Government College University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Government College University, Lahore is a co-educational public university located on The Mall in Lahore, Pakistan. Although the college was granted the status of university by the Pakistan Government in 2002, the word college is still retained in the name for historical reasons and also because of the wide recognition of the name Government College in Pakistan. The University offers bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. degrees in a variety of disciplines. The university currently has more than 6000 students and 323 faculty members. Alumni of Government College are called Ravians after the nearby Ravi River.
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[edit] History
Government College University, Lahore as a college, is older than any other college or university in Pakistan. Under the British Raj the college was opened on January 1, 1864 in a portion of the Palace of Raja Dhyan Singh Haveli. The institution was affiliated with Calcutta University for examination. Along with the establishment of the college, Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner (professor of Arabic and Mohammedan Law at King's College in London) was nominated as principal of college. He later was instrumental in the foundation of Punjab University, Lahore in 1882. The first class consisted of 9 students, all of whom matriculated from Calcutta University. In April 1871, the college moved to its present site. In 1996, it received autonomous status; on September 9, 2002, it became a university.
[edit] Emblem
Torch, as the crest of University emblem, symbolizes the light of knowledge that this unique institution has been giving to generations since its founding. The motto "Courage to Know" represents the guiding principle of the student community. It is intended to develop courage among the students to realize their academic potential.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, 4th Khalifatul Masih of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
- Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal - poet and philosopher
- Waseem Sajjad - Chairman Senate, two times Former Interim President of Pakistan
- Moeen Qureshi - Former Interim Prime Minister of Pakistan
- Nawaz Sharif - former Prime Minister of Pakistan
- Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali - former Prime Minister of Pakistan
- Ashfaq Ahmed - Urdu writer
- Faiz Ahmed Faiz - poet
- Patras Bokhari - Urdu writer
- Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan - Diplomat, First Pakistani Foreign Minister, Representative to the United Nations, President of the United Nations general assembly, President of the International Court of Justice Hague
- Dr. Abdus Salam - nobel laureate, director international centre for theoretical physics Italy, director third world academy of sciences (TWAS) Italy, famously worked on unifying two fundamental forces of nature
- Dr. Har Gobind Khorana - Nobel Laureate
- Dr.Shuja Haider Zaidi President & CEO Chem-Energy Corporation, California, USA
- Dev Anand - Indian film actor
- Musa Javed Chohan - former ambassador to France, Malaysia
- Sarvadaman Chowla - mathematician
- Ishfaq Ahmad - physicist
- Sahir Ludhiyanvi - Urdu poet/Hindi lyricist and songwriter
- Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, a well known nuclear scientist of Pakistan
- Farkhanda Lodhi - female novelist
- Bano Qudsia - female novelist
- Wajid Ali Khan - Member of Canadian Parliment and advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper
