SRM University –Amaravati, AP launches School of Liberal Arts and Basic Sciences (SLABS)

24^th January 2018, Amaravati: President of SRM University, Dr. P. Sathyanarayanan, announced the setting up of School of Liberal Arts and Basic Sciences (SLABS) at its University in Amaravati in the presence of the Honorary Pro Chancellor of SRM University, AP - Amaravati, Prof. Nicholas Dirks (Chancellor Emeritus, University of California, Berkley), Dr. D Narayana Rao, Pro Vice Chancellor of SRM University, AP – Amaravati and Members of the  Board of Management including Prof. Prashant Mohapatra (Vice Provost of Graduate Education at the University of California, Davis) and Prof. Damodar Acharya (former Chairman, AICTE).

SLABS will be SRM Amaravati’s home for fundamental research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued across disciplines, finding answers and solutions to world’s most challenging problems and daunting issues. SLABS will have its first intake of students in 2018 and will offer B.A., B.B.A., B.Com and B.Sc. programs across 12 departments –Economics, English, History, Journalism, Psychology, Business Studies, Commerce, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Computer Science.

“Today, we face increasingly complex issues and challenges, and tackling these, calls for multi-dimensional thought processes and problem-solving skills. Education needs to focus on this and much more. We aim to help students develop such skills through the liberal arts and basic sciences education offered at SRM SLABS. For this, we are looking at hands-on guidance from Prof. Nicholas Dirks, given his background as a renowned anthropologist, and his rich experience in Liberal Arts. SRM SLABS also has a strong faculty base of international caliber who will bring a global perspective to liberal arts education. They will assist in creating a holistic approach to education, which will become, we hope, the calling card for SRM Amaravati’s SLABS”, says Dr. P Sathyanarayanan, President SRM Amaravati.

“I am very pleased to be involved with SRM Amaravati as it establishes its School of Liberal Arts and Basic Sciences.  As we launch SLABS, we are working to ensure that our undergraduate students will be the full beneficiaries of the best set of undergraduate experiences available anywhere, in the larger context of building a leading research university with aspirations to become world-class in every possible sense. In our program, students will learn the skills of critical thinking and knowledge creation in a range of fields in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.  They will have an innovative multi-disciplinary education, in close proximity as well to breaking new teaching and research in areas ranging from machine learning and data science to public policy and social analysis”, says Prof. Nicholas Dirks, Honorary Pro Chancellor, SRM Amaravati.

“SRM is committed to offering a distinctive form of learning empowering young students and thinkers with historical and cultural perspectives, as well as language, critical thinking, and communication skills— ideal traits to survive the modern world. The multi-disciplinary focus of SLABS will ensure that the students would have both breadth as well depth of knowledge about a wide range of subjects”, says Dr. D Narayana Rao, Pro. Vice Chancellor, SRM Amaravati.

In-class discussions, field trips, presentations, movies and hands-on assignments are some of the ways in which students are exposed to multiple facets of an issue and encouraged to explore. This multidisciplinary approach of a liberal arts programme and the interactive manner in which classes are conducted will develop in students a spirit of inquiry, analytical capabilities as well as verbal and written communication skills, thereby making them work-place ready.

Applications will open shortly.

FACT SHEET:

School of Liberal Arts and Basic Sciences (SLABS), at SRM University, AP-Amaravati