Assam Don Bosco University - ADBU

Focussed work on setting up the University began in early 2006. The whole of year 2006 could be viewed as a gestation period during which the focus was on clarifying ideas, preparing concept papers, making presentations before potential stakeholders, and formal application to the General Council at Rome to obtain the final go-ahead - time well-spent as it resulted in clarifying the vision, the objectives and the approach to the entire project.

The Rector Major and the General Council of Don Bosco Society gave the final approval to proceed with the project of establishing the university on 10th January 2007 (Approval No. Prot. 015 dated 10th January 2007). 2007 saw hectic activity to get the project off the ground - endless meetings of 'ad hoc' committees, 'core' committees, finance and fund-raising committees, drafting committees, short-listing and hiring of consultants, preparation of Detailed Project Reports, search for suitable land, etc. It culminated in a presentation of the project to the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Assam, Shri Tarun Gogoi and his cabinet colleagues and top government officials on 23rd October 2007. We were delighted with the enthusiastic welcome that our proposal received on that day.

The proposal of Don Bosco Society, submitted to the Government of Assam on 8th November 2007, to set up a private University was examined by the Expert Committee of the government; and, as recommended by the Committee, the government, on 29th March 2008, issued the Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Salesians of Don Bosco to establish the University at Guwahati in Assam (Letter No. AHE.384/2007/49 dated 29th March 2008).

The Letter of Intent was followed by an Ordinance of the State government on 3rd December 2008 (The Assam Don Bosco University Ordinance, 2008, dated 3rd December 2008), following which the University was formally inaugurated by Shri Tarun Gogoi, the Chief Minister of Assam, on 6th December 2008. Eventually the Ordinance was replaced by an Act of the State legislature (The Assam Don Bosco University Act, 2009) on 9th January 2009, and published in the official gazette of Assam on 12th February 2009.