Srinagar, Sep 10 (KNS): The 46th Academic Council meeting of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) was held here on Wednesday, with the university setting out a roadmap for its transition from “National to Global” by 2030.

The meeting, chaired by SKUAST-K Vice-Chancellor and Academic Council Chairperson Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai at the Vice-Chancellor’s Conference Hall at the main campus in Shalimar, was attended by members of the Academic Council, representatives of sister universities and institutions, and university officers and heads of various divisions.

Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Higher Education Department, Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Ram Niwas, attended the meeting as a special guest.

Addressing the council, Prof Ganai said the university had achieved the goal set in 2022 of moving from “Local to National” and was now repositioning its goalpost from “National to Global”.

He said the next phase of transformation would be driven by six key pillars — student diversity, faculty diversity, curriculum transformation, research and innovation, world-class infrastructure and financial sustainability.

The Vice-Chancellor outlined the milestones to be achieved by 2030, including raising international student enrolment to five per cent and enrolment of students from other states and Union Territories to 35 per cent.

He also set targets of taking the university’s intellectual property rights (IPR) portfolio to more than 250, achieving an H-index of 250-plus and strengthening faculty diversity by attracting more than 50 faculty members from outside Jammu and Kashmir, including Professors of Practice and Adjunct Faculty.

Prof Ganai also stressed the need for a sustainable mountain development policy in view of changing global climatic conditions and growing challenges confronting mountain ecosystems.

He said SKUAST-K should contribute its expertise towards developing sustainable and climate-resilient approaches for mountain agriculture and development.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

The Vice-Chancellor expressed gratitude to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, other administrative secretaries and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for their continued support and guidance to the university.

He also thanked Ram Niwas for his suggestions and inputs during the council deliberations.

Ram Niwas said SKUAST-K had demonstrated how an agricultural university could assume a larger role in the higher education landscape and acknowledged its shift in focus from the national to the global level.

He said the proposed Centre for Faculty Training and Pedagogy at SKUAST-K could serve as a model for universities across the country.

Ram Niwas also suggested the creation of an Indian Teachers Service on the lines of national services such as the IAS, IFS and IES to strengthen academic capacity-building across the country.

He further suggested that universities should prepare predefined five- or ten-year action plans with clear goals and measurable outcomes to provide a structured roadmap for institutional development and long-term transformation.

Earlier, Prof Mohd Altaf Bhat, Director Education, SKUAST-K, delivered the welcome address, while Prof Azmat Alam Khan, Registrar and Member Secretary, Academic Council, presented the university's progress report, followed by the agenda and action-taken report of the previous Academic Council meeting.

During the meeting, the university also released a revised uniform format for postgraduate theses, prepared by Dr Heena Hamdani, aimed at ensuring greater uniformity and standardisation in thesis preparation and submission.

A PhD thesis by Agricultural Engineering student Er Riyaz Ashraf was also displayed as a model for other research scholars, particularly for its additional chapter focusing on research outcomes.

Umer Ibni Assad, Deputy Registrar (Academics), proposed the vote of thanks.(KNS)