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Harcourt Butler Technical University
Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU), formerly Harcourt Butler Technological Institute (HBTI), is a historical STEM college, currently operating as a technical state-university, and is located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, northern India. HBTU is also one of the oldest engineering institutes in the country,[1] imparting industrial technology education since 1921. It offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programmes in engineering, technology, mathematics, natural sciences, and applied sciences; as well as master's programmes in computer applications, and business administration. It is renowned for its courses in chemical engineering and chemical technology branches. The full-time four-year B.Tech. is the most coveted programme of the institute. It has historical and foundational connections to many scientific and technological entities. It is the parent of the National Sugar Institute.[2][3] The Central Control Laboratory (for Ghee, Edible oils, and Vanaspati) started operating out of HBTI in 1937.[4] HBTI also housed the offices of Glass Technology (1942–91) and Alcohol Technology (estd. 1953) of the state government, both running under the Director of Industries (UP). It assisted and mentored two new state-government colleges - the Rajkiya Engineering College Bijnor (RECB, started in 2010[5] as BRAECIT), and the Rajkiya Engineering College Mainpuri (RECM,[6] started in 2015). And, when the IIT Kanpur was established in 1959, its classes, starting 9th of August 1960, were initially held in HBTI until IITK had its own campus.[7] HistoryFoundingIn early 1900s, there was a growing need for advancement in applied sciences in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (erstwhile NWP) of British India. On the initiative of ICS officer Sir Spencer H. Butler,[8] the Conference on Industrial Development at Nainital summoned in 1907 by the then Lieutenant-Governor of the province,[9] Sir John P. Hewett, GCSI, KBE, CIE, GCStJ, recommended the establishment of an Institute of Chemical Technology at Cawnpore (Kanpur).[10] The proposal accepted industries of leather, dyeing-n-bleaching, sugar, acid-n-alkali, printing, etc. for research, and teaching on their chemical side.[11] The Indian businessman wanted training in leather chemistry[12] since Kanpur was famous for its leather industry since 1800s.[13] Contrarily, Deputy Director (Agriculture)[14][15][16] Sir Bryce C. Burt, CIE, MBE, concurred with European industrialists[11] in Kanpur and the Upper India Chamber of Commerce that the proposed institute should focus on research in applied chemistry, and special branches offered only on demand.[17] Later, the government replaced teaching in leather chemistry with research in tanning materials.[18][19] The Indian Industrial Commission (1916–18) headed by Sir Thomas H. Holland, KCSI, KCIE, , FRS, DSc, recommended that technical institutes of higher education combine practical experience with technological instructions in courses of special branches of applied chemistry,[20] and be controlled by the provincial Directors of Industries who would also facilitate chemical research work in industries like oil milling, soapmaking, essential oils, wood distillation, dyeing, etc.[21] A representative committee also recommended that the institute provide training for one research chemist, and three technical chemists (oil, leather, textile).[22]  Ultimately, the Government Research Institute, Cawnpore was launched in 1920 as a non-teaching institute. It was initially headed by the Agricultural Chemist[23] Dr. Harold Edward Annett, OBE, , FIC, DSc, then the Principal of the Opium Research Laboratory, Cawnpore,[24] of which GRI was an adjunct. Also, Dr. Edwin Roy Watson, DSc,[25] the famous dye scientist[26] and Professor[27][28] at Dacca College in Bengal Presidency, was appointed as the Research Chemist, aided by two more Assistant Research Chemists - Dr. N.G. Chatterjee and Mr. K.C. Mukherjee. It was housed in two rooms of Sher Wali Kothi, a building that still stands old on the northern side of the Company Bagh Chauraha (crossing) near Nawabganj. Dr. Watson soon became the Principal of GRI as Dr. Annett was appointed Officiating Principal of Government Agricultural College by 1921.[29] .jpg) In 1921, with active support from Sir C.Y. Chintamani, the Chief-Editor of the influential The Leader newspaper who was then also the Minister of Education and Industries,[30][29] the institute started teaching three-year postgraduate diploma courses, and was rechristened the Government Technological Institute, Cawnpore with Dr. E.R. Watson appointed as the first Principal.[31] On the 25th of November 1921, Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, GCSI, GCIE, DL, FRGS, FRAS, now the Governor of United Provinces,[30][29] formally laid the foundation-stone of the (still present) Main Building, and made the following remarks in his address delivered during the ceremony:
Early yearsThe first batch (in 1921) comprised of six students - three each in the two sections of General Applied Chemical Research ("Gen Res"), and Oil Chemistry & Technology ("Oil Tech"). Due to lack of infrastructure in Kanpur, they had to be sent to the Govt Technical School (under principalship of P.A. Lyons[30]) in Lucknow for a six-month preliminary course in mechanical engineering. The first classes & laboratories were held in two buildings (which later became the erstwhile Forest View Hostel) of the old government soda factory, and the very first hostel was a Nawab's bungalow in Souterganj near the Government School of Dyeing & Printing (GSDP,[32] later a constituent[33] of GCTI). In 1922 the institute moved its operations to the new bungalows in the Luxmanbagh colony - Bungalow No. 1 for "Gen Res", Bungalow No. 2 for workshop (with pilot plant), Bungalow No. 3 for "Oil Tech", and Bungalow No. 4 served as hostel.[31] By 1925, the north-wing of the Main Building was completed, and a temporary hostel was constructed for accommodation behind the central hall. In 1926, under the then Minister of Industry,[34] Lt. Col. Sir M.A.S. Khan, Nawab of Chhatari, GBE, KCSI, KCIE, the institute took the name of its patron, and became the Harcourt Butler Technological Institute,[35] though Sir S.H. Butler was absent, serving as the Governor[36] of British Burma.  A third section of Leather Chemistry & Technology was started in 1922 under supervision of M.B. Hudlikar,[37] but ceased intakes after 1931 on the recommendation of the Mackenzie Committee.[38] Academically, the institute laid emphasis on practical training in simulation plants and commercial factories.[39] A course in Tinctorial Chemistry was also considered. In 1924, the Department of Chemistry was established as an entity, and the first batch of six students also all successfully received their PG diplomas in the same year. Though, grading and classification criteria based on test scores was only finalised a year later in 1924-25. A sugar-technology section was started in 1928, but it was taken over by ICAR in 1936 to establish the aforementioned Imperial Institute of Sugar Technology (IIST, now NSI), thereby implementing the recommendations[40] of: Indian Sugar Committee (1920), Royal Commission on Agriculture in India (1928), and Tariff Board (1930). Growth and reformsThe Director of Industries (UPA&O) was made the ex-officio Principal in 1932, with an Acting Principal to be the operational head. Dr. J.A.H. Duke, the then Oil Expert[41] to the government, was appointed as the first Acting Principal of HBTI. Also, the three-year PG course (Dip.Tech.) was replaced by a two-year PG course for an Associateship (A.H.B.T.I.), and a further two years of studies for a Fellowship (F.H.B.T.I.). The first Indian to become the Acting Principal was Dattatreya Yashwant Athawale who officiated from 1937 to 1947, followed by D.R. Dhingra who headed from 1947 to 1957. Industrially critical schemes in Rapeseed oil, Mustard oil, etc. were introduced as part of the Indian war effort in World War II. R&D schemes for Essential Oils, Food, Vegetable, Fibre, Plastics, and Soda Ash were started in 1947, but by 1952 all but the first one were either terminated or amalgamated.[31]  In 1952, on UP CM G.B. Pant's initiative, a committee headed by Dr. J.C. Ghosh recommended the reorganisation of HBTI as a university college, and that IIST, GCTI, and GLI (GLWS[42]) work as integral parts of HBTI, but it was not implemented. AICTE reviews in 1955 and 1958 suggested further reorganisation and introduction of new PG courses. In 1956, separate faculty posts were sanctioned, prior to which teaching was done by Oil Expert, Industrial Chemist, Research Chemist, etc. Dr. H. Trivedi became the first post-independence Principal when the in-house post was revived in 1957. HBTI was affiliated to Agra University in 1958, and AHBTI/FHBTI diplomas were converted to degrees: a four-year B.Sc. (Chem. Engg.) to be pursued post I.Sc. (i.e., Class 12, HSC, PUC, etc.), and a three-year B.Sc. (Tech.) to be done post B.Sc. The first M.Sc. (Tech.) courses and an Industrial Research Centre were both started in 1960, along with appointment of a Head of Oil Technology, and transfer of Essential Oils scheme to the Director of Industries.  On the 26th of March 1965, the Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) under CM Sucheta Kripalani changed HBTI to a standalone teaching institution. Accordingly, the organisation was reconstituted, like the post of Principal was raised to that of Director, and a Board of Governors was formed. HBTI's Principal since 1962, the MIT and SEAS alumni Dr. C.R. Mitra, became the first Director in 1965, and remained till 1969 (when G.D. Birla invited him to lead BITS Pilani).[43] The college's affiliation was transferred to Kanpur University in 1967 on the latter's inception. HBTI grew and changed significantly during 1962-69 under a growth-focussed education policy inspired by the Applied Industrial Research Scheme of 1961. It transformed from an instructor in chemical technologies to a prominent institute of higher education in various fields of engineering & technology. In 1991, all B.Sc. (Engg/Tech) courses were changed to four-year B.Tech, and all M.Sc. (Tech) were changed to two-year M.Tech. In 2001, the GoUP established the Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU), and HBTI's affiliation was transferred[44] to it. Later, HBTI was granted the academic autonomy by the University Grants Commission on the 27th of February 2008,[45] the only college in UPTU to be upgraded. On the 1st of September 2016, HBTI was further upgraded to the official status of a state university by the UP HBTU Act, 2016,[46] and thereafter was renamed the Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU). Campus The university is on the Hastings Avenue in Nawabganj area in the northern outskirts of the metro-city of Kanpur, officially in the Kanpur Nagar district. It is situated between the Kanpur Zoo, and the Company Bagh Chauraha (crossing), about 4 km from the Kanpur Ganga Barrage. It is spread across two campuses – the East campus (74.84 acres), and the West campus (248.64 acres), roughly 3 km apart. The East Campus is primarily academic with accommodation facilities limited to girls, and 1st-year boys only. The West campus is entirely residential & recreational in nature. East campusThe East Campus has its main entrance gate opposite the CSA Univ. of Agriculture & Technology premises on the Agricultural College Lane. The other gate on the opposite side of campus faces the Azad Nagar locality. It is 3 km of the Rawatpur railway station, 3 km from the Rawatpur metro station (on Orange Line), 8 km from the Kanpur Central railway station, and 9 km from the Kanpur Central (Jhakarkati) Bus Station.  The Main Building, in use since 1925, houses the VC office, several administrative offices, classrooms, lecture theatres, lecture halls, a MOOC recording studio, and departments of Chemical Technology (five out of six branches), Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Humanities. Seven other independent buildings house the departments of Chemical Engineering, Computer Science & IT (with the computer centre), Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Leather Technology. The Central Workshop (finished 1957) establishment consists of seven shops: Foundry Shop, Welding Shop, Machine Shop, Sheet Metal Shop, Blacksmithy Shop, Carpentry Shop, and Fitting-&-Benchworking Shop. It once also had industrial grade oil-mill, soap-factory, and manufacturing machines for paint and varnish. The Tagore Central Library is an independent building. It offers a web-based OPAC catalogue, and is stocked with 83,000+ books, 25,000+ journals & periodicals. The library provides access to e-journals like the ACS, J-Gate Plus (JCCC), IEEE, Springer Nature, and Web of Science database. It offers repository of theses from Shodhganga, and e-books from AICTE e-Kumbh[47] as well as various leading publishers like Pearson, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, Elsevier, McGraw Hill, Cambridge University Press, etc.[48] HBTU also has several e-resources via the E-ShodhSindhu (eSS) Consortium's various subscriptions,[49] like NDLI eBooks, NDLI South Asia archives, web-based CaPD-PDS software (under ShodhShuddhi[50] programme). This campus also has the buildings of old auditorium, new auditorium, old gymnasium, campus cafeteria, canteen, and the Atal Incubation Hub (GIIEC). It also has the Oil Technologist's Association of India's (OTAI)[51] headquarters, the Council of Leather Exports' (CLE)[52] central regional office, and the Institution of Engineers (India)'s Kanpur[53] Local Centre. Other things include the Garden of Bliss, lawns, badminton court, tennis court, playground for cricket & football, guest house, medical centre, Central Bank of India (CBI) campus branch, and its ATM. The residential provisions are for six female hostels - Alaknanda Hostel (GH-I), Mandakini Hostel (GH-II), Gangotri Hostel (GH-III), Bhagirathi Hostel (GH-IV, and formerly Lake View III, 'LV New'), Kaveri Hostel (GH-V), and Saraswati Hostel (GH-VI); and two male hostels - Shridharacharya Hostel (Lake View I & II, 'LV Old'), and Ramanujan Hostel. There are also a few residential quarters for the faculty & staff. West campusThe West Campus is on Indra Road, opposite Deen Dayal Nagar locality, and around 1 km from the Gurudev Chauraha (and same name metro station). It is on the other side of the Kanpur Zoo with reference to the East Campus. This land was acquired in 1965 with an ambition to construct a new unified campus for the institute. The West Campus features several male hostels - Abdul Kalam Hostel (WCH-I), Visveswaraya Hostel (WCH-II), Raman Hostel (WCH-III), Ambedkar Hostel (DBRA-I), Aryabhatt Hostel (DBRA-II), Vishwakarma hostel (WCH-IV), and Vivekanand Hostel (PG). It also has the VC residence, VC camp office, new multi-purpose hall (Shatabdi Bhawan), new gymnasium, community centre, a State Bank (SBI) ATM, postal facilities, and several residential quarters for faculty and staff. There are also playing grounds for cricket, football, hockey, basketball, and volleyball. AdministrationGovernance structureHBTU is a state-university nominally headed by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh as its ex-officio Chancellor, and is administered by the following structure:
The above-mentioned statutory authorities have their own respective chairperson, secretary, and members. They can be convened for specific functions as per their mandate. The authorities are: Academic Council, Board of Studies, Board of Examinations, and several other Committees (Admission, Grievance, Purchase, Works, etc).[54] Organisation structureThe university is operationally headed by the Vice Chancellor (VC) who is assisted by several officials in the following reporting order:
AcademicsHBTU is a government-aided state-university for technical UG and PG education specialising in engineering and technology. It is a non-collegiate unitary-type university, and does not affiliate or administer other colleges or institutes. It is recognised by the University Grants Commission,[55] and is approved by the AICTE for STEM programmes.[56] HBTU holds the NAAC A+ Grade, and the courses are accredited by the NBA.[57] It was one of the 127 technical institutions to receive funding from the World Bank's IDA in TEQIP Phase-I (2004–2009)[58] implemented by NPIU[59] of GoI. The college further received more funding under RUSA, TEQIP-II,[60] and TEQIP-III.[61] The college also takes up R&D schemes sponsored by DST, UGC, ICAR, DRDO (& DMSRDE), CPCB, BARC, CIDA (via SICI[62]), CSIR, DAE, ICMR, MoFPI, DBT, ICMR, DOE, CSTUP, etc.[63] ProgrammesHBTU offers a wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses conferring the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.), Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Master of Computer Applications (MCA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science (M.Sc.), Master of Technology (M.Tech.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees on successful completion. B.Tech. courses are offered in 13 fields of engineering & technology by their respective departments, as follows (dept start year mentioned): Computer Science & Engineering (since 1984), Information Technology (by CSE Dept.), Mechanical Engineering (since 1964), Civil Engineering (since 1966), Electronics Engineering (since 1990), Electrical Engineering (since 1965), Chemical Engineering (since 1954), and six Chemical Technology branches - Plastic Technology (since 1964), Biochemical Engineering (since 1964), Food Technology (since 1964), Oil Technology (since 1921), Paint Technology (since 1991), and Leather Technology (since 1978)). M.Tech. is offered in 11 of these aforementioned 13 branches (except IT, and Leather Technology). Admissions to the B.Tech. programmes are through the NTA JEE Main exam since 2017 (and previously, SEE-UPTU from 2001 to 2016), and to the M.Tech. programmes are via the JAM exam. Full-time two-year MBA, MCA, and M.Sc. (in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) programmes are offered at the masters level. The erstwhile STEP-HBTI was established in 1986[64] for running the management programme(s), with STEP being acronym for 'Science & Technology Entrepreneur's Park'. A four-year BS-MS course is also offered in Mathematics & Data Science. Admission to the MBA programme is through the CAT exam (or university entrance exam), the MCA programme is through the NIMCET[65] exam, and the M.Sc. programmes is via the JAM exam & CUET (PG). Admission to the doctoral programmes (Ph.D.) is via the UGC–NET test. Reputation and rankingsHBTU was a nationally reputed engineering college in India in the 20th century. HBTU struggled for prestige after the IITs, IIITs, and NITs were expanded by the Indian government to a total of ~80 elite STEM colleges. Some old ranking reports are given below:
Centenary HBTU successfully completed a century of its establishment as a teaching institution in the year 2021. It also celebrated the 100th anniversary of its Foundation-Stone Laying Ceremony on the 25th of November, 2021. The centennial occasion was officially recognised and commemorated in the Centenary Year Function[80] organised by the university on the very date of anniversary in the presence of the President of India, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, and the Minister of Education (UP).  The following commemorative actions were performed as part of the centenary celebrations:
Career AssistanceThe Dean (PRG) is in-charge of the Training and Placement (T&P) Cell which is responsible for assisting students in getting the required industrial training and job opportunities. It comprises of admin-staff, and student-members from all branches. It aids in the making and verification of CVs. It also coordinates with interested organisations, and facilitates the hiring process for internships and jobs. Student lifeActivity councilApart from the academics, the HBTU students can also participate in extra-curricular activities organised by several officially recognised bodies called Sub-Councils. All of them are ultimately governed by an apex body called the University Students Activity Council (USAC) which is headed by a Chairman. All sub-councils have an administrative Convener, and are primarily run by their respective student-members.[88] The student-bodies can be categories based on their primary function:
AssociationsThe various departments of engineering and technology also have their own Associations of engineers and technologists, e.g., ACE, AME, etc. These associations coordinate among their faculty, students, and alumni for various co-curricular and extra-curricular activities as they deem important, including but not limited to intra-department or inter-college events. The associations have their own intra-departmental conveners, and student-members. AlumniHBTU alumni are popularly known as Harcourtians. They have been known so for a long time, are proud of their alma mater, and share a strong identity. The alumni can be easily found working in large numbers in the central government services (UPSC CSE/ESE, SSC, CAPF, Military, etc.), PSUs/PSEs, banks, institutes, colleges, state-government services (UPPSC, UKPSC, etc.), and provincial corporations like state-PWDs, metro-rail corps (DMRC, UPMRC, etc.), utility corps (UPPCL, UPJN, etc.), development units (DDA, YEIDA, UPSIDC, etc.), and many more. They are also successfully working as engineers & managers in the private sector firms, including all prominent MNCs. Many alumni also go to IITs, IIMs, IISc, or foreign colleges for further education. OBAOld Boys' Association was the first alumni association of HBTI, founded in the early 1930s, and colloquially called "OBA, HBTI".[89] In 1936, the Sugar Technology was established as a separate institute named IIST, but the association kept operating under the same name, and kept representing both institutes together. After IIST was renamed NSI in 1957, the joint alumni association was also renamed "OBA, HBTI & NSI" to reflect the change. When NSI moved to its own new campus a few km away in 1963, the association still carried on its activities across both campuses. However, the joint association was ultimately broken in 1971, and was again called "HBTI OBA". The association's activities declined after late 1970s. Alumni associationThe currently active Alumni Association, HBTU (originally as AA HBTI) was founded after the OBA went defunct. The association has chapters in major Indian cities for ease of access to alumni. It organised the first International Alumni Meet in 2005, and does so every year.[90][91] Alumni CellHBTU established the Alumni Cell in 2020s which enjoys dedicated resources.[92] It is headed by the Dean (PRG) as ex-officio Chairman, and the Associate Dean (PRG) is the ex-officio Member-Secretary in-charge of the alumni affairs. There are three other rotating members - two from faculty, and one from students. Notable alumni
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