St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
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- This article is about the college in Mumbai. For other schools called St. Xavier's see St. Xavier (disambiguation)
Provocans ad volandvm
(Rousing to fly)
St Xavier's College in Mumbai, India is one of India's oldest colleges and the city's most famous.
It offers arts and science degrees. The college is known for its emphasis on a well rounded education and its strong voluntary academic and extra-curricular activities such as its famous inter-collegiate festival Malhar. Famous alumni include Sunil Gavaskar, Zubin Mehta, Charles Correa, Soli Sorabjee, Alyque Padamsee and his son Quasar Padamsee, Rajdeep Sardesai, Shabana Azmi, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Ismail Merchant, G.T. Nanavati, Shobha De, Vidya Balan, Rohit Viswanath, Zakir Hussain, Nandini Gondhalekar, Fleur Xavier, Cyrus Broacha and Rachel Varghese. St. Xavier's also has a modern technologically equipped XRCVC (Xavier's Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged).
The college building is made in the indo-gothic architecture style and has been declared a heritage structure.
It is located in the Metro area in the colonial district of Mumbai. The college can be easily accessed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Marine Lines railway station.
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[edit] History and mission
St. Xavier's College is named after St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit saint of the 16th Century who travelled to India. The College was founded by the Society of Jesus, a Christian religious group started by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. Since its inception, the Jesuits have toiled in the field of education, among other things, and were even called 'the school-masters of Europe' at one time. They are inspired by a vision of humanity drawn from the life, teachings and personality of Jesus Christ.
St. Xavier's College is a Catholic institution, which strives to form men and women, especially Christians and the marginalised, to build a more just and humane world. The intellectual endeavour it strives for focuses on critical and creative thinking with the aim of social transformation. This endeavour is inspired by the values of the Gospels - from the New Testament of the Christian scriptures - while it appreciates and promotes all the other religions, especially the rich religious heritage of India.
The College makes a preferential option for the marginalised and it seeks to give an all-round formation, inculcating both human and spiritual values. St. Xavier's College is part of the vast educational efforts of the Jesuits in India and throughout the world. (At present Jesuits run about 100 schools, 24 colleges, and innumerable non-formal and adult education centres in India.)
Since January 30, 1869, St. Xavier's College has been affiliated with the University of Bombay. It is accredited by the University with the task of preparing students for degrees in Arts, Science and Commerce.
The Society of Jesus manages the college through a Governing Body, whose chairman is the Provincial of the Bombay Province of the Society. The vice-chairman of the Governing Body serves as the Rector of the college, while its Secretary and Chief Executive is the Principal. Currently Fr. Paul Vaz SJ is the rector of the college, and Fr. Frazer Mascarenhas SJ is the Principal.
[edit] Accreditation and Assessment
- The National Assessment and Accreditation Council which has just finished evaluating the college, has lauded the following unique features of the college which "enhance the academic ambiance of the institution":
- The Teacher Assessment Questionnaire was introduced in 1968-69. It consists of a specially formulated questionnaire for the students to evaluate their teachers.
[edit] Organisations and Programmes
[edit] Research Organisations
- Started as the Indian Historical Research Institute in 1926 by Rev. Fr. Henry Heras,SJ ,the institute acquired the name of its founder on his death in 1956.The Heras Institute of Indian History and Culture,has a specialised Research Library and a Museum containing artefacts from Ancient and Medieval periods in Indian history. It provides guidance and facilities for post-graduate research in the fields of Ancient, Medieval and Modern Indian History, Indian Art and Literature and allied areas. The institute publishes an internationally acclaimed journal - INDICA
- The Social Science Centre inaugurated in 1980,now renamed Xavier Institute of Social Research (XISR)focuses on regional and applied research on issues of social concern.
- The Caius Laboratory for Inter-Disciplinary Research, named after the late Fr. J.F. Caius, SJ, established in 1947 for the purpose of carrying out drug research. It provides services to all science departments.
- The Nadkarny-Sacasa Research Laboratory opened in July 1972, is a well-equipped laboratory for research in Organic Chemistry. It attempts to link research with industry.
- The Blatter Herbarium started at the end of the last century with a very large number of plants collected by the late Rev. Ethelbert Blatter, SJ, his associates and students. It has the largest collection of plants in Western India. It provides facilities for the study of Plant system and has a well stocked library.
[edit] Teaching Programmes
- The Honours Programme introduced in 1985, in order to challenge faculty and students to go beyond the syllabus.
- The Learning for Life Programme, started in 1980, in order to offer students courses which they could choose voluntarily outside the usual syllabus and lecture hours.
- The Evening Commerce Section, started in 1988-89, for the economically disadvantaged, to provide an opportunity for working students to improve their prospects in life.
[edit] Other Organisations
- The Department of Inter-Religious Studies, inaugurated in 1987 to foster an understanding and appreciation of religions and thereby to contribute towards communal harmony and national integration.
- The Indian Music Group, founded in 1973 to promote Indian Classical Music in the city, especially among its young people.
- The Counselling Centre, founded in 1954, offers the following services: psychological counselling, inventories on better personal and social adjustment, personal evaluation tests, testing programmes for vocational purposes, information on careers and professions etc.
- The Social Service League, started in 1940 in order to promote adult education and prevent child delinquency.
[edit] Other Programmes
- The Social Involvement Programme introduced in 1996, as an attempt to add a social component to education.
- The Inter-Collegiate Cultural Festival, [Malhar] is held every year since 1979 in the month of August. It provides a platform to young Xavierites who learn to manage and organize a heavy duty festival that receives crowds numbering more than 20,000.
[edit] Other Facilities
- The Fell Gymkhana, named after the late Fr. J. Fell, S.J., furnished with equipment and facilities for body building and recreation for staff and students.
- The Smith Centre for Audio-Visual Instruction (SCAVI) inaugurated in 1979 and the Multi-Media Room (MMR) in 1997.
