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Sampath Amaratunge

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Sr. Prof
Sampath Amaratunge
Chairman of the University Grants Commission
Incumbent
Assumed office
2020
Preceded byMohan De Silva
Vice-Chancellor, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
In office
2014–2020
Preceded byN. L. A. Karunaratne
Personal details
Born
Sampath Priyantha Perera Amaratunge

1 November 1964 (1964-11) (age 60)
Battaramulla, Sri Lanka
SpouseSunethrani
Children1
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Academic, administrator
Known forRural economics
AwardsOrder of the Rising Sun (旭日章, Kyokujitsu-shō)- Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by the Government of Japan
Websitewww.sjp.ac.lk/about/vc/professor-sampath-amaratunge/

Sampath Amaratunge (born 1 November 1964) is the chairman of the University Grants Commission, Sri Lanka. He was appointed by the president on 2 January 2020, and assumed the role the following day.[1][2] Amaratunge was previously the vice-chancellor at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka,[3][4] and the chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors (CVCD).[5] He was elected as a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities United Kingdom as a member representing constituency II.[6][7]

Early life and career

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Sampath Amaratunge was born on 1 November 1964 in Battaramulla, Sri Lanka, to Priyadarshani Atthanayake and Sarath Chandrasiri Perera Ameratunge.[8] He enrolled at Ananda College Colombo[9] in 1970,[7] and was admitted to pursue a bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 1990, where he also started lecturing. In 1994 he was able to obtain his master's degree in economics from the University of Colombo. He was later awarded the Monbusho (present-day Monbukagakusho) scholarship from Japan, which allowed him to join Saga University, where he completed his MSc. in rural economics in 2000. He completed his PhD in rural economics at Kagoshima University, Japan, in 2003. Upon returning to Sri Lanka, he resumed duties at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He was then made the Head of the Department of Business Economics, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, which he created. He became the dean of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 2008. In 2009 he became a professor of business economics.

Dean

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Amaratunge was appointed dean of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, in 2008. He was responsible for many changes that took place, among which were the establishment of departments, centres and programmes, and units. He founded the Department of Entrepreneurship, computer resource centre, a PhD programme, the Business Communication Unit, and established a legal unit linking management studies with law during his tenure as the Dean.[citation needed]

Amaratunge started the faculty journal Management Review and was made the "change agent" in 1993 of International Conference on Business Management (ICBM).[citation needed] He was also responsible for the introduction of the faculty symposium, which is held twice a year in the faculty, and introduced a Faculty Development Fund to develop the resources, equipment and infrastructure of the university.

He continued his position as dean of the faculty until November 2014, when he became the vice-chancellor of the university.[10]

Vice-chancellor

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Amaratunge is currently the twice-appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He first assumed the position in November 2014 when he was appointed by Mahinda Rajapaksa. In November 2017 he was re-appointed as vice-chancellor to serve a second term by Maithripala Sirisena. During his first term he formulated two new faculties for the University of Sri Jayewardenepura: the Faculty of Engineering[11][12] and the Faculty of Technology.[11][12] In his second term he founded the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences.[13][14]

He introduced a number of new departments including: Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice,[15] Department of Sociology, Department of Anthropology, Department of English Language Teaching,[16] Department of Philosophy and Psychology,[17] Department of Sports Science,[17] Department of Allied Health Science,[18] and the Department of Polymer Science.[19]

He reorganised the Research and Publication Committee of the university to the level of a council with twenty five research centres.[20]

In 2018, Amaratunge founded the Invention Innovation and Venture Creation Council (IIVCC) at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura to bridge the link between the university and the industry.[clarification needed][21] At present the IIVCC has 50 start-ups registered[22] and over 15 patent holders.[23] The IIVCC operates as a council where students and university staff work collaboratively to develop new inventions and innovations. In early 2019 an exhibition, Innovate 2019, was held to showcase the inventions, innovations, and ventures.[24][25][26][27]

Amaratunge signed more than 60 MoU's collaborating with many locally and internationally acclaimed institutes. The hostel occupancy of the university has been increased by over 50%[28] and several infrastructural developments have been made.[29]

CVCD Chairman

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Amaratunge was appointed chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors for 2019.[5]

Representative ACU of constituency II

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He was elected as a member representing constituency II of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) in 2019, which consists of Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.[6][7]

Contributions to the higher education system

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Amaratunge was the youngest member to be made a Commission Member of the University Grants Commission, a local governing body of the higher education system in Sri Lanka. He was appointed to this position by Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2010.[10]

He was also the chairman of Federation of University Teachers' Associations (FUTA) and the University Teacher's Association, University of Sri Jayewardenepura (UTA/SJP), from 2009 to 2012.[10] As a result of his leadership academics received an increment of 36.25% by the Commission circular No. 975 dated 13.01.2012 on their salaries after 17 years with minimum disruption to academic procedures in universities.[30] During his time as the head of FUTA, Amaratunge received death threats in response to measures taken to obtain said increment.[31][32]

Sports

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Amaratunge continued playing sports as an undergraduate, and he founded the university's first cricket team and was repeatedly awarded the best sportsman award at the university's Colours Night.[citation needed]

Upon joining the academia, he contributed to developing the sports section of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and the sports of all state universities in the country. During his term (2004–2008) as the president of the Sports Advisory Board of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, he reconstructed the university swimming pool, which is one of the largest in the country with a donation from Mahinda Rajapaksa.[33]

Amaratunge was appointed president of the Sri Lanka University Sports Association (SLUSA) in 2008. In his term of one year he organized a mini-Olympic Games event at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

References

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  1. ^ "Prof. Sampath Amaratunge appointed UGC Chairman | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Sr. Prof. Sampath Amaratunge appointed as the Chairman of the University Grants Commission". Adaderana Biz English | Sri Lanka Business News. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Vice Chancellor". University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Prof. Amaratunga reappointed as SJU Vice Chancellor". 12 November 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Message of the CVCD Chairman - Committee of Vice Chancellors and Directors". Committee of Vice Chancellors and Directors. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Vice-chancellors from across the Commonwealth join the ACU's governing body".
  7. ^ a b c University of Jayewardenepura. "Prof. Sampath Amaratunge Elected as the ACU Representative for Universities in South East Asia".
  8. ^ "Professor's Youth (මහාචාර්ය යෞවනය) with Prof. Sampath Amaratunge" (Video). 15 February 2018. 0:56-1:00 – via ITN- YouTube.
  9. ^ Alahapperuma, Janaka (30 November 2011). "Ananda College, Colombo: 125 Not Out". Ananda College, Colombo: 125 Not Out.
  10. ^ a b c "Professor Sampath Amaratunge Vice Chancellor - University of Sri Jayewardenepura". University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
  11. ^ a b "Proposed Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Technology, University of SJP". University of Sri Jayewardenepura. 26 August 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Ministry of Higher Education and Highways - Order to amend the Order made to establish the University of Jayewardenepura, by addition of Faculties of Technology and Engineering" (PDF). Department of Government Printing. 1 August 2016.
  13. ^ "Faculty of Allied Health Science; the Latest Faculty of the USJP". University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
  14. ^ "Ministry of Higher Education - Order to amend the Gaz. Ex. No. 1603/35 of 28.05.2009 which Specifies the Faculties & Department of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura" (PDF). Department of Government Printing. 30 April 2019. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019.
  15. ^ "Ministry of Higher Education & Highways - Order to amend the Schedule to the Order establishing the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Sri Lanka by addition of a new item" (PDF). Department of Government Printing. 19 February 2016. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Ministry of Higher Education & Highways - Order to amend the Gaz. Ex. No. 2045/17 of 15th November 2017, which specifies the Faculties & the Department of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura" (PDF). Department of Government Printing. 1 October 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Ministry of Higher Education & HIghways - Order to amend the Gaz. Ex. Ord. No. 1603/35 of 28.05.2009 which specifies Faculties & the Departments of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura,, adding Dept. of Philosophy and Psychology, Dept. of Sports Science" (PDF). Department of Government Printing. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Ministry of Higher Education & Cultural Affairs - Order to amend the Gaz. Ex. No. 1603/35 of 28.05.2009, adding "17. Department of Allied Health Science" to the University of Sri Jayawardenapura" (PDF). Department of Government Printing. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Ministry of Higher Education & Cultural Affairs - Notify the entry of Department of Polymer Science to the University of Sri Jayawardanepura, that published on Gaz. Ex. No. 1603/35" (PDF). Department of Government Printing. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018.
  20. ^ University of Sri Jayewardenepura Annual Report 2017 (PDF). University of Sri Jayewardenepura. 2017. pp. vi.
  21. ^ Sixty Years 1959-2019 Our Story: University of Sri Jayewardenepura, The legacy of Vidyodaya Pirivena, 1873, the Famed Seat of Oriental Learning. Sri Lanka: University of Sri Jayewardenepura. 2019. pp. 144–151. ISBN 978-955-4908-97-0.
  22. ^ "Start-Ups – Innovation, Invention and Venture Creation Council (IIVCC) – University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka". Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  23. ^ "List of Patent Holders – Innovation, Invention and Venture Creation Council (IIVCC) – University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka". Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  24. ^ "University of Sri Jayewardenepura 60th anniversary | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  25. ^ "Fostering innovation and invention, the USJP celebrates". Sri Lanka: Daily Mirror. 7 February 2019. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2023 – via PressReader.
  26. ^ Nanayakkara, Lakmi. "Sri Jayewardenepura University to organize 'Invention and Innovation Exhibition - 2019' at BMICH". Daily News. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  27. ^ admin (4 April 2019). "'Innovate Sri Lanka' Innovation and Invention Exhibition-2019". Dua xe 3D. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  28. ^ University of Sri Jayewardenepura Annual report 2017 (PDF). University of Sri Jayewardenepura. 2017. pp. vi.
  29. ^ University of Sri Jayewardenepura Annual Report (PDF). University of Sri Jayewardenepura. 2017. pp. viii–viv.
  30. ^ Commission Circular No 975, University Grants Commission
  31. ^ "Head of University lecturers association receives threats". Lanka News Web. 9 August 2010.
  32. ^ "Death threats to Uni teacher". South Asian Media Net. 4 August 2010.
  33. ^ "Opening The New Swimming Pool At The University Of Sri Jayawardenapura". Target Sri Lanka The Way Forward. December 2010.
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