Balanced personalities - focus of SUSL

An interview with Prof. Mahinda S. Rupasinghe, Vice Chancellor of Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka

Q: Can you tell us about the vision and mission of your university?

A: The vision of our university is ‘to be an internationally acclaimed Centre of Excellence in higher learning and research’.

Prof. Mahinda S. Rupasinghe

The mission is ‘to be a centre in the forefront of generation, advancement and dissemination of knowledge while promoting learning, research and training to produce competent human resources possessing knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute meaningfully towards sustainable development’.

Q: Can you brief about the history of Sabaragamuwa University?

A: Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka (SUSL) was established on November 7, 1995 as a university under the University Act No. 16 of 1978 and was ceremonially opened on February 2, 1996. It was subsequently decided to amalgamate the Uva Affiliated University at Rahangala and Affiliated University at Buttala as Faculties of Agricultural Sciences and Applied Sciences respectively. The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Rahangala shifted to Belihuloya in 2001. The Faculty of Applied Sciences which was located at the former ‘Gam Udawa’ site in Buttala, was shifted to the main campus in Belihuloya in 2008. Sabaragamuwa University is located in the former Japanese Expatriate Village of Samanalawewa project.

Q: Based on SWOT analysis can you say something about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats relevant to your university?

A: Of course, yes. If I focus on strengths at the outset, we could make a fresh move from the first place. Since this is comparatively a newly established university we have had enough local and global models around us, where we can learn a lot by looking at them in order to make our move a strong one. We have introduced a number of new, unique Degree Programmes such as B.Sc. in Surveying Sciences, B.Sc. in Sports Sciences, B.Sc. in Physical Education, B.Sc. in Computing and Information Systems, B.Sc. in Tourism Management, B.Sc. in EcoBusiness Management and B.Sc. in Military Studies, which are highly exclusive only to ours. For example, I’m proud to say that EcoBusiness Management Special Degree Programme is presently conducted only in our university in whole South Asia. Also we pioneered Degree Programmes like Food Science and Technology and Natural Resources Management in Sri Lanka. In Faculty of Social Sciences and Languages, undergraduates can study seven foreign languages and near future we plan to introduce Arabic too.

We foreshadowed the needs of the present local and global society 15 years back and implemented our Degree Programmes accordingly in order to meet the needs of fast changing world. Our mode of instruction is 90 percent English so that there is a good demand for our degrees in the present job market. Along with that we made Information Technology and English compulsory components and we have introduced and implemented them at a time where no one would dream of. So we were ahead of times foreseeing the importance of English language proficiency, Information Technological skills, Internship for undergraduates linking academic and professional education training, decades ago, at a time there was much hostility to such novel concepts.

Looking at weaknesses, I realize that our location has made many barriers across our path. Since it is hidden in a far away corner, 160 km away from Colombo, travelling is a much difficulty to anyone. Most of the scholars find it difficult to settle around with their families as there isn’t much sophisticated infrastructure in the close vicinity. The academic staff also find it difficult to continue their higher studies due to long distant travelling. Again we face difficulties in finding professional bodies for practical trainings for our undergraduates in the immediate surrounding so that they have to move to closely located main cities like Balangoda, Ratnapura, Bandarawela and Badulla. Also as I mentioned earlier, we are located in the former Japanese Expatriate Village of Samanalawewa Project and as a result, some buildings that are being used were not actually constructed for the functioning of a university and had to be occupied with a lot of modifications and alternations. This has led us to operate with least facilities in providing education, compared to those used by other National Universities.

Moving into opportunities, I must say that in the midst of all those difficulties we provide our students the latest Degree Programmes catering the demands of the present community, contributing human resources to the society and for its economic growth. Most of our Degree Programmes are consisted with a compulsory practical component of one semester professional training where they get an extensive professional exposure in almost every discipline. As I see in times to come, Degree Programmes along with professional exposure may recognize more qualifications for exemptions and we have been striving to convert ‘non-training’ Degree Programmes into ‘training based’ Degree Programmes as it happens in most of the developed countries throughout.

I don’t see any threat to our university so far because along with our university several more universities had also been established by the government but only we could get the chance to stand just after the conventional universities in Sri Lankan University grading list. We are heading to enhance the quality and relevance of university education with constant innovations to adapt higher education to the global level.

Q: What are the values and guiding principles that future development of SUSL will be based on?

A: When we say values, it is important to view them in such a way where we can mould our undergraduates to come up with a balanced personality. As it is in our mission, we are heading to produce human resources not only possessing knowledge, skills and attitudes but also to contribute meaningfully towards sustainable development. As I believe, it is important to move to global level while preserving Sri Lankan values such as religion, ethics and culture.

As we strongly believe in producing quality graduates so that we guide them to follow programmes conducted by the Military Academy, Diyathalawa for their personality development. If we can produce individuals with an overall personality there will be a job market to them. In addition to imparting knowledge to students, subject specific and other required market driven skills are being improved in our undergraduates. Being a higher education institute, we need to contribute to the ‘knowledge hub’ so we are in the process of making our university a ‘Centre of Excellence’ bringing about profound changes not only in teaching and research but also in community development.

Q: Based on the findings of SWOT analysis and the values and guiding principles, what are the thrust areas for future development that SUSL has identified?

A: Out of all, it is the new Degree Programmes that we have introduced. We have introduced few new Degree Programmes last year. Every five years we do curriculum revisions in order to base them on present and future needs of the local and global community. There is no doubt that the challenge lies in shaping citizens for tomorrow’s world. Degree Programmes like EcoBusiness Management and Tourism Management are the only programmes in whole South Asia where SUSL trains their undergraduates to meet the global environment at a moment where whole world goes green. Under the wing of ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ we are heading to make Sri Lanka ‘the miracle of Asia’ thus, Department of Tourism Management in Faculty of Management Studies is heading to give an innovative experience to the global mass under the concept of ‘Home-Stay Tourism Programme’ where you get an opportunity to expose Sri Lankan culture to the global community while boosting the rural economy.

Apart from that we always encourage both our lecturers and undergraduates to come up with new research in highly effective fields. No doubt in future, the whole world will face an energy crisis. With the financial support of Energy Authority, several projects have been conducted in the university and it has been facilitated with the sufficient land that SUSL is gifted with. It consists of approximately 200 acres and many other natural resources. As a pilot project, a huge testing tower has been established to produce wind energy. This area is naturally gifted with high winds and it is a well known fact that our ancestors had melted iron owes in the past in this area. Also we have started to produce solar energy and we plan to use these in future and to save energy and to share them along with the immediate community.

Under the guidance of Higher Education Minister S. B. Disanayake we have already established a Bio-Diversity Centre, with the guidance of experts like Prof. Sarath Kotagama as this area is rich in natural resources so that undergraduates and immediate school community are immensely benefited. At present, four bio-gas units are functioning in the university and we have introduced the rain water harvesting system instead of utilizing treated water for plantations. Cattle Breeding Centre and Fresh Milk Production Centre have been established by the Faculty of Agriculture and they contribute to the poverty stricken village community.

The third International Symposium titled ‘New Horizons in Humanities and Science towards Sustainable Development’ was held in 2010 and it gave our academics and undergraduates a valuable opportunity to expose to the new research work. In par with that, the first and second Annual Research Sessions were also successful in providing opportunities to the academic staff to present their research findings. Centre for Research and Knowledge Dissemination which was freshly established is being organizing the Fourth International Symposium to be held in September 2012 under the theme ‘Harnessing knowledge through research through emerging global issues.’

Q: Tell us about your experience as the Vice Chancellor of SUSL?

A: Obviously SUSL is not a university established in an urban area but I do not worry about its location. I try my best to develop the university as well as the immediate village community in spite of the difficulties arises due to its rural location. In terms of developing infrastructure I had to take on many issues. When I took over, the building constructions were very slow in progress. I immediately discussed with the relevant authority and accelerated the constructions thus, the faculty of Social Sciences and Languages building complex has already been completed and at the moment it is being utilized. A building complex for Applied Sciences is also constructed while another for Faculty of Geomatics is under construction. Since ours is the only university which offer a Degree Programme in Sports Sciences and Management, we need a highly equipped ground complex so that its constructions are also on progress. Thus, the constructions of the building complex of Geomatics, Sports Ground Complex and a new hostel where 250 students can be accommodated will probably be completed in next six months.

In terms of Degree Programmes, we have initiated to start new Degree Programmes like Computing and Information System in Faculty of Applied Sciences and we have already started a Special Degree in Banking and Insurance last year and another Special Degree in Hospitality Management in the Faculty of Management Studies in last year. I encourage getting the global exposure to our university so that we have conducted several projects with the help of Durham University in UK. To be continued