Shiv Nadar, founder of HCL and noted philanthropist was conferred the Dataquest Lifetime Contribution award for his overall contribution to Indian IT. Mr. Nadar left a comfortable corporate job to co-found HCL from a single room in Delhi. It was one of the first companies in the world to launch a personal computer.
The Shiv Nadar Foundation has announced its plan to establish a university in Greater Noida to offer undergraduate, postgraduate and professional degrees across a number of disciplines, including management education.
“The University is located on a 286 acre campus in Greater Noida and Phase-I of the campus development plan would accommodate 4,000 students. When fully completed, the campus will accommodate 8,000 students,” said Mr. TSR Subramanian, Trustee, Shiv Nadar Foundation, at a Press Meet held on 25 April in New Delhi.
The Shiv Nadar Foundation has appointed Nikhil Sinha as the founding Vice-Chancellor of the University. Sinha has served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas. The Shiv Nadar University will commence operations this academic year.
The Uttar Pradesh government has enacted the necessary legislation for the establishment of the Shiv Nadar University in the state. "UP has an extremely progressive approach towards education and we are thankful for the support of the state government which has approved our proposal to establish the Shiv Nadar University," Mr. Subramanian said.
The University will begin its academic programmes with the launch of the School of Engineering this academic year and plans to roll out other schools in the coming years, including schools of business, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.
According to Dr. Nikhil Sinha, the founding Vice-Chancellor of the University, “We have already begun the process of recruiting top class talent in both faculty and administrators for the University. Our goal is to recruit exceptional faculty from India and around the world by offering them competitive benefits, opportunities and resources for research, the best and brightest students to teach and a commitment to academic freedom. Students will have the opportunity to be taught by outstanding faculty, to participate in research and experiential learning programs, to enhance their degree programs with international educational experiences and live and learn in a campus with world class infrastructure and facilities”.
“The University''s most significant differentiator will be the strong emphasis on interdisciplinary research that will cut across all schools,” said Mr. Shiv Nadar, Chairman, HCL Technologies.
Last year, HCL Corporation, promoted by Nadar and his family, sold a 2.5 per cent stake in group firm HCL Technologies to raise over Rs 581 crore, the proceeds of which were to be utilized for the Foundation.
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on Shiv Nadar University.
