Bengal Engineering and Science University. A Telegraph picture

It’s celebration time on a campus that has been rife with controversy through the year, whether it be student indiscipline or status upgrade. Bengal Engineering and Science University (Besu) will kick-start a year-long celebration to commemorate its 150 years of existence from November 24.

Union human resources development minister Arjun Singh, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, chancellor and Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and higher education minister Sudarshan Roychoudhury will attend the function.

The schedule for the two-day start of the celebrations includes a round-table conference on Higher Technical Education: A 21st Century Perspective, on November 24. Graham Reader, dean of engineering studies, University of Windsor, will attend the discussion, along with the directors of five IITs and industry captains, including Tata Steel MD B. Muthuraman and L&T chief A. Ramakrishnan.

Another seminar, on Automobile Engineering: A 21st Century Perspective, will be inaugurated by state industries minister Nirupam Sen on November 25.

Participants from across the industrial sector, including Tata Motors MD Ravi Kant, along with representatives from automobile giants Ashok Leyland, Bharat Forge and TVS, will be present.

The seminar is a precursor to a centre of excellence for automobile engineering that will provide research facilities, including trained manpower for upcoming units, like the Tata car factory in Singur, motorcycle factory Mahabharata and others.

A month later, on December 24, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will deliver the sesquicentenary lecture which will be an annual event in the varsity calendar.

Besides, four lectures by Nobel laureates are also in the offing.

The 150th year will also see construction of an anniversary gate, a convention centre and central computing and instrumentation facilities on the campus.

A commemorative postal stamp, along with a commemorative volume, is due to be released.