University of Ruhuna


The University of Ruhuna is a public university in Matara, Sri Lanka.
It is the only university in Southern Sri Lanka. Its established by a Special Presidential Decree on 1 September 1978 as Ruhuna University College and upgraded to a fully-fledged university on 1 February 1984 by a University order. It is informally known as Ruhuna University or simply Ruhuna.
The University is organised into ten faculties throughout the Southern province of Sri Lanka. Its main campus is located in Wellamadama complex in Matara. The faculties of Agriculture and Technology are located in Kamburupitiya, whilst the faculties of Engineering, Medicine and Allied Health Sciences are located in Galle.
Its LKR 2.982 billion financial endowments are used for academic and research purposes of the university. It operates the Ruhuna Library, which is one of the largest academic and research library systems in Sri Lanka. The Ruhuna University Library System is centred in the main library at the Wellamadama main campus and comprises nearly four other libraries holding over 200,000 volumes.

History

The idea of a University of Ruhuna was proposed by the Cabinet Minister of Education & Higher Education at the time Dr. Nissanka Wijeyeratne. Ruhuna University was opened on 1 September 1978, fulfilling a desire of the people of the south to have a university in the region. It was housed in the Technical College buildings at Meddawatte, Matara with about 40 academics, 50 non-academics, and 275 students.

Inauguration of University college

The enactment of the Universities Act No. 46 of 1978 enabled the University Grants Commission to establish the Ruhuna University College. As a result, on 27 August 1978, the Prime Minister J. R. Jayawardene declared open the Ruhuna University College at Meddawatta, Matara, with Prof. Mervyn W. Thenabadu as its Director.

Campus to University status

The Ruhuna University College was shifted to the new premises in 1984 following which it was elevated to full university status. The new location was selected for the main campus at Wellamadama, two kilometers from Matara facing Matara-Kataragama main road. Professor G. P. Samarawickrama was the first Vice-Chancellor of the University. Hon. Ronnie De Mel, inaugurating the University after being elevated from campus to University status in 1984.
During the past 25 years, it has witnessed considerable progress and development in the academic, research and outreach spheres with substantial improvement in intellectual and infrastructure resources and has emerged as a leader of higher education in Sri Lanka.
To date, it has produced about 50,000 graduates and over 75 postgraduates. Around 100 postgraduate students are pursuing master and doctoral programs in disciplines that are of relevance to the development of the region in particular and the country in general.

Governance and administration

The University of Ruhuna is a state university and depends on the government for much of its annual grant, which is provided by the University Grants Commission. Due to this, its administration is heavily influenced by the UGC. Undergraduate education is completely free. The Governance of the university is under the provisions of the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978 and the Universities Act No. 7 of 1985 along with its own by-laws.
The university's administration is based upon that of the former University of Ceylon consisting of a dual structure of bodies: the Council and the Academic Senate.
Much of the appointments to officers and faculty are carried out by these bodies, however on the recommendations of the UGC.

Officers of the university

;Chancellor
The Chancellor is the head of the university and awards all degrees, although most duties are carried out by the Vice-chancellor. The appointment is made by the President of Sri Lanka, to a distinguished person in academics, clergy or in the civil society. The chancellor is Rajakeeya Panditha Pallaththara Sri Sumanajothi Nahimi Thero.
;Vice-chancellor
Day-to-day management of the University is undertaken by the Vice-chancellor, appointed by the President of Sri Lanka. The current Vice-chancellor is Prof Sujeewa Amarasena.

Past Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors

;Chancellors
  1. Ven.Paravahera Pannaseeha Mahanayaka Thero
  2. Aththudawe Sri Rahula Mahanayake Thera
  3. Athi pujya Rajakiya Panditha Pallaththara Sri Sumanajothi Na Himi
  4. Ven. Dr. Akuratiye Nanda Thero
;Vice-Chancellors
  1. G. P. Samarawickrama
  2. S. Pinnaduwage
  3. Chandrasiri Niriella
  4. Ranjith Senaratne
  5. Susirith Mendis
  6. Gamini Senanayake
  7. Sujeewa Amarasena

    Campus

Architectural landscape

A new building complex for the university was designed by the world-renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa and was constructed at Wellamadama with a unique architectural landscape. The RUC was shifted to the new premises in 1984, and it was elevated to full university status.
Edward Reed & Beg Company designed the buildings and the Ballast Nedam Company of the Netherlands completed the construction at all three sites: Wellamadama, Mapalana, and Karapitiya with a unique architectural landscape.
The 30-hectare site straddled three steep hills, the westernmost overlooking the sea and separated from the other two by a low-lying valley that carried the main road from Matara to Hambantota.Architects placed the vice-chancellor's lodge and a guest house on the western hill and flooded the intervening valley to create a buffer between the road and the main campus. He then wrapped the buildings of the science faculty around the northern hill and those of the arts faculty around the southern hill, using the depression between them for the library and other central facilities.

University Complex

After Peradeniya, which was selected for the beauty of its surrounding, Ruhuna university was the only other campus built with similar ambition. Located in the south of the island, this was the second university complex since the University of Ceylon, to be designed on the same lavish scale and style.

Geoffery Bawa's architecture for Ruhuna

In Geoffery Bawa's architecture, the central role of geography must be a highlight. The buildings as they are conceived are influenced by the "character of the natural terrain, the vegetation, the potential for developing vistas out into the landscape and hence light and shade and of course the related and ever-present aspect of climate".In the Ruhuna campus construction are intimately tied to the topography and the territory they occupy.

[Rabindranath Tagore] Memorial Auditorium

The Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Auditorium is the largest auditorium in any of the universities in Sri Lanka.

Faculties

It has ten faculties: Agriculture, Engineering, Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Management and Finance, Medicine, Science, Graduate studies, Technology and Allied Health Sciences.
The university has responded to the needs of the country and established two new faculties — 'Management and Finance' and 'Fisheries and Marine Science' — the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. Thus, the university has as many faculties as the University of Peradeniya, the largest in Sri Lanka.
The main campus is at Matara. The faculties of Engineering and Medicine are at Hapugala and Karapitiya, about 5 km from Galle city center. The Faculty of Agriculture is at Mapalana, 16 km north of Matara and 2 km south of Kamburupitiya.

Research

The University of Ruhuna undertakes research, mostly with other universities, government organisations, semi-governmental organisations and non-governmental organisations. The research is funded by both Sri Lankan and foreign entities.

Publications

The University of Ruhuna established during the same year launched Rohana, a multidisciplinary journal devoted to publishing research articles related to Applied & Natural Sciences, Management & Social Sciences, and Medical Sciences in 1985. The first issue of the journal, Tropical Agricultural Research and Extension was launched by the University of Ruhuna in 1998 followed by a government
publication the Annals of the Sri Lanka Department of Agriculture in 1999, providing additional venues for publishing articles on agriculture. Journal of the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna, commenced in 1998 providing an additional venue for research output in the area of humanities and social sciences.
The University of Ruhuna publishes some of the key academic journals in the country.
"Rohana" is a multidisciplinary refereed journal devoted to publishing high-quality research articles related to Applied & Natural Sciences, Management & Social Sciences, and Medical Sciences. Since its commencement in 1985.

Library

The university has 5 libraries. The Ruhuna University Library is the central research library, which holds over 0.2 million volumes. It is a legal deposit library, therefore it is entitled to request a free copy of every book published in Sri Lanka. In addition to the University Library and its dependents, almost every faculty or department has a specialised library; for example, Agriculture, Medical, Allied Health Science and Engineering faculty libraries are at the Mapalana, Karapitiya, and Hapugala campuses.
The library holds about 200,000 books and about 300 journals. These resources are available in print and electronic formats. Services include reference, lending, interlibrary loan, current awareness services, workshops and maintaining library website with links to resources for which the library have subscribed as well as those available free. The library website also provides access to the CD collection and the Online Public Access catalog. According to library statistics, annual circulation of resources is more than 123,000.

Student life

Students at the University of Ruhuna run over 100 clubs and organisations. These include cultural and religious groups, academic clubs, and common-interest organisations. The Ruhuna Students' Union is considered the highest body which represents all internal students separate student unions operate in each faculty.

Faculty Students' Unions

According to the amended University Act of 1988, Section 26, students of each faculty can form the Faculty Union of all students of that faculty. The main objective of this Union is to promote academic actions of the student population and to work for the advancement and welfare of the students and the faculty.

Sports

The university is equipped with a large gymnasium which is the third best in Sri Lanka with seating capacity for 3,000.
The Department of physical education provides sports equipment to students for games organised by the university and for training sessions free of charge. The University is a participatant in the Sri Lanka University Games, a multi-sporting event held between public universities in Sri Lanka.

Financial Aids

Each year ten financially disadvantaged students from Civil and Environmental Engineering program are entitled to a special scholarship sponsored by Ceylon Steel Corporation