All about CUTN!

Government of India founded the Central University of Tamil Nadu, along with eight other Central Universities, through an Act of Parliament in 2009. It is part of the greater role that the Central Government assumed in making higher education accessible to aspirants from the weaker sections of the society. With eight students in M.A. English Studies, the university started functioning from November 2009, at the Collectorate Annexe at Thiruvarur, 60 kilometers to the east of Thanjavur. But today the University sits astride a major tributary of the famous Cauvery river in the heart of the Delta seven kilometers to the north-west of Thiruvarur.

Being the capital of the ancient dynasty of chozha, Thiruvarur was a town of great antiquity and a nursery for the traditional forms of dance and music. River Vettaaru runs between the Nagakudi campus which houses the faculty and staff quarters, guest house and Kendrya Vidyalaya on the north, and the Neelakudi campus with its lecture halls, library, laboratories, administration block, auditorium and students’ hostels on the south. Both campuses are nestled in a vast, verdant paddy tract, tucked far away from the madding crowds of urban sites.

In the quiet, rural environs this unitary, residential university bubbles with academic activity—research, teaching and evaluation with untrammeled autonomy in the form of schools which constantly experiment in curricula, syllabi, teaching, learning, testing and evaluation methods. The students and the faculty reside together in the campuses which makes teaching and learning continue beyond the class work and the classroom. Today, the University has over 2133 students on its rolls. Admission is through a common entrance examination which enables students from any part of India to sit the examination anywhere for any of the seven universities and join a University of her choice on merit. Coming from various parts of India the students, faculty members and staff, as a community, form the variegated India which our country really is.

The University has established 12 Schools under which 27 Departments function. The University allows adaptable teaching-learning methodology to ensure the comprehensive development of our students. The presence of diverse schools allows for an inter-disciplinary approach to higher education. The University also lays a lot of importance to community engagement. The University offers 62 academic programmes including 27 research programmes, 25 programmes, 6 integrated programmes, 3 undergraduate programmes, apart from one PG diploma course. In addition, undergraduate program and postgraduate programs are offered in collaboration Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles & Management, Coimbatore, through MoU with CUTN. Further, the University also offers nearly 20 courses through the Community College.

1. School of Basic and Applied Sciences
2. School of Behavioural Sciences
3. School of Commerce and Business Management
4. School of Communication
5. School of Earth Sciences
6. School of Education and Training
7. School of Mathematics and Computer Science
8. School of Performing Arts and Fine Arts
9. School of Social Sciences and Humanities
10. School of Technology
11. School of Life Sciences
12. School of Legal Studies

Centres

1. Department of Life Sciences
2. Department of Physics
3. Department of Chemistry
4. Department of English Studies
5. Department of Tamil
6. Department of Economics
7. Department of Social Work
8. Department of Hindi
9. Department of History
10. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
11. Department of Microbiology
12. Department of Mathematics
13. Department of Computer Science
14. Department of Applied Psychology
15. Department of Commerce
16. Department of Management
17. Department of Media and Communication
18. Department of Library and Information Science
19. Department of Education
20. Department of Materials Science
21. Department of Music
22. Department of Law
23. Department of Statistics and Applied Mathematics
24. Department of Horticulture
25. Department of Tourism and Hospital Management
26. Department of Geography
27. Department of Geology

Enthusiastic academic life, encouragement for the conduct of seminars, conferences, and workshops at the national and international level, vivacious cultural activities, debates, sports and games, competitions and festivals from the very first year have shaped the academic ethos of this institution.

CUTN was allotted 516.76 acres of land by the Government of Tamil Nadu in two Revenue villages viz., Neelakudi and Nagakudi. The academic campus is being developed in Neelakudi village (412.03 acres) and residential campus in the Nagakudi village (104.73 acres). Construction works commenced from April 2010 onwards. The works are being executed by CPWD. M/s. Space Matrix Design Consultants Pvt. Ltd. are the architects.The land in Neelakudi revenue village is separated from the land in Nagakudi village by “Vettar” river. The State Government is constructing a bridge over this river to enable access not only to University staff and students but also to general public. A master plan has also been prepared for the University campus.The University, in its first stage of its construction at the Neelakudi site has constructed 200 Nos. each of Boys / Girls hostel and students have occupied the new hostels. The Nagakudi site is being developed as a residential complex. 60 Nos. of Assistant Professors’ Quarters, 32 Nos. of Associate Professors’ Quarters and 30 Nos. of Professors’ Quarters will be ready by November 2012.The works for Phase-II buildings have also been commenced and calling of Tenders are under progress. Administrative Block, Lab-based School, Non-lab Based School, Library Building Central Lecture Hall Complex 1 &2, Kendriya Vidyalaya and Married Research Scholars’ Hostel are expected to be completed by May 2013. The University is planning to shift to the permanent campus from the Academic year (2013-2014) i.e., July, 2013.The University is taking extreme care to ensure that the existing artefacts, monuments and structures in the land are not disturbed in any way and are preserved for posterity. The planning has also attempted of Green Building. The aim of a Green Building design is to minimize the demand on non-renewable resources, maximize the utilization efficiency of these resources, when in use and maximize the reuse, recycling and utilization of renewable resources.