The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the oldest institution of modern higher education in Sri Lanka. Specialised in the fields of natural, social, and applied sciences as well as mathematics, computer sciences, and law. It is ranked among the top 10 universities in South Asia.
Walpola Rahula Thero (1907–1997) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, scholar and writer. In 1964, he became the Professor of History and Religions at Northwestern University, thus becoming the first bhikkhu to hold a professorial chair in the Western world. He also once held the position of Vice-Chancellor at the then Vidyodaya University. He has written extensively about Buddhism in English, French and Sinhala. He wrote the book What the Buddha Taught about Theravada Buddhism.
Neville Jayaweera was a member of the Ceylon Civil Service (1955-1972). He was handpicked by the Prime Minister of Ceylon, Dudley Senanayake, to be both Chairman and Director-General of the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in 1967. Jayaweera drafted the legislation for setting up the CBC and headed the new Corporation for three years. Under his leadership the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation followed very strictly the values and ethics of public service broadcasting. The CBC is now known as the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.
Sir William Ivor Jennings was a British lawyer and academic. He served as the vice chancellor of the University of Cambridge (1961–63) and the University of Ceylon (1942–55).
Professor Samuel Ratnajeevan Herbert Hoole is a Sri Lankan Tamil engineer and academic. He is a member of the election commission of Sri Lanka.
Mapatunage James "M. J." Perera was a Sri Lankan civil servant with nine members in his family in Udumulla, Padukka. He created broadcasting history by being the first Ceylonese Director General of Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia, taking over the helm from John Lampson of the BBC.
Thelmuth Harris Wilhelm Woutersz was a prominent Sri Lankan diplomat and civil servant, who served as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka. He had served as Sri Lankan Ambassador to People’s Republic of China, Italy & Yugoslavia.
Vidya Jyothi E. O. Eustace Pereira was a Sri Lankan Engineer and Academic. He was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ceylon, where he founded the Faculty of Engineering. He was known as the Father of modern engineering education in Sri Lanka.
Emeritus Professor C.L.V Jayathilake, FIESL, JP is a Sri Lankan engineer and academic. He was the chancellor of Wayamba University and the former vice chancellor of the University of Peradeniya.
The University of Colombo currently has seven faculties with 41 academic departments and two interdependent schools with five academic departments. All faculties and schools carries out courses of study and research in both graduate and undergraduate studies. In addition, the university has several institutions that specialize in different areas of research.
Alagiah Thurairajah was a leading Sri Lankan Tamil academic and vice-chancellor of the University of Jaffna.
Professor Suppiramaniam Vithiananthan was a Sri Lankan writer, academic and the first vice-chancellor of the University of Jaffna.
Walwin Arnold de Silva, CCS was a Sri Lankan civil servant. He was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ceylon, Colombo and a Member of Parliament.
Professor Sivasubramaniam Pathmanathan is a Sri Lankan Tamil historian, academic, author and current chancellor of the University of Jaffna.
Ranaweera Appuhamilage Leslie Herbert Gunawardana was a Sri Lankan historian, academic, politician and government minister.
