Ethiraj College for Women
| Motto | To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield |
|---|---|
| Type | Autonomous |
| Established | In 1948 by V. L. Ethiraj |
| Founder | V. L. Ethiraj |
| Chairman | V.M. Muralidharan |
| Principal | Dr. A. Nirmala |
| Location | , , |
| Affiliations | University of Madras |
| Website | www |
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Ethiraj College for Women is a degree-granting college for women in Chennai, India. It was founded in 1948 by V. L. Ethiraj, the founder chairman of the Ethiraj College Trust. The current chairman is V.M. Muralidharan.
Contents
Founder
Ethiraj College for Women, started in 1948, was born out of the dream and vision of Shri. V. L. Ethiraj an eminent lawyer and renowned philanthropist. It was established with a commitment to provide quality education to women with strong emphasis on values and tradition and with the singular mission of empowering women.
Shri. V. L. Ethiraj was born on 18 July 1890, in a very respectable and affluent family. His father, Thiru. Lakshmana Swamy Mudaliar, was a well-known philanthropist of Thottapalayam village in Vellore District. Shri. V. L. Ethiraj graduated from Presidency College, Chennai. He was tutored by Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the first president of the Republic India. A magnanimous and a wealthy barrister, he took his legal degree from University of Dublin and, on his return to India, joined The Madras Bar. In a short period he built up a lucrative practice by his efficiency and was the first Indian to be appointed as Crown Prosecutor by the British Government.
He believed in the dictum that educating a man is educating an individual, educating a woman is educating the entire family. True to his belief he donated his life’s earnings — a mammoth sum of Rs.10 lakhs and the title deeds of two bungalows for providing quality education for women.
Vision
To achieve economic and social equity for women and through them strengthen the Nation to usher in an egalitarian society.
To become a globally recognised Women's University.
Mission
To sensitize young women to their rights and place in society through advancement and application of relevant knowledge.
Objectives and goals
- To promote experimental learning through application of knowledge to new challenges.
- To build computer competency in youth to align themselves with world market and global human resources.
- To raise the status of the Institution to the invevitable locus of basic and applied reaearch.
- To constitute the backbone of the country's information infrastructure by providing through the vast resources of the library, the conduits of knowledge.
- To provide the social capital necessary for establishing a healthy society by imparting values, ethics and confidence in young women.
History
Founded in 1948, the formative years witnessed a strong foundation through introduction of undergraduate courses in Economics, Botany, Chemistry, History, Zoology and English Literature along with the infrastructural facilities, resulting in the construction of the Science Block, Hostel, Open Air Theatre and the Old Library Block. The landmark development of this decade was the auditorium, which to this day remains the pride of the college. The decade of 1968–1978 saw the growth of the college with the introduction of Commerce, Mathematics and Physics at the UG level and a number of PG courses and the construction of PG block.
A significant development of the next phase was the introduction of evening college in 1981. The thrust was on research with introduction of M.Phil and Ph.D. programmes. The addition of the Annexe Campus of 59 grounds augured the new direction in the growth of the College. 1990-2000 saw a steady growth with the introduction job-oriented self-funded UG courses like Corporate Secretaryship, B.Com (Bank Management), BBA (Business Administration), B.Sc. Biochemistry, B.Sc. Microbiology and M.Sc. Plant Biology & Plant Bio-technology and the introduction of post-graduate AICTE approved courses MBA and MCA, which was an important milestone in the growth of the college. The construction of New Science Block and dormitories in the hostel marked the new phase of development.
The beginning of the next decade witnessed the Day College becoming autonomous and the momentous growth of the College in its infrastructure: the N & D block, COE block, New Library, New hostel, Business Studies and Information Technology Block, all adding up to 2,66,000 Sqft. Besides these, the College has a Language Lab, Instrumentation Centre, Online access to the holdings in the Library, Internet Centre and Computer Labs. The College entered the global arena by signing an MOU with British Council for teaching Business English Certificate and First Certificate in English.
The core competency has been strengthened in many ways to suit the changing scenario. Botany was converted into Plant Biology and Plant Biotechnology, one section of History into Tourism and Travel Management, two sections of Zoology into Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology. In the self-financing stream, Economics into Business Economics, one section of English to English and Communication Skills. At the PG level a course in Human Rights and Duties Education was introduced during 2002. New courses namely, B.Sc. Clinical Nutrition, M.Sc. Physics, M.Sc. Foods & Nutrition were also introduced from 2005 in the self-finance stream. In 2006 courses namely B.sc. Visual Communication, M.Sc. Biochemistry & M.Sc. Microbiology were introduced.
Present day
In the heart of the city of Chennai on 9 acres of campus area, the college stands self-contained with prestigious structures measuring to a total plinth area of 3,48,751 sq.ft. It is this facility and the vision which is kept up by the successive managements, principals, faculty and students which has gained the college five-star status from NAAC and the college with Potential for Excellence award from UGC. Thousands of students have passed out of its portals, carrying with them the aura and dignity of the institution itself.
Its alumnae occupy enviable positions all over the world from diplomatic circles to law and order to teaching and caring for the under privileged. They have won national awards for their contribution to the nation's cultural and educational legacy.
In strengthening the core competencies, the college has been making steady progress. The college has a dedicated team of 283 faculty members who maintain academic excellence and about 6500 students who are the anchor to sustain the vision of the institution. The college has high standards of academic excellence and the zeal for constant updating and renewal.
Chairmen
- V. L. Ethiraj, Barrister-at-Law [1948-60]
- V.T. Rangaswami, B.A.B.L. [1960-72]
- N. Mahalingam, B.Sc., F.I.E. [1972-80]
- Justice. S. Natarajan, B.A.B.L. [1980-98]
- Justice. S. Jagadeesan, B.A.B.L. [1998-2008]
- Dr. A.M. Swaminathan, IAS (Retd.) [2008-13]
- V.M. Muralidharan, B.E. (Hons.) [2013–present]
Notable alumnae
- Trisha Krishnan
- Sudha Ragunathan
- Jayanthi Natarajan
- Joshna Chinappa
- Kanimozhi Karunanidhi
- Dipika Pallikal
- Dhivyadharshini
- Kanchana (actress)
- Chandini Tamilarasan
See also
References
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