Gangadhar Meher University (GMU), Sambalpur,has come into being on the 30th May 2015 by agovernment of Odisha order (no.11598/HE Dated 30.05.2015). A long-awaited moment has come to be fulfilled for the youth and people of the region aspiring for higher education. The new university has taken off from the erstwhileGangadhar Meher Autonomous College with the entire teaching and nonteaching staff deployed to the university to discharge immediate academic and administrative duties.
This elevation is indeed the crowning glory for an institution whose origin goes back to pre-independent India. The intellectuals and the then administrators formed a trust and through it established a college and named it after the town; thus, Sambalpur College was born in the year 1944. With growth and increased popularity, it was renamed after the literary luminary of the region asGangadhar Meher College in 1949. Science stream was introduced in the year 1957; postgraduate programs were introduced and autonomy granted in 1964 and 1991 respectively. Another landmark was the recognition by the University Grants Commission as the ?College with Potential for Excellence (CPE) and accreditation with ?A? grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2005 and 2015 respectively. Its continuous growth and later upgradation as unitary university is due to its ability to meet the higher educational needs of the students of the region. Students have always made it their first preference college. The application to seat ratio is always impressive, making a case for its continuous expansion. Consequently, the alumni base and support has grown to become one of the best not just in Odisha but in the whole country with many of them rendering distinguished service in the political, bureaucratic, and scientific establishments. The government, acknowledging this legacy, has identified it as a heritage institution.
