From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jul 9: The deemed to be University, Christ University, which began its journey in 1969 as an ordinary college on Bannerughatta Road in Karnataka’s capital city of Bengaluru, to emerge as one of the most prestigious and preferred educational institutions of higher learning not only in India but even abroad, is all set to commence its golden jubilee celebrations on July 14.

Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Maharaja of Mysuru Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation in India and Trustee of Infosys Foundation, USA, Dr Sudha Murthy and former Home Minister B Ramalinga Reddy will be dignitaries at the golden jubilee function, which will be presided over by Mandya Bishop and former Principal of Christ College Antony Kariyil. The Chancellor of Christ University Dr Fr George Edayadiyil and Vice Chancellor Dr Fr Thomas C Mathew will be other key speakers.

Briefing reporters on the golden jubilee celebrations at the University campus on Monday, Fr Abraham VM, Pro-Chancellor, Dr Anil Joseph Pinto, Registrar and Jugunu Uberoi, President of Christ University Alumni Association, said a get-together of alumni association and teaching staff with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Chairman Dr Anil D Sahasrabudhe as the chief guest and Infosys Co-Founder and Non-Executive Chairman Nandan Nilekani and Karnataka’s Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Krishna Byre Gowda as the guests of honour would be held on July 21.

Another high profile gathering of the key persons of the contemporary educational institutions in the city like RV College, Vijaya College, Jyothi Nivas College, Mount Carmel College etc will also be held on July 14, Dr Pinto said.

Dr Pinto said a commemorative stamp and first day cover would also be released on July 11 to mark the golden jubilee.

The Christ College started with barely 350 students and a faculty strength of 18 in 1969 has grown to be a preferred educational institution in the city by mid-1990s and has scaled greater heights with the introduction of contemporary curricula, academic discipline, holistic education and dedicated teachers to be reckoned as one of the top 10 educational institutions in the country. With roughly 40% of students from Karnataka, the University presently caters to 21,000 students from different states and union territories, including 600 foreign students from 60 different countries, besides 300 PhD scholars and 950 pan-Indian and international faculty members.

The educational institutions of Christ University have educated over 65,000 students since inception and the University is offering 49 under-graduate, 48 post-graduate, 16 MPhil and 17 PhD programmes in humanities, social sciences, science, commerce, management, engineering, education, law and architecture, Dr Pinto said.

Christ College was the first private educational institution in the State to offer masters and professional programmes in sociology in 1991 and pioneered the twinning programme with the signing of an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Western Michigan University in 1996 for the first time in the country and earned the rare distinction of being the first institution in the State to be accredited by UGC’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) for quality education in1998. Again it became the State’s first educational institution secure autonomous status in 2004 and obtained A+ accreditation in 2005 in South India and adjudged as the college with potential for excellence in the next year. The crowning glory was the elevation as a deemed to be University in 2008. NAAC accredited Christ with A grade in 20126.

With “excellence and service” as its vision and mission statement, Dr Pinto said Christ University has emerged as the nurturing ground for holistic development and also make effective contribution to society in a dynamic environment. The Centre for Social Action (CSA) has adopted 120 villages and slums in Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Kerala directly benefitting over 10,000 families. Programmes focusing on child care, village development, vocational training, watershed and waste management and environment preservation were being implemented by CSA and the students were supporting over 900 children of slums under the “educate a child programme’’ through voluntary contribution of Rs 4.9 million annually.

Christ University has adopted 9 colleges of Chikkamagaluru district, Dr Pinto said pointing out that the campuses in Lavasa near Pune and Gaziabad near Delhi were likely to start functioning from next year with another centre being planned near Yeshwantpur along with the existing one at Kengeri.