University College Mangalore gets heritage status from UGC

 

Mangaluru, 06 Jul 2015: University College of Mangalore has found a place in the list of 19 colleges that have been chosen by the University Grants Commission for the ’heritage status’ across the country.

 

The idea is to conserve the campuses, which are more than 100 years old. With the tag, the college is entitled to get the financial assistance for its improvement and upgrade.

 

The Commission had invited proposals from colleges for the heritage tag under the Heritage College Scheme and had received 60 proposals, none of them from Delhi.

 

"Out of the 60 proposals that were received, a Selection Committee approved granting of the status to 19 colleges. Varied financial assistance has been approved to these colleges and they can use the grants for conservation work of the campus and for specialised courses related to heritage," officials in the UGC said.

 

The idea of granting the heritage tags was mooted by the Centre in 2013 to enable the universities to receive financial grants worth Rs 8-10 crore per annum from the government for the improvement and upgradation of their respective campuses and other academic disciplines.

 

About University College Mangalore:

After the missionaries introduced English education in Mangalore, centuries ago, the locals realised the need for starting a school. According some locals like M.Ramappa, Srinivasa Rao, I Ramachandrayya, N Gundu Rao, N Thimmappayya, Sadat Khan, C. Rangappa, Narayana Pai and T Muthuswami Aiyar collected an endowment of Rs. 65000. In September 1866, Powell, the Director of Public Instruction, recommended and the Government sanctioned the Provincial School to open Classes from standard 1 to Matriculation. Subsequently, in 1868 the school opened with standard 1 to Matriculation. In 1879 the F.A. (Fellow of Arts) course was introduced. Though the school was advanced with higher level courses, it was still housed in a rented building.In 1870, the institution managed to own a building and also saw an eminent Head Master Ormsby, a European graduate from Trinity College, Dublin. In accordance with the government orders which brought uniformity between Bombay and Madras Presidency, in 1879, the provincial School was designated the Government College, Mangalore. The lower classes were gradually de linked and transferred to the Muncipal Middle School, Mangalore.

 

There was a proposal by the educationists of Mangalore to start Bachelor Degree Classes in the college. Accordingly, it was recommended by the Department of Public Instructions for the first time in 1872 and 1874 for the second time.

 

The year 1902, is an important landmark in the history of the institution, as lady students were admitted for the first time. On the 18th of March 1905, the institution celebrated the first Annual Day.

 

Prof. G.K. Chettur took charge as principal in 1920. He was an academician and scholar par excellence, and has been responsible for giving a facelift to the college as an institution with a difference in higher education.

 

A year after Indian independence, in 1948, the Government college, Mangalore was raised to the status of a first grade college. Bachelor degree in Arts and Commerce were introduced. With the reorganisation of States on linguistic basis, in 1957, The Government College was affiliated to Karnataka University from Madras University and in 1958, the college was affiliated to Mysore University.

 

M. Veerappa Moily, an alumnus and the Chief Minister of Karnataka during 1973, wanted to upgrade the college by improving the standard of education. Government of Karnataka passed an order in July 1992, according to which the Government College became University College Mangalore, a constituent college of Mangalore University. After completing the formalities the then Chief Minister of Karnataka handed over the college to Mangalore University on 7th March 1993. Subsequently, the pre university course was de linked.

 

In 1996, celebrating the 125th year of the college Academy Hall was renovated and renamed as ‘Ravindra Kala Bhavan’ in memory of Tagore’s visit to the college in 1922. A hall was renovated and converted to a hall and named ‘Shivaram Karanth Sabha Bhavan.’ Between 1996 and 2003 the faculty vacancies were filled. In 2003, with the assistance of Ministry of Human Resources Development a multi Gym was installed. With the assistance of University Grants Commission two new class rooms were constructed. An overhead tank of 10 K litres capacity was constructed with the grants from the University Grants Commission and donations from Alumnae.