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| Cotton University | |
| Motto: | Apramattena Veddhavyam |
| Mottoeng: | Knowledge in any field |
| Established: |
|
| Type: | Public state university |
| Founder: | Sir Henry Stedman Cotton |
| Chancellor: | Governor of Assam |
| Vice Chancellor: | Prof. Ramesh Ch. Deka[1] |
| City: | Guwahati |
| State: | Assam |
| Country: | India |
| Coor: | 26.1868°N 91.7476°W |
| Campus: | urban |
| Colors: | Orange, Blue, Green |
| Affiliations: | UGC |
Cotton University (formerly known as Cotton College) is a public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established in 2017 by the provisions of an Act from the Assam Legislative Assembly which merged Cotton College State University and Cotton College. The university has progressed to become one of the top 200 institutions of the country (appearing on the list of 150–200 in the National Institutional Ranking Framework rank list in May 2020).
Cotton College was established in 1901 by Sir Henry Stedman Cotton, chief commissioner of the former British province of Assam. It was the oldest institute of higher education in Assam and all of Northeast India.[2] Cotton College became a constituent college of Gauhati University in 1948, and then of Cotton College State University when it was established in 2011, by an Act (Act XIX of 2011) of the Assam Government. The Cotton University Act, 2017, was enacted to resolve problems between the college and the university.[3]
In 1899 Manick Chandra wrote to the British government asking to open a college in Guwahati, in so far as Assam was the only province with no college and that Guwahati was the most convenient location. In response, Sir Henry Stedman Cotton, K.C.S.I., then the Chief Commissioner of Assam, announced on 3 November 1899 that a college would be opened in Guwahati. Cotton College, named by the public, was inaugurated on 27 May 1901 by Cotton himself. It was affiliated with Calcutta University[4] and began with five professors which included Frederick William Sudmerson, the first principal of the college, and 39 students.
The college was the centre of the freedom movement as well as literary and cultural movements of the state, which aimed to build Assam's identity as a distinct, integral component of India. When Gauhati University was established in 1948, Cotton College became affiliated with it as a constituent college.[5] In 2015, the college was declared a Special Heritage College.[4]
On 16 October 1992, the college was named as a center of excellence,[6] an occasion celebrated in a solemn ceremony with Shankar Dayal Sharma, then President of India, and it officially became a post-graduate college.[5]
Cotton College celebrated its centennial with a year-long program from 27 May 2001 to 26 May 2002. Krishan Kant, then Vice President of India graced the closing ceremony. India Post issued a ₹4.00 commemorative postage stamp on 25 May 2002 as part of the centenary celebration.
Cotton College State University was created through an Act of the Government of Assam (Act XIX of 2011). This act received the assent of the Governor of Assam on 3 September 2011, published in the Assam Gazette on 5 September 2011. The Cotton College became its constituent college.[7]
The election for the university's first Academic Council and University Court was held on 22 February 2013 with three and five members elected respectively.[8]
Over time, conflicts emerged between the university and the college chiefly over the custody of properties. The Assam Legislative Assembly passed an amendment in 2015 that the university and the college be run as separate institutes.[9] The bill, called The Cotton University Act 2017, was passed by the Assam Legislative Assembly on 2 March 2017 in order to resolve these problems.[3] By this act, the university and college would be completely merged.[9] Upon enforcement, the university was renamed Cotton University.[10] By ordinance, the governor of Assam, Banwarilal Purohit became chancellor, who then appointed Bhabesh Chandra Goswami as the first vice chancellor in July 2017.[11]
In keeping with the former Cotton College's traditions, courses leading to Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate are possible in the Arts and Science streams. This qualification is awarded upon successful completion of two years of study followed by relevant examinations under the Assam Higher Secondary Educational Council.
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Computer Application, Bachelor of Liberal Arts, Bachelor of Mass Communication and Journalism and Bachelor of Science (Hons) Biotechnology graduate degrees are offered. The degrees are awarded upon successful completion of three years of study followed by relevant examinations under Cotton University.
Postgraduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Library and Information Science, Master of Law, Master in Computer Application and Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are offered. The degrees are awarded upon successful completion of two years of study followed by relevant examinations under Cotton University. Admission is offered by way of a national-level entrance examination.
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is offered in all postgraduate departments. Admission opens annually in June/July. Selection is based on a written test and a viva voce oral examination. UGC/CSIR JRF/NET/SET qualified candidates are exempted from written tests.
This institution was accredited with a cumulative grade point average of 3.76 on a four-point scale and grade "A++" on 5 November 2016 by the 18th SC executive committee of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. At the time, the cumulative grade point average score was the third-highest among colleges in India.[12]
The institute had 50 principals from 1901 till 2012.[16]
| No. | Principal | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F.W. Sudmersen | 1901–1926 |
| 2 | D. Thomson | 1926–1933 |
| 3 | A.E. Brown | 1933–1934 |
| 4 | D.E. Roberts | 1934–1937 |
| 5 | S.C. Roy | 1937–1940 |
| 6 | B.C. Sengupta | 1940–1942 |
| 7 | H.N. Sen | 1942–1943 |
| 8 | Ankushjyoti Kalita | 1943 |
| 9 | S.N. Sen | 1943–1944 |
| 10 | R.R. Thomas | 1945–1946 |
| 11 | S.K. Bhuyan | 1946 |
| 12 | P.C. Sanyal | 1946–1947 |
| 13 | S.M. Mahibullah | 1947 |
| 14 | B.Kalita | 1993 – |
| 15 | U.K. Goswami | 1949 |
| 16 | S.N. Chakravarty | 1949–1952 |
| 17 | H.C. Bhuyan | 1952–1954 |
| 18 | U.K. Dutta | 1954–1958 |
| 19 | H.C. Goswami | 1958–1963 |
| 20 | H.K. Barpujari | 1963 |
| 21 | N. Islam | 1963–1969 |
| 22 | K. Roy | 1969 |
| 23 | p.c. Goswami | 1969–1970 |
| 24 | Mada Mitra | 1970–1972 |
| 25 | Abdul Jalil | 1972 – 1974 |
| 26 | Manash Kumar Baishya | 1996 – |
| S.No. | Name | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27. | A. Sarma | 1975 | |
| 28. | A. Ali | 1975–1979 | |
| 29. | A. Latif | 1979 | |
| 30. | G.C. Deka | 1979–1986 | |
| 31. | R.K. Das | 1986–1987 | |
| 32. | K.D. Krori | 1987–1991 | |
| 33. | A.K. Goswami | 1991–1993 | |
| 34. | B.C. Choudhury | 1993–1994 | |
| 35. | M.C. Ghose | 1994–1995, 1995–1996 (dean) | |
| 36. | T. Mahanta | 1996–1997 (dean) | |
| 37. | J. Datta | 1 January 1998 – 31 January 1998 (dean) | |
| 38. | K.C. Paul | 1 February 1998 – 30 June 1998 (dean) | |
| 39. | P. Kakati | 1 July 1998 – 30 November 1998 (dean) | |
| 40. | D.K. Kakati | 1 December 1998 – 31 May 1999 (dean) | |
| 41. | M. Dev Choudhury | 1 June 1999 – 29 February 2000 (dean) | |
| 42. | D.K. Barua | 1 March 2000 – 7 March 2000 (dean), 8 March 2000 – 7 November 2000(Principal) | |
| 43. | R. Thakuria | 8 November 2000 – 31 December 2002 | |
| 44. | J. Medhi | 1 January 2003 – 31 August 2003 | |
| 45. | U.A. Bharali | 1 September 2003 – 31 August 2006 | |
| 46. | T. Sircar | 1 September 2006 – 8 January 2007 | |
| 47. | I.K Bhattacharyya | 9 January 2007 to 31 October 2011 | |
| 48. | S. Barua | 1 November 2011 – 30 November 2011 | |
| 49. | Jamuna Sharma Choudhury | 1 December 2011 – 31 December 2011 | |
| 50. | Prasanta Kumar Bordoloi | 1 January 2012 – 17 March 2012 | |
| 51. | Nirada Devi | 18 March 2012 – 2017 |