Excerpts from Col.Dr.G.Thiruvasagam, the Vice-Chancellor's address in the 152nd Convocation :

• A landmark event for the first time in the country this University has introduced the Reservation Policy for admission into the Ph.D programme.
• Free education for at least one student is to be implemented in every department of the University of Madras and for at last 10 students in every college under the Umbrella of our university. The Full fee concession for the physically challenged students admitted to the P.G., M.Phil. and Ph.D programmes has been extended to all the University departments of study and research.
• In order to provide concrete help to the displaced persons of Tamil origin in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, classes under the Distance Education mode is to be commenced with help from the State government of Tamil Nadu and the Sri Lankan Government and meetings have been held with the Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka.
• In order to encourage research activities among young graduates, the University has established the Dr.A.L.Mudaliar Centre for Basic Science Developments which was inaugurated on 22-12-2009 by the Nobel Laureate, Dr.Venkatraman Ramakrishnan,
• The scheme of 'One college-one school adoption' has been introduced under the auspices of the N.S.S programme of the University of Madras.
• In order help the poor and meritorious students to visit travel abroad for completing their research work, the University has initiated action to establish a corpus fund.
• To ensure the quality teaching at the collegiate level, particularly in the self financing colleges, the University of Madras has introduced the compulsory orientation programme through the UGC - Academic Staff College.
• The University has introduced a novel project by which 12 Lakhs books will be collected through the NSS and handed over to the Dr.C.N.Annadurai World Class Library established by our beloved Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
• In order to redress the various types of grievances from the students, parents, teachers and general public, a new facility by name "Green Box" has been installed in the office of the Vice-Chancellor. Under this facility numerous grievances have been received and redressed. We have introduced a grievance redressal day on the first Monday of every month and the students, particularly from distance education mode have greatly benefited.
• The University has already made provisions to ensure that all teachers in the affiliated colleges become e-literate.
• The University of Madras is happy to announce that the ambitious Pan African project which intends to provide education under the Distance mode to aver 52 African nations is actively underway and it is hoped that the concrete achievements will be reported at the next convocation.
• New infrastructural facilities are going to be established at various campuses of the University of Madras at the cost of Rs 90.25 crores These include the Students amenities centre Knowledge Management and Data Centre at Chepauk and Marina, Knowledge Management and Data Centre at Chepauk Laboratories and classrooms to be housed in an eight storey building and Independent buildings to house the Departments of Nanosciences and Management Studies, at Guindy and a ten storey building at PGIBMS, Taramani, Animal houses and International Students hostels with 250 rooms Guindy and Taramani, Guest House for UGC Academic Staff College and Multi-storey multipurpose building at Pallavakkam and Building housing a Seminar room classrooms and laboratory for CAS Botany at Maduravoyil .

Col. Dr. G. Thiruvasagam
Vice Chancellor