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Celebrating Pluralism And Diversity

The university continues to remain at the forefront of research and technological development and weaves a new success story with each passing year

The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar, India, is more than just a facility for higher education that provides technical and professional training. The university is renowned for its multi-culturalism and ethnic diversity, which is represented by students from 65 different nationalities.

It enjoys an enviable reputation of having the largest number of foreign students of any institute in eastern India. This makes the sprawling campus a veritable melting pot of nationalities and cultures. And the campus offers a fusion

of unique architectures in every radius block that represents the distinctiveness of the 23 individual departments.

The university, which is celebrating its silver jubilee year, has become a coveted address for many aspirants from overseas with big dreams in their eyes. The rich mix of overseas student strength includes those coming from areas where pursuing education has become a challenge. KIIT has given the world big names in the corporate sector, academics and administration; leaders and changemakers. Success lies in their hands and international students find KIIT their first choice to shape their careers.

During a recent visit to the campus, Hiroshi Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to India, visibly excited, declared that students here have a great chance of working in well-known Japanese brands such as Mitsubishi, given the academic environment, research and infrastructure support available at KIIT. The university boasts a centre for the Japanese language along with seven other foreign language labs including English to help students improve their communication skills. These language labs are aimed at enrolling students from South Korea, China, Syria, Thailand and Japan.

The university has academic and bilateral tie-ups with 70 international universities. It is a member of international bodies like IET, ACU, EAIE, IAU, IAUP, UNAI, APACPH, AUAP, ESRUC and UMAP.

“The faculty-student interaction is very encouraging. I hope if the quality of education and student’s life is maintained here, then one-day, KIIT will be within the top-rankig world universities,’’ said Omar Aweis Ali, a student from Somalia, doing his MSc in Biotechnology.

Agreeing with him, his batchmate Mahanga Juma from Tanzania, said; “The academic and student life both are great in KIIT and if the quality continues, then KIIT would one day shine like Oxford or any such top university.”

When asked how it feels to be in KIIT, Mkdad Zhere, a B.Tech (IT) student from Syria, said: “I like everything about KIIT as the studies, workshops, Language Lab and other academic activities from the teachers are excellent. I do like the food here and especially love to savour the biryani. I also like my hostel and the accommodation.’’

The university runs an international student facilitation centre known as ‘KIIT Global’, providing guidance right from the arrival in the institute to matters of cultural, legal and academic needs and other issues of relevance.

“It is more than a university to me. It has given me all the support I needed to nurture my dreams of being a dancer and performing before the audience. I am excited about my studies here and I have never felt like I am away from home,” said Suvee Vathma from Sri Lanka, who is pursuing her studies in Computer Application. She performed at the KIIT Nanhi Pari Miss Little India contest in December 2022 and won a lot of admiration from the crowd.

Rankings

KIIT has been adjudged as the 20th best university in the country by NIRF — conducted by the Ministry of Education. It enjoys strong industry-academia linkages and research accomplishments. The government has accorded it A++ grade, placing it among the very few universities in India that enjoy such a coveted status.

The NIRF 2022 has awarded the university high scores in parameters such as teaching, learning and resources and graduation outcome. It was ranked 8th best university in the world in the prestigious Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2022 for the impressive progress made in reducing inequalities.

In the Times Higher Education’s World University Ranking 2023, the university has been placed in the cohort of 601- 800 as against 801-1000 in 2022. The improved performance demonstrated the university’s sustained focus on quality teaching, research activities and a steady rise in its global reputation.

As many as 10 researchers of the university and faculty members, some of whom are Padma awardees, are listed among the ‘World’s Top Two Percent Scientists’ by Stanford University.

The founder

The vibrant campus and the promise that KIIT holds for students would have remained a dream had it not been for the founder, Dr. Achyuta Samanta. His commitment to the cause of education and steadfast resolve to position KIIT as a centre of learning for the 21st century has helped the university gain international recognition in just over two decades.

The journey began in the early 1990s with four programmes, 12 students and two teachers. The founder has passionately mentioned in various forums that he had only Rs 5,000 with him to start the journey, but his resolve knew no bounds. Today, the university offers more than 400 programmes across various disciplines and has over 30,000 admitted students. It comprises more than 3,000 faculties and researchers. All in all, the campus offers diversity in all its hues, unlike any other campus in India.

Dr. Samanta comes from a humble background. He was raised in abject poverty and knew the value of education in one’s life. Growing up amid intense struggle, Dr. Samanta resolved to unshackle not only his family from the difficult existence ,but also to help all those who faced a similar fate. The objective of KIIT was to create opportunities, fill a critical void in the education sector and develop a vibrant campus in Odisha that supports talents.

KIIT’s commitment to quality gave it a critical edge in the technical education sphere. The year 2004 proved a milestone when it was declared a Deemed-to-be-University. The decades that followed saw the transformation of KIIT as one of the best educational destinations in India, wooing students from abroad in equal measures. Today, it is ranked among the 20 best universities in the country.

Several milestones were added during the last two decades as it grew in scale and recognition. In 2007, the new school of medicine was set up with the commencement of the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), School of Law and KIIT International School, among others. The year 2012 was a momentous year when KIIT hosted the 99th Indian Science Congress. Today, KIIT operate 25 schools and offers 400 plus academic programmes. The KIIT campus is spread over 25 sq.km amid a lush green environment; is wi-fi enabled and each building block has a distinct architectural style, lending uniqueness to the campus.

Research and innovation are important hallmarks of a world-class university. KIIT has established 19 centres of excellence with industry to promote collaborative research. The KIIT faculty is actively involved in research and consultancy works, attracting financial support to the tune of a few million dollars every year.

Currently, nearly 100 research and consultancy projects funded by various national and international funding agencies like

UBS Promedica Foundation, Switzerland; Karolinska Institute, Sweden; DST, DBT, MNRE, Govt. of India, Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, etc. are ongoing with substantial budget outlay.