The University of Rajshahi (), also known as Rajshahi University (RU), is a public research university located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and third largest university in Bangladesh. The university's 59 departments are organized into 12 faculties. It is one of the five autonomous university by the act (1973) of Bangladesh.
History
The first proposal to establish a university came in 1917, when Calcutta University created the Sadler Commission to assess the university system in Bengal. However, the recommendations of the report had no immediate consequences.
The University of Dhaka was established in 1921. Demand for a university in the northern part of East Bengal gained momentum when two universities were set up quickly in West Pakistan, using funding diverted from East Bengal, without the establishment of any in the east. Students of Rajshahi College were at the forefront of the movement demanding a new university. Finally, Rajshahi was selected as the home for the second university in East Bengal, and the Rajshahi University Act of 1953 (East Bengal Act XV of 1953) was passed by the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly on 31 March 1953. Itrat Hossain Zuberi, the principal of Rajshahi College, was appointed its first vice-chancellor.
Initially, the university was housed in temporary locations, such as the local Circuit House and Boro Kuthi, an 18th-century Dutch establishment. B B Hindu Academy, a local school, housed the library, teachers' lounge, and the medical centre. The university started out with 20 professors, 161 students (of whom 5 were females) and six departments — Bengali, English, history, law, philosophy and economics. In 1964, the offices moved to the permanent campus.
The 1960s were a turbulent period in East Pakistan, when demands for East Pakistani autonomy became stronger. The students and staff of the university started playing an increasing role in politics. On 18 February 1969, Shamsuzzoha, a professor, was killed by the police when he tried to prevent them from shooting at student demonstrators. This date is now commemorated as Zoha Day. During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the campus was used as a base by the Pakistan Army. A number of professors, students and officers of the university were killed by the Pakistan Army.
After independence, a new Act regarding the administration of the university came into being — the Rajshahi University Act, 1973. The post-independence years saw the university grow steadily in student enrolment and the size of the academic staff. However, the 1980s were turbulent for the university, as the students agitated with other institutions of the country against the military rule of Hossain Muhammad Ershad. Since the early 1990s, the university has seen relative calm and a lowering of session backlogs, though active student politics remains a contentious issue.
Emblem The circle of the emblem represents the world. An open book is shown in red and gold: red represents one of the colors of the national flag and gold the value of education. The body of the book is blue, the colour of the sky, and at the centre is a shapla flower (Nymphaeaceae), the national flower of Bangladesh.
Campus
The university's main campus is in Motihar, on the eastern side of the city of Rajshahi and a mile from the Bangladeshi coast of the river Padma. The campus area is nearly . Access to the walled-off campus is controlled through three security gates. It houses eleven large academic buildings — five for the arts, business studies and social sciences, four for the natural and applied sciences, and two for agricultural studies. RU is considered to have one of the most beautiful campus in Bangladesh.
Rail line and University Station
The Dhaka-Rajshahi rail line passes through the campus, and it has a dedicated station named the University Station. It is near the Shaheed Shohrawardy Hall on the southern border of the campus. There is an internal bazaar nearby for the students only, called the station bazaar.
Gates There are six gates of the university, three being upon the Dhaka - Rajshahi Highway. The westernmost gate is the Kazla gate, which provides access to the western part of the campus mainly playgrounds and residential areas. The easternmost gate is the Binodpur gate, which provides access to the eastern part of the campus, and the Main gate in between these two provides access to the main administrative and academic portion of the campus. The fourth gate is on the other side of the campus and provides access to the campus from the other side of the city. The main gate is used to create an architectural optical illusion while entering or exiting the campus through it, as it seemed to the visitor that the more he tries to go nearer the more the Administrative Building goes far away.
Forests There is an artificial forest on the campus. Called "Matihar Udyan", it is situated on the easternmost side of the campus. The university fire station is situated near its southern side.
Parks, lakes and sanctuaries
There is a central part of the university near the Shaheed Minar Complex. It is a small park providing a very good environment and a place for spending leisure for the students and residents of the campus. Rajshahi University Botanical Garden is also a park inside the campus, home to some very rare species of trees and plants. There used to be a mini park-like plantation near the main gate, but it was cut down during the mid-2020s. There are two big lakes inside the campus. One is behind the Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Hall, popularly known as the Shorobor and another is behind the female hostels known as a part of the Jungle Genome Project. Apart from these, there are nearly fifty ponds around the campus.
There is a large bird sanctuary inside the campus called the Jungle Genome Project. It is an ecological project of the Zoology Department, and it has natural plantations and lakes inside it.
Paris Road Paris Road is a street on the campus that is often considered the signature of the Rajshahi University Campus. It starts from the adjoining point of Kazla Gate Road, Paschimpara Road and Paris Road near the Juberi Guest House and runs straight East from this. Then it keeps going past the mango plantations, Kazla Pond and VC's residence and reaches Shamsuzzoha Square. Then, from Shamsuzzoha Square, it goes East past the University Bank, Second Administrative Building, University Central Bus Station, Central Mosque, university park and Shahid Minar Complex and Shahid Smriti Sangrahashala Museum and ends at the gate of the Sher e Bangla Hall.
Murals, sculptures and monuments
There are a considerable number of murals on the campus. The Shaheed Minar Complex holds two murals, one on the background wall of the Open Theatre Stage and another on the background wall of the Shaheed Minar's platform. A mural near the Golden Jubilee Tower is a masterpiece artifact made of steel depicting the struggle of men and women. Besides these, the obelisk of martyred professor Mohammad Shamsuzzoha has a mural depicting him and his famous quote. The Bangabandhu Hall, Sher-e-Bangla Hall and Syed Ameer Ali Hall have murals of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, AK Fazlul Haque and Syed Ameer Ali, respectively.
Monuments around the campus are the Shaheed Minar, Mass-Graveyard monument and the Shabash Bangladesh. The sculptures are the martyred intellectual memorial monument near the central library, Sfulingo in the Shaheed Samsuzzoha Hall premises, and martyred professor Habibur Rahman's sculpture on Shaheed Habibur Rahman Hall's entrance. There are several memorial monuments and murals around the campus.
Facilities
Museums The university is the site of the two oldest museums in Bangladesh. They are - the Varendra Research Museum, which is the oldest museum in Bangladesh, and the Shahid Smriti Sangrahasala, which is the oldest liberation war museum in Bangladesh.
A few miles from the main campus is the Varendra Research Museum. It is one of the richest repertory of Bengal sculptures in the world. Established in 1910 by Ramaprasad Chanda, the museum became a part of the university in the 1960s when a financial crisis threatened its existence. Under the university, the museum has thrived, adding a folklore gallery to its impressive collection from ancient and medieval Bengal.
Zuberi Bhaban Guest House Juberi Guest House is one of the earliest structures on the campus. It is actually a complex of guest houses, a lounge and a café. Zuberi House is the home of Rajshahi University Club, and it is the centre of the political activities of the teachers and fellows. There are four buildings providing caravansary facilities for the guests of the university. It provides gymnasium facilities for the teachers, and it has a well-maintained lone tennis court.
Sport and other facilities for cultural activities
Rajshahi University Stadium seats 30,000.
There is a swimming pool with stands for spectators and a gymnasium and indoor stadium situated near the stadium.
Architecture
The University of Rajshahi is home to many architectural and artistic landmarks. To the east inside the main gate is the colonial era Motihar Kuthi building, now used by the university's unit of the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps. Most of the university's academic, cultural, residential and administrative buildings are of modern architectural style. The Shaheed Minar is an important example, complete with a mural designed by Murtaza Bashir. The Senate House is a modern mini-parliament house, has 206 rooms and is fully air-conditioned. It is usually used for meetings of the senate of the university, but it accommodates national and international conferences, seminars and symposia. In front of the Senate House is Shabash Bangladesh, one of the largest war memorial sculptures, designed and constructed by Nitun Kundu. The name comes from a poem by Sukanta Bhattacharya of the same name, the last four lines of which are engraved under the structure.
Golden Jubilee Tower, a 2003 addition to the university's array of sculptures, commemorates its 50th anniversary. It is right beside the main gate. It also has an open theatre and two beautiful murals. Other well-known buildings include the library and the university mosque. The Department of Fine Arts hosts a sizeable collection of contemporary art, while Varendra Museum has a large collection of ancient and medieval art.
Organization and administration The university is run according to the Rajshahi University Act, 1973. This Act, passed on 25 September 1973,The Rajshahi University Act, 1973, Ministry of Law. allows the university considerably more autonomy than most other peer institutions. The president of Bangladesh is the de facto chancellor, but the role is mainly ceremonial. The highest official after the chancellor is the vice-chancellor, selected by the senate of the university every four years. The vice-chancellor, as of June 2017, is M. Abdus Sobhan.
Other important officers include the pro vice-chancellor, the registrar, the controller of examinations, and the proctor. The proctor is in direct charge of student activities and is the official with the most direct contact with the students. The most important statutory bodies of the university are the senate, the academic council and the syndicate.As to the senate, see further RU Senate inactive for about five years, The Financial Express, 14 July 2022.
Most of Rajshahi University's funding comes from the government. The Bangladesh University Grants Commission is the body responsible for allocating funds to all public universities.