In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) “Academic Council” means the Academic Council of the University constituted under section 26.
(b) “Board of Management” means the Board of Management constituted under section 24;
(c) “campus” means the area of the Cluster University within which it is established;
(d) “Cluster Colleges” means lead college and constituent colleges;
(e) “college” means an institution maintained or admitted to its privileges by the Cluster University and includes Autonomous or Affiliated College;
(f) “Cluster University” means “the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cluster University, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh” established under section 3;
(g) “Constituent Colleges” means the colleges constituting the Cluster University and mentioned as such in section 3;
1 Passed in Hindi by the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. For Statement of Objects and Reasons see the Rajpatra, Himachal Pradesh, dated 10 th April, 2018, pp. 215 and 240-241.
4 THE SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL CLUSTER UNIVERSITY, MANDI, HIMACHAL PRADESH (ESTABLISHMENT AND REGULATION) ACT, 2018
(h) “employee” means any person appointed by the Cluster University and includes its teachers and other staff;
(i) “Faculty” means, a faculty consisting of an allied group of subjects;
(j) “fee” means monetary collection made by the Cluster University or its colleges, institutions or study centres, as the case may be, from the students by whatever name, it may be called, which is not refundable;
(k) “Government” or “State Government” means the Government of Himachal Pradesh;
(l) “Governing Body” means the Governing Body constituted under section 23;
(m) “Head of Department” means the Head of the Cluster University Teaching Department in the rank of Professor or Associate Professor;
(n) “Higher Education” means study of a curriculum or course for the pursuit of knowledge beyond 10+2 level;
(o) “hostel” means a place of residence for the students of the Cluster University, or its colleges, institutions and study centres, established or recognized to be as such, by the Cluster University;
(p) “lead College” means the Vallabh Government College, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh;
(q) “M.L.S.M. College” means the Maharaja Laxman Sen Memorial College, Sundernagar, District Mandi, Himachal Pradesh;
(r) “notification” means a notification published in the Rajpatara (e-Gazette), Himachal Pradesh;
(s) “off campus” means a centre of the Cluster University established by it outside the main campus operated and maintained as its constituent unit, having the Cluster University’s complement of facilities, faculty and staff;
(t) “Principal” means the Head of a College or a person duly appointed, for the time being;
(u) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules, Statutes, Ordinances or Regulations made under this Act;
(v) “regulating body” means a body established by the Central Government or the State Government, as the case may be, for laying down norms and conditions for ensuring academic standards of higher education, such as, the University Grants Commission, the All India Council of Technical Education, THE SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL CLUSTER UNIVERSITY, MANDI, 5 HIMACHAL PRADESH (ESTABLISHMENT AND REGULATION) ACT, 2018 the National Council of Teacher Education, the Council of Architecture, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, the Distance Education Council, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutional Regulatory Commission etc.;
(w) “Section” means a section of this Act;
(x) “State” means the State of Himachal Pradesh;
(y) “Statutes”, “Ordinances” and “Regulations” means respectively, the Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations of the Cluster University made under this Act;
(z) “student” means a person enrolled with the Cluster University for taking a course of study for a degree, diploma or other academic distinction instituted by the Cluster University;
(za) “Study Centre” means a centre established and maintained or recognized by the Cluster University for the purpose of advising, counselling or for rendering any other assistance required by the students in the context of distance education;
and
(zb) “teacher” means a Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, and includes any other person imparting instructions in the Cluster University or in any College maintained or admitted to its privileges by the Cluster University.