University of Moratuwa to Memorialize Sir Arthur C. Clarke in an Endowed Research Chair

The University of Moratuwa attracts the very top performers at the GCE A/L examination, and is the most sought after University in technological fields.

The University of Moratuwa has set in motion, plans to establish an Endowed Research Chair named after Sir Arthur C. Clarke, its first Chancellor. This coincides with the birth centenary of this great visionary of the 20th Century, who was appointed Chancellor of the then brand new University of Moratuwa in 1979, and held this position until 2002.

The University will create an Endowment Fund to support the proposed position, and will seek donors both nationally and internationally, from industry, its alumni and well- wishers. The University believes that naming the endowed position after Sir Arthur C. Clarke will not only perpetuate the memory and the legacy of this distinguished personality, but will also bring honour and prestige to donors as well as to holders of this position in future.

Endowed chairs are prestigious positions offered by Universities across the globe. They ensure that Universities attract exceptional educators and researchers from anywhere in the world, who will bring a wealth of expertise to enrich the University community. They are teachers, mentors and role models for their students and colleagues. As leaders in their respective fields, endowed chairs also enhance the global visibility of the Universities that host them. The most prestigious universities around the world boast of long portfolios of endowed positions, which have thus become a hallmark of an exceptional academic institution.

The University of Moratuwa attracts the very top performers at the GCE A/L examination, and is the most sought after University in technological fields. Sustaining an overall employment rate of over 97%, the University is recognized by industry as the producer of some of the finest professionals - engineers, architects, researchers and academics - in the island. The University is also world renowned as a producer of world class graduates, who, year after year, secure placement for postgraduate study in the world’s top-notch universities.

The University now strives to attain similar recognition for its research, which is essential not only to attract and retain high- calibre academics and to keep up with trends in advanced research, but also for the advancement of the country’s economy through technological innovations. “Establishing an Endowed Chair, with a view to attracting renowned researchers to occupy this position, is the latest in a number of recent initiatives to achieve these goals”, states Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kapila C. K. Perera. The Endowed Chair is the brainchild of his immediate predecessor, Prof. Ananda Jayawardane.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke presides over the General Convocation of the University of Moratuwa in 2001.