By John B Monteiro

Mangaluru, Jan 12: It is common for institutions to mark their age landmarks with announcements of grandiose projects to follow the events and when the dust of celebrations settles down to forget all or some of them. But, St Agnes College, Bendore, is set to celebrate its centenary, due in 2020-21, in a path-breaking innovative way so that when the centenary comes along it will not be laying foundation stones for new projects but inaugurate them. The college will officially launch its centenary celebrations on January 12 this year with the launch of centenary logo and the Agnesian alumnae website.

The alumnae have come forward to undertake two major projects ahead of the commencement of the centenary – construction of a centenary block and a residential home for differently-abled children and adults. But we must start the story of the college from the beginning.

This college is a landmark justifying display on the route indicator of all city buses passing by the arterial road fronting its physical location. Not seen so obviously are the generations of educated women who have passed out of its portal and become pillars of homes, society and nation. It is a powerhouse of women’s education, liberating them from their domestic chore-bound existence to shoulder greater responsibilities in the wide open world.

Beginning

Mother Mary Aloysia AC

It was started in 1920-1921 by a great visionary, Mother Mary Aloysia AC, the second Superior General of the Apostolic Carmel, as a pioneering attempt to educate women of the region. It was the first women’s college on the West Coast of India and the second in the entire country to be run by an Indian private management.

St Agnes College is run by the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel which has women’s education as its main objective. It traces its origin to 1870 when three Apostolic Carmel Religious sisters landed in Mangaluru and started their teaching mission at St Ann’s, near Rosario Cathedral Church.

In 1921, an offshoot of the mother convent located at the original campus of Apostolic Carmel at Pandeshwar was established as St Agnes College at Bendore on a 17-acre plot. This campus, which also hosts kindergarten to post graduation (KG to PG), is now saturated with playgrounds, an hostel and many multi-storeyed buildings constructed to accommodate an expanding range of disciplines and courses introduced over the last 97 years since its founding.

Today

Today the college offers BA, BSc, B Com, B Com with ACCA, BBA, and BCA Programmes at the Under Graduate level and MA in English, MSc in Chemistry, M Sc in Psychology, M Com and Clinical Psychology at the Post Graduate level of study. At the PU level PCMB, PCMC, PCMS, PCME in Science stream, CEBA, CSBA, BEBA, BSBA, SEBA in Commerce stream and HEPP in Arts are the various courses offered.

It has a reputation for imparting holistic education of excellence, including co-curricular and extension services. The college regularly updates its courses of study with the introduction of computer technology, bio-sciences and vocational courses. It has augmented the affiliated programmes with diploma, certificate courses and credit-based honours programmes.

The institute has 1394 students in PU, 2009 students in UG and 218 in PG pursuing their studies. A total number of 145 teaching faculty and 60 support staff are actively involved in imparting value- based education.

Defined vision and mission

St Agnes College has a defined vision and mission. Its vision is to move ahead as a college of higher education, in collaboration with the faculty as partners, and prepare God-centred, academically competent, compassionate and cultured women who, with personal responsibility and integrity, will commit themselves to serve the family, country and society. The mission envisages a competent, dedicated and committed team of educators providing the students integral value-based and quality-oriented learning experiences, academic and life-related programmes in an environment of integrated and interactive learning.

At the institutional level, the college has been audited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous institution of University Grants Commission, in 1999 and was awarded five star level of certificate of accreditation—the highest possible-- valid for five years from 1999. Following the re-accreditation process conducted by the NAAC in 2005 and 2012 and 2017 the college earned an ‘A’ grade and in 2017 A+ grade with CGPA 3.65 out of 4 in cycle 4. The college was recognized as ‘College of Excellence by the UGC in 2017 and also awarded the Star College Status by the DBT, MST, Govt. of India in 2017. The college had made a bid for autonomy which has since been granted. It is rearing to go in this direction and awaits the start signal from the university and government.

Commenting on this aspect, Sr Carmel Rita AC, the former dynamic Principal of the college, had said, “In the post-accreditation period, learner-centred teaching has received a fillip. This has translated itself into greater freedom to think, plan and act on the part of students, either in groups or as individuals. Campus teaching and learning has focused on non-lecture and beyond the lecture methods, and creativity and innovation have been at a premium,”

Mission continues

The current Principal, Sr Dr Jeswina AC says, “St Agnes College, which is committed to the cause of higher education from its inception, continues its mission towards the holistic development of every student who enters its portal. Today we rejoice and thank God for the innumerable blessings the Lord has bestowed upon the college as we are set to celebrate the centenary of the college. Centenary celebrations of St Agnes College is not just limited to the college only but to the entire Mangalore city and South India as most of the educated women had the privilege of studying at St Agnes as it was the only college for women for many decades. Hundreds of Agnesians who have passed out of the college are grateful to their Alma Mater for the value-based education they have received.

“Our Agnesian alumni have been the ambassadors of the college in different parts of the globe holding key positions in different spheres as educators, scientists, chartered accountants, management professionals, service professionals and above all as home makers. The motto of the college “God is our Strength” has been the reality of the Agnesians, especially when they face various challenges of life. As we embark on another historical milestone of the college, I pray that St Agnes, our Patroness, to pray to God for all the Agnesians, faculty, support staff, parents, alumni, benefactors, friends, well wishers and everyone who is associated with the college,” she concludes.