Rationale
The Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (RUSL), as the 11th National University of Sri Lanka, was inaugurated in 1996 at Mihintale, a sacred site just a few kilometers from the Historical Kingdom of Anuradhapura. Since its inception, the University has produced thousands of graduates contributing to national development and knowledge production over the last twenty-five years. Currently, the University has six academic faculties offering higher education programs such as degrees, diplomas, and courses aiming at providing education for undergraduates, postgraduates, and external stakeholders fulfilling the country’s requirements.
The RUSL is ranked 7th place in the country as per webometric rankings (2022), 3,509th place in the world, and 23rd in the Asiatic Region in the university sector. In addition, recently, the University has been ranked as the best University in Sri Lanka by considering the research percentile and the 2nd best University for overall research performance in the Scimago ranking of Sri Lankan universities, 2022. These benchmarks and achievements have proven the RUSL’s capacity to enhance itself sustainably.
Since its inception, the RUSL has acknowledged its significance in growing international affairs and becoming a worldwide renowned university. Much foreign cooperation was involved in achieving this goal. The RUSL has established global alliances through these efforts, produced new research opportunities, and provided platforms for intellectual engagement. Under the supervision of various coordinators in several faculties, University staff members are engaged in a variety of events and opportunities. However, until now, the University’s international affairs, collaborations, and student exchange have been operated in a scattered and less organized arena. Establishing a separate functioning body/unit (Rajarata University International Relations Unit-RUIRU) for the University’s international relations under the supervision and direct guidance of a senior advisory board seems to be an important and timely activity to manage the bridge between RUSL and the respective international community.
This Unit is expected to foster and lead cross-directional collaboration with international educational institutes and governmental, non-governmental, and business entities expanding University’s international relations. In addition, the proposed RUIRU would serve as the center for coordinating University’s foreign affairs, assisting in establishing official contacts and partnerships with international institutes and communities, student mobility, academic staff mobility, and collaboration with other universities across the world.
