North Orissa University

About North Orissa University

North Orissa University (NOU) is a State University established in the year 1998 vide Government of Orissa. The territorial jurisdiction of the University covers Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts of northern part of Orissa. These two districts are thickly populated with tribal population with an average of 63% inhabitants belonging to the Scheduled Tribes. NOU will thus spread education in these tribal districts and bring the underprivileged youth to the national mainstream of art, culture, science and technology. There are 80 affiliated colleges, both general and professional, catering to the demand of higher education. The present University campus is named as Sriram Chandra Vihar after Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo (1871-1912) who was the enlightened Maharaja of Mayurbhanj from 1892 to 1912. He is remembered even now for his able administration. This campus was inaugurated by His Excellency Dr. A.P.J. Abdual Kalam, President of India on 15th May, 2003.  The Honourable Governor of Orissa is the Chancellor of the University. The University is recognized by the University Grants Commission, Bar Council of India, DEC and IGNOU. North Orissa University is included in the list of Association of Indian Universities and Association of Commonwealth Universities. The University is also accredited by National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bangalore with B grade with effect from 10th January, 2011. The University has adopted Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) with semester pattern examinations and grade point evaluation system in all courses. The mode of teaching in all courses is English except Language courses

Logo / Crest of the University

The Logo/ Crest of the University includes:

a)  Ship - The ship in the logo represents maritime culture of Odisha. This also represents Odisha’s past glory in trade and commerce.

b)  Inkpot with Pen - The inkpot with pen symbolizes education in the ancient period which needs to be developed in recent times to cater to modern needs.

c)  Tribal Couple - The tribal couple with firewood on their heads represents the tribal life and culture in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts.

d)  Pulley - The pulley used in extracting minerals from the mines and the vehicle used for transportation of those minerals to the industries symbolize rich potential of minerals in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts that are the basic ingredients in setting up of industries in these districts

Location of NOU

Baripada is the district headquarters of Mayurbhanj Orissa. It is located near Similipal National Park and Tiger Reserve which is at a distance of about 25 kms from the campus. Debkund, the picturesque waterfall, Bhimkund,  Khiching, the place of piligrimage are also very near to it.

Reaching Baripada

I.  By Air – The nearest airport to Baripada is at Kolkata which is at a distance of 240 kms. Another airport at Bhubaneswar is at a distance of about 270 kms.

II.  By Rail – South Eastern Railways runs its train services to Baripada. Baripada railway station is at a distance of 2 kms from the campus. It is at a distance of about 60kms from Balasore.

III.  By Road – Baripada is well connected with Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bhubaneswar by N.H.5 and Mumbai by N.H.6

Departments at NOU

Facilities at NOU

Hostels - Separate hostels are available for boys and girls in the University campus. These are however, subject to availability of seats and position of the applicant in the merit list. The University has two ladies hostels and one gents’ hostel very near to the main campus. Every hostel has a common room where there are facilities like newspapers, games, television etc. Common mess facility exists in all hostels

Library – The library has a collection of more than 24000 texts and reference books in different subjects. It is subscribing to 75 journals and 24 magazines.  E-resources and reprographics facilities are also available here. The library is situated adjacent to the administrative building inside the campus.

DDCE – NOU has a Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education (DDCE). It provides courses which are conducted under Off-Campus-Distance Learning (OCDL) mode. The students are provided education through study centres

Some of the courses offered by DDCE are:

• M.A.(PMIR)
• M.J. and M.C.
• M.A. (Political science)
• M.A. (History)
• P.G.D.C.A.
• B.A
• B.Com
• B. Lib. and Information Science

Central Computer Facility – The centre is equipped with Xeon Quad Core Servers loaded with SQL, Visual Studio, Embacardo XE C++, Oracle, and MATLAB with on line UPS. There are about 50 Desktop Computers and around 250 Computers in various laboratories of the University departments. The facility is located in the ground floor of Science block-I (Department of Computer Application). Apart from other uses, it is used for internet and high-end programming needs.

Scholarships - The students of the University are offered various types of scholarships by the State Government based on the result of +2 and +3 examinations in Arts, Science and Commerce. Besides, students pursuing Post-Graduate courses in Colleges and University P.G. Departments are also eligible to receive P.G. Merit Scholarship and Loan Stipend awarded by the State Government.

University Canteen - There is a canteen in the university campus for refreshment of the staff and students.

Banking Facility - The Bank of India has its branch in the University campus for undertaking banking transactions by the students, teachers and employees. The Bank functions for 6 days in a week. It also provides study loans to students.

Personal Advisory System – The University has adopted a Personal Advisory System under which students of various departments are under the advisory responsibility of the teachers. Each teacher of the concerned department takes the responsibility of 3 to 5 students of the department and keeps a vigilant eye on the students allotted to him/her and guides such students in all situations, including health care and personal problems.

ST/SC Cell - The ST/SC cell provided remedial coaching at PG level to ST/SC and OBC/minorities students. This coaching is meant for entry into services of state and central governments and coaching for National Eligibility Tests.

Sports and Games - The University Sports Council promotes sports and games keeping in view the integrated personality development of the students. It has been organizing inter-college and inter-university tournaments and competitions in various sports and games.

NSS – NSS provided opportunities to the students to perform social service while they are young. NSS activities develop physical, mental, spiritual, intellectual and emotional traits through its activities. The student volunteers undertake both regular and special camping programmes including environment enrichment, health awareness, blood donation, personality development and literacy programme on regularly basis.

Health Care - The University has two part time doctors for providing health care facilities to the students, teachers and employees. The doctor attends the University health care centre twice a week and provides medical aid to students and employees as and when required.

Training and Placement Cell - The Cell trains and creates opportunities for on-and-off campus recruitments in various organizations. The University students are sent to different reputed research organizations for vocational training or project works for work experience and future absorption.