilities have been provided to the central library and to most of the academic departments housed in their permanent buildings and all the hostels with networking facilities. A  new health center within the campus has been completed and inaugurated. To make it fully operational permanent doctors and nurses have been appointed for the first time. It provides 24 hours services to the University community. Two new hostels  were constructed to provide comfortable accommodation to the students.

Advancing  infrastructural feats, recently, the  newly constructed permanent buildings of Physics Department, Computer Science Department and Chemistry Department were inaugurated. The permanent buildings of the Department of Mass Communication, Biotechnology, Education and Fine Arts are on the verge of completion. Moreover the construction of  anew academic building complex will house five Departments. A Museum and a language Laboratory, two student’s hostels, quarters for teaching and non-teaching staff, shopping complex, and an Amenities center are some of the great achievements of his career. The construction of separate hostels for engineering students has also been initiated to cope with the increasing number of students willing to stay in hostels. The operation of advanced full-fledged Audio-Visual Studio equipped with Ultra Modern sophisticated equipments is a landmark in the journey of Mass Communication Department as well of Assam University. The installation of the EDUSAT in the University has provided further avenues to the students to learn through virtual class room. In addition to this with recent approvals received from UGC, the construction of the building for the Departments of Social Work, Arabic, Bengali, English, Hindi, Manipuri, and Sanskrit has also been initiated.

Giving mileage to administrative reforms for better performance he has restructured the administrative setup and section as per the demands of the hour.  To keep  the University free from power load shedding all efforts were made by him for dedicated power supply within the campus just after one month of assuming the charge of Vice-Chancellor. To promote sports activities among the students a big sports complex is also coming up. Two fully equipped advanced gymnastic centers were also inaugurated. It is he who has taken necessary steps to solve the twin problem of water and electricity supply. The installation of 100KVA heavy generator for Administrative building, Phase-I, Phase-II resolved the problem of power crisis. The Bhagirathi pilot water supply project worth of Rs. 20 crores (approximate) is in the pipe line. The Laptops have been provided to all faculty members and officers of this University to equip them with new information technology. In order to give a presentable look and shape to the Departments, the renovation of various premises/ Departments of the University is also one of his remarkable achievements.

Being a man of academic and literary taste, within 3 months of joining, he took the initiative to fill up all teaching and non-teaching position which were lying vacant in the University for years. He also took a personal initiative to clear the long pending CAS cases of the teachers within six month of his joining. With the help of UGC he made a special arrangement to appoint temporary faculty against the vacant posts in different departments till the appointment of permanent faculty. The establishment of Barak Bangla Sahitaya Academy, Bhasha Udayan and Publication Cell are milestones of his tenure. Besides the publication of several academic journals of international repute such as Assam University Journal of Science and Technology, Assam University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, ‘Manasvita’, a multi-lingual journal of School of Languages etc. speak about his academic feats. The establishment of  Upendro Brohmo memorial Hall in memory of the legendry leader of Bodoland movement from Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) is also a great achievement in the progressive journey of the University. Prof. Tapodhir Bhattacharjee initiated  a series of international and national seminars, symposiums and workshops in the University. Organization of International Philosophy Day, Management Festival, The Sanskrit Day, Inter University Communication Festival and Puppet Show, discourse of ‘Battle of Plassey’ after 250 years are living examples of his efforts. Moreover a number of new professional courses have been  launched such as International Humanitarian Law and Conflict Reporting, Human Development, Marketing Management, Tourism, Hindi Translation, Communicative English and Tea Management. The introduction of specialization course in B.F.A has made the Department’s students more competent. Revision and modernization of the syllabi of almost all the subjects and courses was done in view of changing scenario of Indian higher education.

The effort of Assam University is to open up the sky for its community which has found wings with Prof. Tapodhir Bhattacharjee’s recent visit to China and Canada to sign MOU’S with several Universities of these two countries with an eye to catapult Assam University to new heights. During his visit he emphasized on the progression of media studies with Chinese Universities on account of student and teacher exchange programmes and collaborative studies in the thrust areas of these two countries. He has also planned to open an advanced center of Buddhist study in the university. In order to give high academic flavour to the University, Prof. Tapodhir Bhattacharjee proceeded for MoU with best institutions from within and from outside the country. The collaboration with ICCUA, Pune and SAMEER Project are already in pipeline. To promote linkage with industries and ensure their participation in social Engineering, an agreement has been signed with Jalinga Tea Estate and Inhana Biosciences, Kolkata.

Bearing responsibility towards SC/ST and Minority students to prepare them for competitive examinations such as Civil Services and NET the University has started coaching classes for this purpose. A golden avenue for the students is now opened in getting jobs on account of Prof. Bhattacharjee’s sincere efforts for campus recruitment of the University students. As a result, the reputed companies like TATA Chemicals, TCS Company, WIPRO, HSBC, have made campus recruitment.

To make the convocation, a solemn ceremony, a regular feature of the university the organization of 9th Convocation (29th January 2008) is a shining example of his pragmatic vision and commitment. For the first time two distinguished personalities of Barak Valley, namely, late Mukunda Das Bhattacharjee and Shri Ameresh Dutta were conferred the honorary D Lit. for their outstanding contributions in their respective field and two renowned scientists of international repute Prof. Jayanta Vishnu Narlikar and former chairman of ISRO Prof. Kasturi Rangan graced the occasion as guest of honour and chief guest.

As a Vice-Chancellor of high academic pursuit the NAAC assessment was his first and foremost priority and commitment. Therefore, just after assuming the role of  Vice-Chancellor he took the  initiative and made tremendous efforts to fulfill his commitment. The successful completion of the NAAC visit  is a very significant achievement in the history of Assam University under his dynamic leadership and able guidance. In addition the successful completion of the UGC team visit to the university regarding finalization of XI Plan allocation is another silver line to the university to march ahead The Prestigious Industrial award of Rs. 1.25 Lakh (One lakh twenty five thousand only) given by CIDC, Govt. of India for outstanding performance in the field of Industrial collaboration is landmark achievement of the University under  his tenure.

Making Diphu Campus fully operational as the permanent campus of the university with six departments is not only a successful story of his short tenure but also a great bonanza to the people of the Karbi Anglong district of Assam. Nevertheless formation of Assam University Movie Club with an objective to educate the students as well as the people through information and entertainment about the local films and other national and international films  to perceive socio-cultural ethos is his other endeavour.

For the first time, establishment of students’ grievances cell, special grant of Rs. 50 Lakhs to five Science Colleges, laying of foundation stone for second academic complex, formation of internal quality maintenance cell, introduction of UGC fellowship for all fulltime M. Phil and Ph.D. scholars, Obtaining more than one hundred crore from UGC for all round development of the university, and nearly 71 crore for development of infrastructure and 60 teaching posts for implementation of OBC quota  are major highlights of the achievements during his short tenure.

Creation of new schools, centers and departments are only some of his future plans. As a Vice-Chancellor he has steered the University to a glorious future by following a policy of participatory management. Now his vision is to create an atmosphere of mutual faith, trust, and working together so that the University can run from strength to strength to fulfill the motto of the university i.e. conviction, creativity and confidence.

Prof. G.P. Pandey