To enlighten the budding minds of Indian students, after its establishment in the mid-twenties, it was decided by the management of Loyola College to begin the first year of BA Economics, History, and Mathematics introduced in 1925. Within three years after the starting of the College, affiliation was obtained for the prestigious three-year Honours courses following the Intermediate.

Situated in the heart of Chennai, and endowed with a large campus of about 98 acres, this institution has provided an ideal environment for both teachers and students to enrich themselves intellectually, emotionally, and physically by actively participating in academic and co-curricular activities also.

In an illuminating interview with Insights Success, Loyola College’s Principal and Director, Rev. Dr. Thomas Amirtham SJ, shared more about the institution and how it has brought an educational revolution, especially in the field of Commerce and Management since its inception. The highlights are given herein.

Please brief our audience about Loyola College, its USPs, and how you are currently positioned as one of the most Reputed Commerce and Management Colleges.

Loyola College, a Catholic Minority Institution, was founded by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1925, with the primary objective of providing a University Education in a Christian atmosphere for deserving students irrespective of caste and creed.

It started functioning in July 1925 with just 75 students on the rolls in three undergraduate courses of Mathematics, History, and Economics.

Loyola College, though affiliated with the University of Madras, became autonomous in July 1978. It is autonomous, in the sense that it is empowered to frame its own course of studies and adopt innovative teaching and evaluation methods. The University degrees will be conferred on the students passing the examinations conducted by the college.

UGC conferred the status of “College with potential for Excellence” on Loyola College in 2004 and confirmed the same in 2010.

NAAC’s re-accreditation score in 2012 (Third Cycle) is 3.70 out of a 4.00 CGPA.

UGC has elevated Loyola College to the status of “College of Excellence” for the period from April 1, 2014, till March 31, 2019.

Today, there are 19 P.G. courses and 19 U.G. courses (Arts, Sciences, and Commerce), and 12 special Institutes offering various programs to 12,107 students. Our 11 departments are offering M.Phil. programs and 12 departments offer Ph.D. programs. At present, 117 teaching staff members out of 286 hold doctoral degrees. There is 182 non-teaching staff in service.

Please, share the college’s core philosophy, values, vision, and mission.

The College aims at training young men and women of quality to be leaders in all walks of life, whom we hope will play a vital role in bringing about the desired changes for the betterment of the people of our country, more particularly of the Dalits and other poorer sections of society.

The aim of the college is to educate young men and women to serve their fellow men and women in justice, truth and love. It fosters an atmosphere of intellectual vigor and moral rectitude in which the youth of our country may find their fulfillment and achieve greatness as eminent men and women of service.

Loyola College looks at education differently. It consistently and constantly works to help the students evolve into Competent, Committed, Creative and Compassionate men and women for and with others. This is the core of Jesuit Education. This is what has made Loyola climb to the top league of colleges in India.

India Today magazine has repeatedly ranked the Arts, Commerce, and Science departments of Loyola College among the top 3 in India from 2006 to 2013. Loyola College is also awarded ‘the Best Men’s College in the City on Employability skills’ by PR Syndicate.

The restructuring of the curriculum of both UG and PG courses has drawn great appreciation from the stakeholders, namely the students, alumni, parents, and industrial partners. Foundation courses and the Outreach programs at Loyola make a difference in the lives of the students making them socially conscious and responsible citizens of the country.

The system of periodical teacher evaluation done by the students has also been welcomed. Parents -Teachers’ meetings are regularly organized in Loyola, which ensure periodical monitoring of the progress of students.

Our motto is ‘Let your light shine. On similar lines, our credo is that we believe in optimizing the potential and competency of the youth through critical thinking, academic quests, and extension activities.

In this regard, our vision is ‘To form credible, innovative and socially committed citizens.’ And our mission is

• To provide inclusive and empowering learning opportunities,
• To encourage scientific inquisitiveness for positive social transformation,
• To provide opportunities and resources for the production and dissemination of innovative knowledge,
• To enable students to become responsible towards self, family, and society,
• To nurture students with employability skills.

Further, our core values are,

• Academic Excellence,
• Personal Integrity,
• Social Responsibility,
• Social Justice,
• God Quotient.

Please brief us about Loyola’s offerings and how you made the college excel in its niche.

Loyola College has played an important role in the history of education in India. Founded in 1925 by Rev. Fr. Bertram, S.J., who himself was twice the acting Vice- Chancellor of Madras University, Loyola College has emerged in the last seventy-five years as a premier educational Institution in the country and it is striving to break new paths in education. The major breakthrough is the autonomous status it received in the year 1978 and the restructuring based on the experiences of autonomy, which was introduced in 2001.

Extension Programme:

Loyola always insisted on the social dimension of education. In the late forties and early fifties, the Social Service League took an active part in the city slum clearance campaign started by the Madras Corporation. The Madras Corporation selected the League as one of the six best institutions doing civic work in the city for an award. The Award was given for outstanding contributions in the field of adult education, distribution of milk and cloths, slum-cleaning campaign, and for providing entertainment and instruction by exhibiting Tamil Educational Films.

The CSU (Catholic Service in the University) a Catholic student movement existed started during this period. Later it became AICUF All India Catholic University Federation to involve students in concrete social issues through exposure and input sessions.

To involve the PG students concretely in social issues, LEAP was launched in the year 1992-93. LEAP (Loyola Extension and Awareness Programme) gives exposure to the lives of the poor in order to improve the quality of life in the slums and in the suburbs of Chennai. This is in accordance with the Jesuit principle of making them ‘men and women for others.’

Infrastructure:

The last five decades witnessed growth in the infrastructure such as new blocks for the hostel. The library became larger, besides Loyola non-teaching staff quarters, a new recreation hall with new equipment for indoor games, construction of staff quarters, and a new parade ground for NCC was added in the 50’s to the college infrastructure.

The Sixties witnessed a new building to house the Social Work department and a counseling center. An exclusive Students Service Centre was also started.

During the Seventies, a new Day Scholars Centre was inaugurated. Sportsmen had the joy of playing in a concrete basketball court, a decision was taken to use the fallow land at the southwest corner of the campus as green paddy fields. The Astronomy club of the Maths department installed an electronic lab and a mini observatory.

The Eighties witnessed a New building for Entomology Research Institute and equipment was added to the premiere research center in India. The Social Work Department too had a new building closer to the Entomology Research Centre named after Fr. Jerome D’ Souza who was the founder of the Indian Social Institute of New Delhi and the First Editor of `Social Action.’ The New Administrative building in the Name of Fr. Jerome D’ Souza with the Principal’s office and Controller`s office was also opened. The old college office in the main building was given to the Evening College office and functioned as an office for Shift II Courses.

The Nineties was a decade of great expansion in terms of infrastructure. The Physics laboratory was extended. The turning of all the roads into a tar roads was completed during this decade. A new electronic system replaced the intercom system that was functioning for over 20 years at the cost of 20 lakhs. The new Physics Block was inaugurated on 23 January 1992 at the cost of 30 lakhs.

The new millennium started with the `platinum jubilee’ building being inaugurated. The old line blocks were pulled down and the new building with four floors and an air-conditioned auditorium in the name of Fr. Lawrence Sundaram with a seating capacity of 300, a block in the name of Fr. Kuriakose, an examination hall and twenty-six classrooms was constructed.

The LIFE building and Computer Academy were additions to promote research and computer knowledge.

Loyola’s Academic Achievements:

Loyola has distinguished itself in the past three decades for its academic achievements.

Autonomy:

Loyola was one of the first eight colleges to receive autonomous status. It helped the college to introduce new courses, innovation in teaching methods, and evaluation methods. Soon after autonomy, many departments were elevated to the level of PG and Research departments. No doubt the UGC created-body NAAC, in 1999, conferred FIVE STARS to Loyola for its academic achievements.

Restructuring:

Loyola is one of the first autonomous colleges in the country and having completed twenty years of autonomy, wanted to make higher education socially relevant. The main focus of this attempt was to restructure the academic programmes and administration. The restructuring aimed at making the academic programme learner-oriented, relevant, interdisciplinary, and flexible. The restructured UG courses were introduced in the academic year 2000-2001.

Twinning Programme:

In the 90s, the College signed an MOU with Pondicherry Central University to offer PG Diploma Courses on a regular basis.

Collaboration with South-Bank University:

An MOU was signed with the South Bank University, London to conduct a joint M.Sc. International Business. Initially, this programme was funded by the European Union.

Centres of Excellence:

Loyola has started several Centres of Excellence such as LIFE, (Loyola Institute of Frontier Energy) Entomology Research Institute, RACE, (Research Academy for Cumulative Excellence) Culture and Communication, LIVE (Loyola Institute of Vocational Education) and LISOR (Loyola Institute of Industrial and Social Science Research).

In 1998, B.A. French and M.A. Philosophy were started. In 1999, B.B.A., M.Sc., Biotechnology, and M.C.A. were started. The Platinum Jubilee Memorial Building, including Fr. Joseph Kuriakose block and Fr. Lawrence Sundaram auditorium were inaugurated by the Very Rev. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

Towards the Future:

Loyola is envisaging a blueprint of plans and programmes which includes restructuring the curriculum, and improving and enriching the infrastructural facilities. Care has been taken to see that it projects a meaningful direction to the future, which is definable, practical, and realizable. It earnestly tries its best to reconcile social equity with academic excellence and relevance. Thus Loyola marches on toward a centre of academic excellence.

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