Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences

Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHIATS), (Hindi: सैम हिग्गि्नबॉटम कृषि, प्रौद्योगिकी एवं विज्ञान संस्थान) formerly Allahabad Agricultural Institute is a government aided deemed university located in Allahabad, India.^[6][7][8]

Established in 1910 by Dr. Sam Higginbottom as Allahabad Agricultural Institute towards improving the economic status of rural population. It became the first institute in India to offer a degree in Agricultural Engineering in 1942.^[9][10]

As a tribute to its founder, the institution submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2009 to re-christen Allahabad Agricultural Institute as Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences.^[11] The Institute was conferred deemed university status on 15 March 2000^[12] and got certified as a Christian Minority Educational Institution in December 2005.^[13][14] The MHRD has placed SHIATS in the list of elite category 'A' deemed universities on the basis of the expert committee recommendation.^[15]

The academic infrastructure of the university is organized into eight faculties (8) — which are divided into twenty two (22) constituent schools. It contains a total of seventy eight (78) academic departments and three (3) research centres with emphasis on scientific, agricultural, technological education and research.^[1][14][16] Since its inception, the institute has produced many notable scientists, geneticists and agricultural engineers.^[17] While having completed its own hospital, Hayes Memorial Mission Hospital, the university is in the process of starting a medical college as per Medical Council of India (MCI) norms.^[18]

Accreditation and affiliations

The university is a recognized member of Association of Indian Universities,^[19] Association of Commonwealth Universities,^[20] Indian Agricultural Universities Association^[21] and International Association of Universities.^[22] The university has been re-accredited with a CGPA of 3.14 on a four-point scale and has received an ‘A’ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).^[23] SHIATS was also accredited in 2009 by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and in 2010 by Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).^[7][24]

History

Mahatma Gandhi interacting with students at the Agricultural Institute^[25]

The institute was established by Dr. Sam Higginbottom, an English-born Presbyterian missionary in 1910 as a Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension of Ewing Christian College, Allahabad.^[26] The institute was declared as a separate entity from college in 1918. In 1932 it was formally affiliated with the University of Allahabad. About the same time the institute was recognized by the government for a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. Another landmark came in 1942 when it became the pioneer institute to offer Agricultural Engineering degree in India. In November 1947, the institute was brought under an independent "Board of Directors of the Allahabad Agricultural Institute" which was sponsored as an ecumenical body by a number of churches and missions. During this phase the institute was taken up by Arthur T. Mosher and he is largely credited with major expansion of infrastructure and the introduction of famous "Jamuna Par Punar yojna", the extension project of recruiting workers at the village level.^[27] Between 1950 and 1957 Albert Mayer, an American architect, was assigned for developing the major buildings of the institute.^[28][29] In 1951, Ford Foundation granted a sum of $940,000 to the institute for carrying out the research and development projects.^[30][31] In 1952 University of Illinois signed a contract with United States Agency for International Development for assisting the institute in improving its educational programs.^[32] Between 1950 and 1980, John B. Chitamber led the institute successfully and made Agricultural extension a very well known programme of the institute.^[33] In order to obtain more academic freedom and to strengthen the specialized programmes of teaching, research and extension a proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development in August 1994, that the institute be granted the status of a deemed university. The institute was conferred deemed university status on 15 March 2000 and Dr. Rajendra B. Lal was appointed as the first vice-chancellor of the university.^[25]

Campus

Administrative Block - I

Registrar's Office

The university campus is located at Naini, a satellite neighborhood of Allahabad on the banks of river Yamuna. The university is spread over an area of 900 acres lush-green campus, which includes 300 acres of research farms. The campus is divided into clusters of constituent schools and separate blocks for administration. The academic area chiefly comprises the main building, various departmental annexes and auditoria. The university has eleven (11) hostels on campus, six (6) women's, three (3) men's and 2 International hostels.^[34]

The university campus also has an open-air theatre for cultural events. Several football, hockey and cricket grounds; and tennis, basketball, squash and volleyball courts are there. The university has a Primary School, Middle school two Inter Colleges housed in their independent buildings, to meet the educational requirements of the employees’ children and also of children of neighbouring areas. In addition to these facilities, the campus also houses a full-fledged Post-Office and a branch of the State Bank of India.^[35]

SHIATS Campus
School of Bioengineering  School of Agriculture  School of Engineering  Faculty of Humanities and Social Science  Men's UG Hostel  University's Central Park  Agroforestry Farmland  The Arboretum at SHIATS

Academics

SHIATS is a multi-faculty residential academic institution. The university offers forty two (42) undergraduate programmes, hundred and one (101) postgraduate programmes, sixteen (16) diploma programmes and doctoral programmes in various disciplines with over 10,000 students enrolled on campus.^[1][36][37]

Research and collaboration

The university provides an ideal milieu for interdisciplinary collaborative research and interaction between students and faculty. The major research areas include agronomy, mechanised agriculture, food processing, silviculture, genetic engineering, bioprocess engineering and computational biology among others. The research activities in the university are well-funded through extramural research funding from government agencies such as ICAR, DBT, NRSC, DST, MHRD, MRD, UPCAR and EU.^[42] The university increased its appeal among international students and attracts students from Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Guyana and several African nations.^[43] SHIATS has currently signed MoUs with more than 14 countries for academics and research. The university has been in collaboration with a Thailand-based Asian Institute of Technology for academics since 2011.^[44] Recently, SHIATS has collaborated with University of Missouri to explore the potential of green nanotechnology on agricultural economy.^[45][46]

Career and placement

The university has established a Career Planning & Counselling Centre (CPCC). The CPCC invites companies for campus recruitments and placement assistance. Besides, the centre facilitates soft skills training, summer internships, career counselling and other personality development programs to the students. Some of the major recruiters of the institute are Indian Army, Infosys, HCL, Amdocs, ThoughtWorks, Union Bank of India, Hindustan Construction Company, Escorts Tractors, Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, ITC Limited, Jain Irrigation, IFFCO, SABMiller and Lupin Limited.^{[47][48][49][50]}

Student activities

Co-curricular activities such as sporting events, festivals, and cultural functions are organized throughout the year.^[51][52][53] The academic societies and cultural clubs on the campus organizes various national and international competitions, symposiums, conferences and workshops.^[54][55] Students can also join National Cadet Corps or enroll in National Service Scheme for overall personality development.^[56][57]

Co-Curricular activities at SHIATS
Cultural Festival  University's Chapel Choir  NCC unit at SHIATS  Convocation Ceremony

Notable people

References

External links

• Official Website
• SHIATS-DDE Official Website