UAE: Agensian Alumnae Honour Sr Carmel Rita, St.Agnes College Principal Mangalore
Dubai, March 3: For the first time, a St.Agnes college principal has been able to meet up with the Agnesian Alumni in the UAE, on Friday 2nd March 2007 in Dubai.
The meeting commenced with a prayer led by Gloria D’Cruz, which was followed by singing of the College Anthem.. Geanette welcomed the Guest of Honour and all the other guests. The Ex Agnesians introduced themselves and expressed their special love for their Alma Mater. Annette D’Souza briefed Sr. Carmel Rita on the recent Agnesian-Aloysian Alumni Reunion held on 2nd February 2007.
Petula D’Souza, St. Agnes College President (2003-2004) raised the toast in honour of Sr. Carmel Rita, the present principal of St. Agnes College who will be retiring shortly. In her addressal , she informed the Alumnae of the hard work and efforts that Sr. Carmel Rita had taken up during her tenure as the College Principal. With the introduction of new courses in the curriculum , R& D cell , the Career Guidance cell , Inter collegiate Fests , primarily Agno Fest (which began first in 2004 ) has now become a National level Fest and the NAAC accreditation process. Sr.Carmel Rita’s journey has been long and arduous but highly rewarding .She was awarded the ‘Dr.Sam Higginbothams award for Best College Principal’ in the year 2003-2004 , a well deserved and noteworthy accomplishment .
The Ex Agnesians made use of this opportunity to felicitate Sr.Carmel Rita with a Bouquet of Flowers presented by Ujwali Mendonca. The Chairperson of the Agnesian Alumni in the UAE Marissa presented a Memento to the College Principal in remembrance of her visit to the UAE and Elsie Noronha presented a Gift Cheque towards institution of Scholarship in the name of Sr. Carmel Rita, for the deserving students in the College.
Like a ship that has a rudder and sails, however without the right captain cannot steer itself in the right direction. Sr. Carmel Rita has been the leader that has steered St.Agnes College into a new role with global change and has been a mentor to the faculty , students and alumni around the world. The toast was concluded wishing Sr. Carmel Rita the very best in all her endeavors and thanking her for her time and visit.
Sr. Carmel Rita in her addressal to the alumnae said she was very happy to be able to meet the Agnesians based in UAE. She informed the Alumnae of the latest developments that had taken place in the college over the last 5 years and the Agnesians around the world would be happy to know of this progress.
In the year 2005, St.Agnes College was re-accredited by NAAC with an A grade and in 2006 the UGC has selected St. Agnes along with 99 other colleges within the country as “College with Potential”. The college is now heading towards full autonomy and this would be completed between 2007-2008.
Many would be happy to learn that St. Agnes college was awarded ‘The First Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award In India’ for ‘Watershed Management & Development’. Over a span of 5 years , members of the faculty along with the student body had spent extensive time and efforts in visiting homes within the city and in several villages educating people about the need to conserve a valuable resource such as water . This was recognized and appreciated by Coca-Cola India in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). The coveted award serves as one of the highest recognition for academic-service learning to educational institutions for outstanding ’Campus Community’ Learning programs. St Agnes received a special handcrafted golden globe trophy, a citation & a cash prize of US $ 10,000.
On July 2nd 2006, Sophia Block ( a new block added to the college) was inaugurated which holds a Conference Hall, Woman’s Centre, Internet Laboratory and MASCOM (Management, Secretarial and Commerce) Laboratory . It also houses a gymnasium for indoor sports. Besides this, the college now also has a recording studio and a language Lab. By the next year, a research Lab, herbal garden and museum is expected to be constructed as part of the ongoing projects.
Aboline D'Cunha compered the function and Jacintha Mendonca proposed the Vote of thanks which was followed by Lunch with the Guest of Honour Sr. Carmel Rita.
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