Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University: Extracting the Best from the Best
Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University - The Knowledge Review

The college is obliged towards the Energy and Infrastructure sector to establish institutes of excellence in education with a competitive edge in research and highly relevant programs that would prepare the students for life-long learning and leadership in an increasingly knowledge driven world.

Emphasizing on Holistic Engineering for an Intellectual Capital

Spread over a sprawling 96.3 acres of beautifully landscaped campus, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) was established by the Government of Gujarat and the Oil & Gas Industry in 2007 under the PPP model. PDPU continues in its pursuit for excellence through liberal funding from GoG, GoI and the Industry. Based in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the college has been given ‘A’ grade with a CGPA score of 3.39 out of 4.0 by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in the very first cycle. PDPU offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral programs in Engineering & Technology, Petroleum Technology and Petroleum Management and Liberal Studies.

PDPU was established with the objective of ensuring Energy Security in the country. The college has made some distinctive contributions to meet the increasing demand for renewable energy resources that complements the concern over the fast depleting natural resources and the requirements of a fast growing Indian economy. PDPU is highly regarded in the country and across the industry for its educational programmes and research activities.

Acting as a Homogenizer for the Industry

PDPU is internationally renowned and respected for futuristic research and innovations. It has undertaken special responsibilities in domain specific aspects of Energy and Infrastructure.

PDPU has an effective symbiosis with GoI/GoG/Oil & Gas Industry/Other Industry/R&D Organisations/NGO’s/etc. Our curriculum mandates multiple rural/corporate/ industry internships enabling students to experience real world scenarios.   PDPU conducts R & D on the Petroleum and Natural Gas Value Chain. It has laid special emphasis on Renewables such as Solar, Wind, Tidal, etc. PDPU continues to carry out research on efficient power system management and Nuclear Science & Technology, where the focus is on non-power applications, especially for food and agriculture.

Due to its liberal funding structure, PDPU is evolving several Centers of Excellence (CoE) through collaborations with prominent universities abroad. It also enables student and faculty exchange programs through its fully-functional International Relations Office. Some of the well-equipped CoEs include Solar Research & Development Centre in collaboration with GoG, Siemens Centre for Automotive Excellence, Centre for Biofuels and Bioenergy Studies with support from GoG and many more. Even the students are funded liberally for conducting research projects under the guidance of their faculties.

PDPU offers 50% subsidy on the cost of such programs and the student is required to pay the balance 50% of the cost, including cost of travel and visa expenses. Over the past seven years, PDPU has spent Rs. 9.21 crores having sent 515 students for the IEP program.

PDPU comes with aesthetically designed buildings, offices, lecture halls/ theatres and workshops. The students are provided with Modern Residential facilities, cafeteria, dining halls, food courts and 3 auditoriums. PDPU boasts of a green and sustainable campus with a 1 MW Solar Power Plant in the campus itself. At present, the college hosts a diverse student population of 5015 and is well on its way to reach 10,000 by the year 2032. Similar to the student selection process, even the faculties of PDPU are selected through an All India-based selection process. This explains the high standards of education at PDPU.

Addressing the need for Efficient and Productive Human Resource

PDPU has commissioned the Quality Enhancement Cell that conducts monthly/quarterly meetings at department and at school level to maintain the impeccable standard of the institute.  It intends to broaden the opportunities for students and professionals to develop core subject knowledge, which are duly complemented by leadership training interventions, thereby helping the students to make a mark in the global arena.  Its core curriculum also includes special value added courses on Communication skills, Gandhian Thoughts, Business Analytics, Innovation Management, etc. Students at PDPU have to undergo compulsory Rural Internships, Social Projects, Community Development Initiatives, along with thoroughly supervised Industrial Orientation programmes.

PDPU incorporates innovative teaching methods using video, Joint/Team teaching, simulators, field visits, language labs, industry related notes and many more. Students of PDPU have exclusive access to contents from Merlot, Intute, TWB, Shodhganga, etc. and to valuable databases, such as EBSCO, INFRALINE, INDIASTAT.com, ASME, IEEE, etc. They are also involved in various Community Development activities, such as NSS, NCC, Cleanliness Drives and even mentoring under-privileged children from nearby villages.

Consolidators and Builders of the World Class University

At PDPU, the academics and academic administration is under the Director General, while the high level strategic policies are governed by the Chairman, and the Standing Committee. These visionaries and institution builders had established the university from an explorer’s perspective initially. Later on, through international orientations, the university started seeing a growth trajectory and is evidently in the right path to achieve a world class status.

With over two decades of academic experience, the Director General of PDPU, Dr. Tadisina Kishen Kumar Reddy, is one of those visionaries who has played a key role in creating excellent systems for achieving the grand and super ordinate vision of the university. He is a visionary educationist, a remarkable researcher and a persuasive administrator. Dr. T. K. Reddy has been associated with the renowned Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University for 21 years. He has also been an Advisor in All India Council for Technical Education.

Dr. T.K. Reddy has served as an expert member for various government & private bodies, such as Planning Commission, New Delhi; Union Public Service Commission, New Delhi; Indian Society for Technical Education, New Delhi; Department of Science & Technology (DST), New Delhi; AICTE in various GOI Ministry meetings and many more. He is a recipient of the prestigious State Award for Meritorious Teacher for 2010 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Development of Knowledge, Skills and Competencies as a Core Academic Goal

Every year, every school under the university celebrates Annual Student Festivals, when various indoor as well as outdoor sports, including Athletics are held. PDPU has facilitated an office of Students Activities, Involvement & Leadership that encourages students to participate in different cultural, technical and sports activities throughout the year through student run organizations and clubs. There are total 25 clubs, 15 different sports and 7 technical student chapters currently active. These committees organize around 200 activities throughout the year, including three major festivals-FLARE, a cultural festival; Tesseract, a Technical Festival and Petrocup, a Sports Festival.

PDPU has even taken the initiative of familiarizing students with different aspects of theatre production. It has its own cycling club which is seen as a promising step towards awareness for a healthier environment and a healthier lifestyle. Besides, the club’s popularity is also generating income for PDPU. Another unique initiative that is run exclusively by the students of PDPU is Project Umang. Under this initiative, the students of PDPU volunteered to teach subjects like English, Science and Social Studies to 6th standard students of Raisan Government Primary School. Under the banner of Rotaract, PDPU and the Rotary Club of Ahmedabad organize Blood Donation Camp, free Eye Checkup and Dental Checkup every year. The Fine Arts Club of PDPU organizes various competitions and workshops, such as Eraser Designing, Comic Strip Making, and Marbling workshop among others. Students also get an opportunity to learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations through PDPU Model United Nations (MUN).

Promoting Opportunities that harbors an Intellectual Knowledge Base

PDPU offers financial assistance for the full four years for Merit Rank Holders in JEE Main (1-25,000) and ACPC (1-400). It offers Merit-cum-Means scholarship to the extent of 50 percent of Tuition fees from the second academic year to the reserved category of students & OBCs. Scholarships are also offered to lateral Entry Candidates. The financial progammes have been successfully attracting a lot of good quality UG, Master’s and Doctoral students.

The bandwidth of exposure provided for the development of PDPU students has become a benchmark for other institutes to emulate in rigor, delivery and content. There is hardly a reputed company that has not heard of PDPU’s student orientation towards achieving a holistic outlook. The Centre of Continuing Education has recently introduced Certificate in Governance & Leadership for the Public Service aspirants. It also hones entrepreneurial talent through Innovation & Incubation Centre (IIC) and boasts of a well-defined International Exposure Program.

More than 80 percent of the technology students have been placed in Energy sector as well as in other Engineering organizations. The Liberal Studies students are given all the assistance for their pursuit of higher studies in foreign universities. A 100 percent placement figure seems imminent with the establishment of a full-fledged Corporate Relations Office that is headed by an eminent senior executive with a profound experience and relations in the industry.

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