experimental summer initiative where students from the University of Pittsburgh took nine credits over nine weeks in the summer of 1998. Since then, SIP has grown in leaps and bounds and has gone from hosting eight students in its debut year to nearly 200 in the most recent academic year. The University Grants Commission (UGC), a governmental organisation in India tasked with determining and maintaining standards for university education, has hailed the Study in India Programme as a model initiative and has encouraged other universities in India to emulate the program's approach. SIP's strength is its flexibility and willing to innovate to meet the needs of universities and study abroad consortia. SIP has created specialised, tailor-made programs for partners such as Dartmouth College, Duke University and the Nordic Centre in India—a consortium of 15 Nordic universities. Students can apply on their own, through their home schools, or through study abroad consortia that are SIP partners. In 2014 the SIP Programme has been selected for IIE Andrew Heiskell Award. Thirteen Campuses in the world have been recognised for their Outstanding International Initiatives. UoH is the only University from Asia to be recognised. Centre for Distance and Virtual Learning The University of Hyderabad started offering Post Graduate Diploma Programmes through distance mode since 1994. The target groups identified for these Programmes are (a) In service personnel looking forward to improve their skills and knowledge to enable to go up in the ladder in their own organisation or elsewhere and (b) Fresh graduate intending to improve their chances of employments on successful completion of these programmes. Organisation and administration Schools and departments School of Mathematics and Statistics School of Physics School of Chemistry School of Life Sciences School of Computer and Information Sciences School of Social Sciences School of Humanities School of Engineering Sciences and Technology School of Management Studies School of Economics Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication School of Medical Sciences Academic Staff College Established in 1987 as a major initiative in augmenting quality in Higher Education, the UGC promoted 66 Academic Staff Colleges. The Academic Staff College of University of Hyderabad is a constituent unit of the university offering orientation, refresher and need-based courses for Assistant Professors / Associate Professors working in Universities and Colleges. It is an important academic wing of the university. Apart from the training programmes for teachers, the Academic Staff College conducts professional development programmes