Mahindra United World College of India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mahindra United World College of India (MUWCI) is one of 12 United World Colleges, located 40 km west of Pune in Maharastra, India. Established in 1997, the college has a population of about 200 students from all around the world who live together on campus for two years. Alongside academic performance, international experience and community service play a central role in the school's educational concept.
Contents |
[edit] History
On 28 November 1997, Queen Noor of Jordan alongside Nelson Mandela inaugurated the Mahindra United World College of India as one of the now twelve United World Colleges (UWC) and the third UWC in Asia. It had been made possible largely due to substantial financial donations (approx. US$ 8 m) and committed personal efforts by the Mahindra industrial family (esp. the late Harish Mahindra, deceased 1999).
[edit] Location
The college is located near the village of Paud in the Taluka Mulshi region of the western state of Maharastra, India. It is around 40 km from the city of Pune (which is in turn around 100 km south-east of Bombay), is located at approximately . The MUWCI campus is situated in rural area on a hill overlooking the valley of the Mula river near Mulshi Dam. in the valleys and the steep hills of the Western Ghats form the landscape surrounding the school.
[edit] Campus
The MUWCI campus provides classrooms, modern laboratories, art studios and administrative facilities, and students-staff housing in 'village communities' called "wadas". There are four of these, each with its own characteristics. The design incorporates traditional elements and local building materials and won its creator, the architect Christopher Charles Benninger, the Designer of the Year award in 1998 (more information here). In 2000, the campus also won a the American Institute of Architects/Business Week/Arcitectural Record Award for excellence.Business Week/Architectural Record award. Information on MUWCI's architecture is also available at archnet.org.
Each Wada is unique in layout, although the houses are of a similar design.
The campus also has a Medical Centre with 16 beds, with a doctor during the day and a full time nursing services.
The campus has diverse natural life as a result of its location, and sightings of snakes and scorpions are not uncommon.
The institution awards the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
[edit] Administration
The current headmaster of the college is Dr. David Wilkinson, who has guided the college from its infancy in 1997 until the present day (as of 2006), and who was previously the headmaster of the Li Po Chun United World College from 1992-96. Dr. Cyrus Vakil is the current Director of Studies, thus in charge of the academic happenings on campus.
[edit] Educational concept
As a United World College, MUWCI has the mission to enable young people "[t]hrough international education, experience and community service", to "become responsible citizens, politically and environmentally aware, and committed to the ideals of peace and justice, understanding and cooperation, and the implementation of these ideals through action and personal example. (see UWC homepage). In practice, this translates to an educational concept which aims to create an international atmosphere through selection of students and stresses the importance of service on and off campus.
[edit] Student body
Each year, around 100 new students begin the two-year programme at MUWCI (hence a total student population of 200). Students are typically aged 16-19, and come from around 75 countries, with around 35% of the student population coming from India. Selection for the college is based on merit and done through national committees of the United World Colleges (UWC) in the students' home countries. Most students receive some form of scholarship, from partial to full.
[edit] Academics
The college's academic programme is the International Baccalaureate Programme diploma programme, a two-year pre-university programme recognized for entry to universities in most countries. Curriculum details are according to the IB Diploma Programme. The language of instruction is English but courses in Hindi are offered at beginner's as well as advanced level. The current teacher:student ratio as mentioned on the school website is 1:9.
The list of courses offered by the college as of the academic year 2006-07 in the six IB subject areas are:
- English A1
- Self-Taught Languages
- Spanish A1
- English A2
- Spanish A2 (in a coordinated program with A1)
- English B
- Spanish B
- French B
- Hindi B
- Spanish Ab Initio
- French Ab Initio
- Hindi Ab Initio
- Economics
- History
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Human Rights
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Environmental Science
- Math Higher Level
- Math Methods
- Math Studies
- Further Math
- Music
- Film Studies
- Art
- Theatre Arts
[edit] Triveni Program
While the Triveni Program springs from the IB's CAS requirement, MUWCI requires students to go far beyond the IB's 150 hours. The Triveni Program splits the Service component into Campus Service and Community Interaction, and emphasizes continuity of participation, on a weekly basis, rather than a quantitative count of hours; additionally, all first year students spend their first Project Week working with and learning from an NGO somewhere in India. Many students each year also exercise a 3rd Year Option, where students take a year to devote more time to a particular organisation. In the past, students from other UWCs have come to spend a gap year at Mahindra.
The four areas of weekly activities are:
- Action(A)
Includes sports activities on campus like soccer, cricket, self-defence, basketball, rugby, tennis, table tennis, ballet and hiking.
- Creation(C)
In past years, activities from this section have included activities as varied as cinema club, D&D, choir, Classical Indian dance, chess, Guitar,Latin Rhythms,Drums, Gender and Sexuality discussion, Yoga, Zen meditation and Indian cooking.
- Campus Service(CS)
Students are in charge of a range of services such as the Environmental Protection (EPA), college newspaper (FTB), library and technology services, and the school's own fire fighting crew.
- Community Interaction(CI)
MUWCI students help in orphanages and homes for old or disabled people both in Pune and villages closer to the campus, provide literacy classes for children and local workers, and help building local schools. Examples include Sadhana Village, a home for special adults, and Active English, where MUWCI students teach supplemental English classes for local 4th graders.
In total, there are over 60 activities to choose from in MUWCI, all led by students.
[edit] The Mahindra Biodiversity Reserve
Thanks to a generous donation from Mr. Uday Kotak and the whole hearted support from the Governing Board the Mahindra UWC of India launched its Biodiversity Project in June 2006. The primary aim of the project is to enhance the already existing species of flora and fauna in this part of the Western Ghats which environmentalists’ world-wide call a Biodiversity Hotspot. This project will make possible a serious environmental and educational study, aiming to safeguard our planet and prevent humankind from destroying the benefits provided by nature, by showcasing the interdependence of all life.
The dream is to restore the much degraded land by dividing the reserve into two zones; the first will be a Biodiversity Park and the second will be a Conservation Reserve. The Biodiversity Park, consisting of about 75 acres, will include the built up area of the college and will include diverse flora and walking trails with informative signage for the benefit of students, visitors, researchers, etc. The Conservation Park, consisting of about 95 acres, will be kept purposefully away from human activities. This continuous piece of land will provide the large corridors and private areas that higher fauna need. Eco-restorative measures will be undertaken to enhance the potential of this land which will provide a refuge to local and visiting wildlife. We are certain that this park which includes a well developed Medicinal Garden, a Butterfly Garden, an “Art Garden” and a Sacred Grove would challenge our young students to take up research projects related to ethno-medicine, alternate energy sources, eco-conservation, and gene-pool restoration.
This year the project focused on water harvesting and stream restoration, pathways and trails, and cataloguing of birds, moths, butterflies, shrubs, climbers, and trees on campus. In the next ten years the college will be totally dependent on renewable energy sources that will be generated on campus. (for more info contact: hector@muwci.net)
[edit] Traditions
[edit] Orientation Week
It is the first one week of joining MUWCI planned by the second years for the new first years. The main aim of this week is for the first years to get together with the new environment and to interact with the others. Within this week there are several pragrammes for the first years to get a grip of MUWCI realm, and to understand what's the student life in MUWCI is really like.
[edit] College Meetings & Notices
The entire college convenes on the library lawn overlooking the Mulshi valley every Monday for important college wide announcements and discussions.
[edit] Austerity meals
These are simple dinners provided in the cafeteria on one random evening each week, where only one to two types of food are served. This is done to raise money for charity by reducing the actual cost of the meal.
[edit] Project weeks
There are two designated weeks every academic year when the school empties, and the students encouraged to explore India. These are called project weeks. Incoming students are generally placed into project week groups for the first project week, but are then responsible for organising and planning out their trips for the remaining three. The first project week for a MUWCI student will include a faculty member, but there is no faculty supervision required for the remaining trips although teachers often accompany students on trips.
[edit] Wada concerts
Wada concerts are open-mic nights held in the residential area, where students perform various pieces in an open informal atmosphere. There is no fixed schedule, and concerts generally happen whenever the students feel like having one.
[edit] International and Indian cultural education
The regular celebration of "national evenings" on campus, where students from one region or continent present their culture to the college community - usually through food, dance, plays and music - is meant to emphasise the strongly international atmosphere on campus. At the same time, classes in Indian Culture and celebrations of Indian holidays emphasise the influence of the host country.
[edit] MUWCI Fest
An annual rock concert organized by the student body and the Child Education Fund. All the profit goes to the CEF as a charity. For the last two shows, the concert took place at the Helipad.
[edit] Holi
On the day of the Holi - an Indian festival of colour - the students and facultry member celebrates Holi by putting colour powder and colour water to each other throughout the campus. For the recent years the students are asked by the Administrative Office to use only natural colour powders due to impact on the natural environment. Most of the case the students end up having a massive mud fight near the basket ball field.
[edit] End of year show
The end of year show is a show hosted by the first years for the second years at the end of final examinations. This is an informal event and generally occurs the night before actual graduation.
[edit] Faculty lecture series
A weekly lecture series by a faculty member on his/her areas of expertise. Past topics include archeology in India, quantum physics, and on the chaos theory.
[edit] Famous Students
João Pedro Queiroga Gomes [1] Portuguese Actor and Singer
[edit] External links
Official
- The Mahindra United World College of India - Official school homepage
- United World Colleges - Official homepage of the UWC organisation
Architecture:
- njit.edu - about the architect and the project
- archnet.org - with plans and images
Photo galleries
- BusinessWeek.com - pictures from BusinessWeek award
- uwc.de - pictures hosted by German UWC National Committee
|
United World College of the Atlantic · United World College of South East Asia · Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific · Waterford-KaMhlaba United World College of Southern Africa · Armand Hammer United World College of the American West · United World College of the Adriatic · Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture · Red Cross Nordic United World College · Li Po Chun United World College · Mahindra United World College of India · United World College of Costa Rica · United World College in Mostar |
