Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Challenges (SWOC)
Institutional Strength
- PU has a rich heritage and distinctive governance structure being an inter-state body corporate.
- PU has been making seminal contributions in all walks of life as a multidisciplinary university
- The salubrious campuses are Pollution-free with environment-friendly academic, residential, and sports facilities.
- The University is housed in a well-planned aesthetically designed self-contained township with sufficient accommodation for its departments, institutes, and centres as well as its staff.
- Nucleated Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster (CRIKC), providing for sharing of infrastructural and intellectual resources.
- Excellent infrastructure for the teaching-learning process including smart classrooms and well-equipped laboratories.
- High-impact research contributions with many scientists receiving accolades for their academic credentials. 26 of its scientists are in the coveted list of World Ranking of 2 % scientists by Stanford University, USA.
- Increased focus on Start-Ups and Innovation through Technology Enabling Centre, Design Innovation Centre, Technology Enabling Centre, BioNest, Centre for Industry-Innovation Programme (CIIPP)
- DST-Centre for Policy Research, Population Research Centre, HRDC, CALEM, ICSSR North West Regional Centre (NWRC), GIAN, BIRAC programs sanctioned to PU.
- The University has excellent support facilities including EDUSAT; DST-funded SAIF providing access to sophisticated instruments to the scientists in the region; workshop facilities at CIL and USIC;
- Fully Wi-Fi Enabled Campus with facilities for advanced computing and all departments having good computer labs
- Panjab University has its own Community Radio Station – Jyotirgamaya: 91.2 MHz
- The University has sprawling sports grounds and excellent facilities for indoor and outdoor games. PU has bagged the coveted MAKA trophy 3 times in a row.
- High demand for its industry-oriented and professional courses among recruiters.
- Offering special value-added/add-on courses in Environment studies, Gender sensitization, Ethics, and Self Awareness
- Excellent library facilities at central and departmental levels. Five-storeyed A. C. Joshi Library is a rich repository of rare collections and encyclopedias. Having a collection of more than eight lakh publications and e-learning facilities
Institutional Weakness
- The faculty-student ratio needs improvement. PU has developed a system to utilize industry experts and academicians to provide additional inputs
- The revenue generation through consultation needs improvement. CIIPP is making efforts to develop a mechanism to undertake research for developing technology as per industry needs.
- PU is making efforts to attract foreign students
- There is a scope for improvement in the placement of students in non-professional courses. Central Placement Cell is conducting guidance and career counseling sessions to sensitize them
- Maintenance of Records of freeships and scholarships provided by the non- Government organizations needs improvement.
- Need to develop the proper strategy to maintain the record of the students qualifying in state/ national /international level examinations.
Institutional Opportunity
PU is making earnest efforts to be a globally acclaimed institution by undertaking teaching and research for international markets and positioning itself to reap rich dividends offered under the New Education Policy (NEP-2020)
- Facilitating interaction of faculty and students with researchers internationally through collaborations and MOUs for providing exposure
- Promoting the international exchange of faculty and students
- Building world? class state-of-the-art infrastructure, including scientific laboratories and hostels by motivating NRIs of the region and the rich alumni base by seeking endowments.
- Conducting continuous faculty development programs and leveraging technology to enhance teaching-learning processes.
- Facilitating students for internships with MNCs and top-ranking research institutes/laboratories
- Promoting dual degree programmes by developing intra and inter-institutional mechanisms
- Undertaking regular restructuring of the courses incorporating recent advancements
Institutional Challenge
PU has a resilient system to meet the challenges of globalisation of education. PU’s ideals, perceptions and academic practices are fructified through a sense of responsibility, diligence, determination and commitment of its administration, faculty, staff and students. Some of the emerging challenges include:
- Constraint of enhancing the fee structure, so as to ensure achievement of PU’s goals of access, equity and inclusive education.
- Competing with the host of private institutions of higher education, primarily with commercial interest, luring students.
- Likely entry of Foreign educational institutions by opening their campuses in India
- High rate of mobility of the students from this region seeking overseas education