In the journey of a human or an institute, first twenty five years is just the right time to review the past achievements, assess the present status and design the future goals. We would like to begin the story of School of Earth Sciences’ Journey by thanking all the stakeholders who played a direct or indirect role in the growth of the School.

The journey of the School of Earth Sciences in the past twenty five years is no less than spectacular. The School of Earth Sciences is one of the first Schools to be initiated in the newly established University in the Nanded city of Marathwada region christened after renowned freedom fighter and educationalist “Swami Ramanand Teerth”. The School of Earth Sciences had begun its academic journey in 1994 with 2 Students and 5 Faculty Members and a single Masters course in Geology. The School was housed, as were other Schools of the University, in the old irrigation department residence and office space within Vishnupuri area of Nanded. It was both a challenge and an opportunity for the young faculty who have joined the School to build the School and their careers from the scratch. All the faculty members were passionate about the progress of the School and enthusiastically worked for academic and infrastructural growth of School not withstanding many constraints inherent for a budding institute.

First five years were spent in acquiring basic equipment, teaching tools and strengthening the Geology course. During this period a seismic centre was also established in Killari. The School has shifted the new sprawling University campus that came-up on the nearby plateau. The present campus of the University is awe-inspiring with its geographical spread and spatial splendour! Spread over more than 500 acres on an elliptical plateau the campus is boasted with one of the gigantic and beautiful administrative buildings, 14 Schools and a centrally located Knowledge Resource Centre. However, we were tenants in the School of Life Sciences for some time before we moved to our own building. Equipped with required infrastructure, faculty and own building, the School entered into an expansion mode and introduced Post-Graduate courses in Environmental Science, Geography and Geophysics. The School of Earth Sciences boasts one of the very well kept Geological Museums and a unique seismic centre. The School slowly but steadily attracted students not only from different parts of Maharashtra but also from other states.

From its inception, the School of Earth Sciences has been committed to giving quality education to students, promoting high-quality teaching and fundamental research in Earth Sciences. The School of Earth Sciences excels in providing encouraging and inspiring environment for students’ academic growth. The Faculty members of School of Earth Sciences are well-qualified with national and international reputation. The strength of our School is positive commitment to work towards achieving the academic goals. To inculcate research temperament, project work is made mandatory for Master students in the School of Earth Sciences. These projects are not mere compilations of existing data but are soundly based on new data generated exclusively for the project. A weekly presentation of ongoing research under the banner “Saturday Seminar” not only keeps researchers on their toes but also inculcates research mindset in the Masters students.

Students of the School of Earth Sciences regularly participate in National level student programs being organised by IITs, National Institutes and Industries. The students of the School of Earth Sciences not only actively involved in these competitions but also have and excelled in many of them. Our Students continuously take part in Summer/Winter training programs at CSIR-NGRI, Hyderabad, Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai, Indian Seismological Research Centre, Ahmadabad, IIIT, Hyderabad, Atomic Mineral Division, Hyderabad, ONGC, Goa, NEERI, Nagpur, Geological Survey of India, Hyderabad, NRSC, Hyderabad, Environmental Industries, Pune, APSRAC, Hyderabad among others.

Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai has been providing 5 scholarships (GRASP-IIG) to our II year meritorious students from M.Sc. (Geophysics and Geology) @1000/per student for 10 months. This is a unique scholarship program offered by the IIG to M.Sc. students of the School of Earth Sciences.

The School of Earth Sciences, SRTM University, is recognized by the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) as the First International Student Chapter outside USA. The School has Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) and academic collaborations with many National and International institutions. The School has been having academic and research association with Research organizations like NGRI, IIG, NCS, ISR, GSDA through MoUs for academic collaborations, student training and innovative research programs. The School has also signed MoUs with different colleges to maintain the academic relationship and sustainable growth in the field of Earth Sciences.

Many renowned scholars visited the School in the past 25 years. Prominent among them include: Dr. Padma Vibhushan Dr. Anil Kakodkar. Padma Shri Dr. H.K. Gupta, Padma Shri Dr. V. P. Dimri, Dr. Krishna Lal (President, INSA), Dr. V. Rajamani (JNU), Prof. C. Leelanandam (Osmania University), Prof. V. K. Gaur (Distinguished Scientist, IIA), Dr. T. Radhakrishna (NCESS), Dr. T. Harinarayana (Director, GERMI, Gujarat), Dr. Y.V.N. Krishna Murthy (Director, NRSC, Hyderabad), Dr. Swarna Subba Rao (Survey of India, Govt. of India), Dr. V.K. Gahalaut (Director, National Center for Seismology, New Delhi), Dr. S.V.S. Kameswara Rao (GM, RSRAC (ISRO), Nagpur), Prof. Praveen Saptarshi (Professor Emeritus, SPPU), Dr. H. Sarvothaman (Ex. Dy. Director General, GSI), Dr. Mala Bagiya (Scientist, IIG, Mumbai), Prof. K.S. Krishna (University of Hyderabad), Dr. V. Suresh Babu (NIRD, Hyderabad) and Prof. Vaidya (JNU).

The School has hosted Fulbright Teacher fellows from USA. Dr. L. Joe Morgan, Jackson Vile University, Alabama, USA visited School of Earth Sciences under FULBRIGHT teacher fellowship and taught GIS course to our students for five months in 2011. Drs. Jim Jacobs, Steve Baker, Chin Man Moc visited School of Earth Sciences for 6 weeks under FULBRIGHT Senior Specialist Grant in 2012.