University College Thiruvananthapuram

University College, Thiruvananthapuram (UCT) is a constituent college of the University of Kerala, based primarily in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. The college was awarded 23rd rank by National Institutional Ranking Framework, NIRF in 2019.[1]

University College, Thiruvananthapuram
TypePublic
Established1834 (1834)
Administrative staff
278
Students3164
Location
Thiruvananthapuram
AffiliationsUniversity of Kerala
Websitewww.universitycollege.ac.in

Rankings
College rankings
General – India
NIRF (Colleges) (2019)[2]23

Geography and location

The college is located at the heart of Thiruvananthapuram in a locality called Palayam.

History
The Maharajah's College, Trivandrum (p.103, 1891), London Missionary Society[3]

The institution, now called the University College, was founded in 1834 by the Government of Travancore during the reign of his Highness Sri Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, one of the most illustrious rulers of the former state of Travancore, who was known for his devotion and great contributions to art and culture.

The Maharaja had occasion to visit a school that was imparting instruction in English at Nagercoil under the auspices of the London Missionary Society (LMS). He was impressed by the school and the quality of the education given there and was convinced that the new type of school held out great prospects for the people of the state. The school later evolved into Scott Christian College, Nagercoil. Shortly, thereafter, he invited Mr. Roberts who was in charge of the school at Nagercoil to come to Thiruvananthapuram and start a similar school there. The educationist, who was an Englishman, agreed and a new school was started in 1834. It was private institution, but the state Government contributed the prescribed fees for 80 pupils who thereby got free tuition. The classes were conducted in an old building about half a mile to the south of University College, on the premises where the Govt. Ayurveda College stands today. In less than a year, the government took over the school and assumed full responsibility for its management. Roberts was appointed headmaster and it came to be known as the Raja's Free School. In the following year, the institution was moved to a new building constructed for the purpose on the premises where the University College is now located. The school continued as a free institution till 1863–64. Those were days when education of the western type was being newly introduced in India and the Raja's Free School was one of the earliest institutions in South India established under the auspices of the Government for imparting instruction to the children of the state. It attracted pupils from all parts of Travancore and many of its alumni rose to high positions in the public life of the state and distinguished themselves in may fields of cultural activity.

In 1866, during the reign of His Highness Sri Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma Maharaja of Travancore, it was decided that facilities for higher education should also be provided by the Government and the Raja's School was raised to the status of a college affiliated to the University of Madras. It was named H.H. The Maharaja's College, though it still had the original school attached to it. John Ross, an inspiring teacher whom many in Travancore of the previous generation still remembers with reverence and affection, was the first principal. Courses leading to the first examination in Arts of the Madras University were started. A spacious building for housing the college was constructed in 1870. It was a two-storeyed structure and has lasted to this day, forming the central block of the main building of the University College, which bears the bell tower and the ornamental G.I. roofing at the two ends. In laying the foundation stone of the building, His Highness the Maharaja Ayilyam Thirunal said:

"I consider this a grand occasion. In laying the foundation stone for a college we are in fact imparting strength and durability to a system of public education of a high order, which cannot fail to exercise a most important influence on the rising generation and on generations yet unborn.

It is gratifying to me to reflect that English education struck early root in Travancore, that under favourable auspices, it has attained satisfactory growth and that already, pressing on the material limits provided for its by my venerated predecessor, it now calls for enlarged accommodation.

Such a call, it is superfluous for me to say, will at all times be responded to by the State with the utmost alacrity. To the numerous pupils I see assembled on this auspicious occasion I will only say: Pursue your various studies with the utmost devotion and perseverance; show yourselves worthily of the anxious care bestowed on you by your country for cultivated intelligence and, even over following into other countries, prove yourselves formidable yet friendly rivals to those whom other colleges send abroad. By such a course you will win credit for yourselves and honour for your country".

The college was affiliated for the B.A. Degree course to the University of Madras, first in Philosophy, in 1884. Robert Harvey who succeeded John Ross as principal was the first professor of philosophy. B.A. courses in Mathematics, Chemistry, History, Physics and Sanskrit and Dravidian Languages followed in quick succession. A galaxy of distinguished principals, Indian and English, guided the fortunes of the institution during its early years and the "Old Colleges" as it came to be fondly referred to by its alumni and the public acquired a pre-eminent position in the affections of the people of Travancore. It was considered an honor and privilege to be a student of the college and to be on its staff. The pick of the intelligentsia of the state was attracted towards it. Among the great scholars who served the institution and won high credit and great reputation forfeit and for themselves by their single minded devotion to the pursuit of higher learning the name of the late A. R. Raja Raja Varma, grammarian and poet, deserves special mention. He has left a deep impression on the language and the culture of the land. He was professor of Sanskrit and Dravidian languages from 1910 to 1918 and acted as principal from 1915 to 1916.

The B.A. honors courses in English and History were started in 1914. Provision for the study of Natural Science (Biology) in the Intermediated Course was made in 1922. The school section of the institution continued to function in the same premises till 1919. In October of that year the school was shifted to a new building at Vanchiyoor and the whole of the old building was given over to the College. The strength of the college that year was 561. By 1923 it rose to 837 and there was great pressure for additional accommodation. Therefore, in 1924 the Government decided to separate the Arts and Science Departments, This step, which is known as the bifurcations' was given effect to at the beginning of the academic year 1924–25. The new institutions that came into being as result of the bifurcation were called H.H. The Maharaja's College of Science and H.H. The Maharaja's College of Arts. The latter was housed in a new three-story building about a mile away at Thaikad. After the bifurcation, the Science College was affiliated for the B.A. pass course in Botany in 1924 for the B.A. Honors course in Mathematics in 1925 and for the B.A. pass course in Zoology in 1931. In the Arts College in B.A. Honors Course in Malayalam was started in 1935 and the B.A Honors Course in Sanskrit in 1939. The B.A. Course in Philosophy, though it was the first to be started in the old College, had to be discontinued for many years, as sufficient number of students was not forthcoming. It was however, restarted in 1925 in the Arts College. The strength of the Arts College in 1935–36 was 447 and that of the Science College 937.

The two Colleges grew from strength to strength and became the premier institutions of higher education in the State. Members of the teaching staff of the language sections used to be transferred from the college to the other and this along contributed to the maintenance of some contact between the two. The bifurcation of the old college brought about a certain dichotomy of the spirit between the humanities and sciences and both disciplines suffered there from. "The richness or corporate life springs from the university of its elements". This was realized by the authorities and in 1942 the two institutions were amalgamated. The reunited College was called the University College. Subsequently, the Intermediate section was separated from it (in 1949) and the College became a Post Intermediate Institution. MSc Courses in Physics, Chemistry and Economics in June 1953. B.A. Courses in politics and Hindi were started in June 1951. BSc Courses in Geology was started in June 1953. The M.A Courses in Hindi was started in 1957. As new courses were started, facilities for advanced research came to be provided both in the humanities and the sciences.

In 1957, State Government took over the management of the college; a special scheme for coaching students for the U.P.S.C. Examination (I.A.S) was in the college in October 1961. With a view to giving opportunities of higher standard education to employed personnel, an evening college was started in June 1965.

The college celebrated its centenary in a grand manner in July 1969. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the then President of India, inaugurated the celebrations.

The BSc (Special) course was started in 1966 in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology. These courses were discontinued in 1969 when the Kerala University abolished them.

The Government vide G.O (Ms.) No. 62/93/H. Edn. dated 14-5-1993, decided to shift the graduate courses to another campus in a phased manner. Accordingly, the first year classes of the eleven B.A. degree courses were shifted to the new buildings for the graduate section at Kariavattom during 1993–94 and those of the BSc degree during 1994–95. The final year classes of the B.A and the second and final year classes of the BSc courses would cease to function in the college by the end of the academic year 1994–95 and 1995–96 respectively.

The Government decided to re-introduce the degree courses and to shift III year BSc classes from University College Graduate Section, Kariavattom to this college from the academic year 1996–97 onward.

M. Phil courses in twelve disciplines was started from the academic year 1994–95. The University College now comprises 20 post-graduate departments and 18 Graduate departments with about 278 members of staff (teaching and non-teaching) and over 3164 students on its roll.

This college has been recognized by the university as a Research Center for M. Phil and PhD Degree in twelve disciplines.

National Assessment and Accreditation Council accreditations

NAAC Accreditation: I Cycle – 2002

  • Grade awarded: B+ grade with an institutional score of 78.55 out of 100, awarded on 21 March 2003
  • Principal: Smt. Vijayakumari Jeyasingh
  • Co-ordinator: Sri. Murugan Achary, Dept. of Chemistry
  • Peer team visit date: 27–29 November 2002
  • Members of the peer team:
    1. Prof. Hyderali Sayed Mashoor (Chairman), Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Univ. of Mumbai, Mumbai
    2. Prof. Athif (Member), Director, Academic Staff College, University of Madras
    3. Dr. Farhad (Member), K.E.T's. Vinayak Ganesh Vaze College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai

NAAC Accreditation: II Cycle – 2010

  • Grade awarded: A grade with CGPA of 3.16 on a 4-point scale, awarded on 4 September 2010
  • Principal: Dr. B. S. Mohanachandran
  • Co-Ordinator: Dr. Anil Kumar, Dept. of Geography
  • Peer team visit date: 30–31 March 2010
  • Members of the peer team:
    1. Prof. B. Hanumaiah (Chairperson)
    2. Dr. M.D. Jahagirdar (Member Co-Ordinator)
    3. Dr. K. Mahesh (Member)
    4. Dr. Jagannath Patil (Deputy Advisor)

Three major features in the Institutional context as perceived by the Peer Team:

  • Very good infrastructural facilities
  • Ongoing research projects applicable
  • Good pass percentage

Admissions

University College is an affiliated college of University of Kerala. Hence admissions to BA/BSc, MA/MSc, M.Phil programs are done by the Online Centralized Allotment Process of the university.

Notable alumni

University College Thiruvananthapuram has produced luminaries that include a former president of India, two former chief ministers of Kerala, cabinet secretaries, ambassadors, civil servants, IT doyens, teachers, poets, writers, artists and politicians.

Faculties

Language faculties

  • Faculty of English
  • Faculty of Malayalam
  • Faculty of Hindi
  • Faculty of Arabic
  • Faculty of Sanskrit
  • Faculty of Tamil
  • Faculty of French

Humanities faculties

  • Faculty of Economics
  • Faculty of History
  • Faculty of Political Science
  • Faculty of Islamic History
  • Faculty of Philosophy

Science faculties

  • Faculty of Chemistry
  • Faculty of Biochemistry
  • Faculty of Mathematics
  • Faculty of Physics
  • Faculty of Geology
  • Faculty of Geography
  • Faculty of Botany
  • Faculty of Zoology
  • Faculty of Statistics
  • Faculty of Psychology

Other faculties

  • Faculty of Physical Education

Succession list of principals

H. H. The Maharaja's College

  • John Ross M.A. 1866–1884
  • Robert Harvey M.A., L.L.D. 1884–1890
  • H.N. Read M.A. 1890–1892 (acting)
  • Dr Alexander Crichton Mitchell D.Sc., F.R.S.E 1892–1909
  • A.W. Bishop PhD 1909–1915
  • L.C. Hodson M.A. 1912–1915
  • A. R. Raja Raja Varma Kovil Thampuran M.A 1915–1916, 1918
  • Dr. J. Stephenson, BSc, A.R.D.S.C. 1916–1927

H. H. The Maharaja's Science College

  • R. Krishnaswamy Iyer, V.A. 1924–1927
  • James Pryde, M,.A., BSc 1927–1930
  • C.V. Chandrasekharan, M.A (Oxon) 1930–1931
  • K.V. Rangaswamy Aiyangar, M.A. (Oxon) 1931–1935 (on leave)
  • K.L. Moudgil, M.A., D.Sc., F.L.C. 1933–1934 (acting) and 1935–1937 and 1938–1941
  • A. Gopala Menon, M.A., B.Com. 1934–1935 (acting)
  • R. Srinivasan, M.A. 1937–1938 and 1941–1942

HH. The Maharaja's Arts College

  • K.V. Rangaswamy Aiyangar, M.A. 1924–1928 and 1930–1933
  • C.V. Chandrasekharan, M.A (Oxon) 1928–1930 (ag.) and 1933–1935
  • A. Gopala Menon, M.A., B.Com. 1935–1937
  • P.G. Sahasranama Iyer, M.A. 1937–1942

University College

  • Sr. H. Subrahmonia Iyer, M.A., PhD 1942–1948
  • Sri. V. Narayana Pillai, M.A., B.L. 1948 (acting)
  • Sri. V. Sundararaja Naidu, M.A., B.L.T.D, 1948–1949 (acting) and 1950
  • Dr. T.K. Koshy, M.A., PhD 1949–1950
  • Sri. C.V. Subbarama Iyer, M.A. 1950–1951 (acting)
  • Dr. C.S. Venkateswaran, M.A., MSc, D.Sc., F.Inst.P.FA.Sc. 1951–1957
  • Dr. A. Narayanan Potti, M.N., PhD January–August 1954 (acting)
  • Sri. C.S. Venkateswaran 1954 August-1956 November
  • Dr. A. Narayanan Potti, M.A., PhD November 1956 – March 1957
  • Dr. K. Bhaskaran Nair, MSc, D.Sc. April 1957 – February 1960
  • Sri. V.R. Pillai, M.S., MSc February 1960 – March 1962
  • Sri. E.P. Narayana Pillai. M.A. (Madras and Oxford) March 1962 – March 1964
  • Dr. N. Subramonia Wariyar, MSc, MSc, PhD, FIC. March 1964 – March 1969
  • Dr. S. Parameswara Iyer, MSc, PhD 1-4-1959 to 3-7-1969 (acting)
  • Sri. R. Suryanarayanan, M.A., B.T. 1969 to March 1977
  • Dr. (Mrs.) N.I. Joseph 1-4-1977 to 31-3-1978
  • Sri. P. Madusudana Perumal Pillai 1 April 1978 to 6 April 1981
  • Sri. K.M. Zachariah 6 April 1981 to 31 March 1982
  • Sri. G. Nagappan Nair 1-4-1982 to 31-3-1984
  • Sri. A.G. Ramachandran 1-4-1984 to 29-3-1985
  • Prof. A. Nabeesa Ummal 1-6-1985 to 31-3-1986
  • Prof. C. Ebertchellam 1986–1987
  • Prof. S. Ponnayyan 5-8-1987 to 31-3-1989
  • Prof. K. Somanadhan from 20-4-1989 to 31-3-1990
  • Prof. Rama Sarma 5-5-1990
  • Prof. M. Sarojini 14-2-1991 to 31-3-1991
  • Dr. H. Parameswaran from 3-4-1991 to 30-4-1991
  • Prof. V. Hamsa Devi 21-8-1991 to 24-6-1992
  • Prof. R. Balakrishnan Nair 24-6-1992 to 3-11-1992
  • Prof. I. Sundaram Pillai 4-11-1992 to 31-3-1993
  • Prof. R. Balakrishnan Nair 24-6-1992 to 3-11-1992 and 5-4-1993 to 18-5-1993
  • Prof. R. Harihara Subrahmonia Iyer 18-5-1995 to 26-12-1995
  • Prof. B. Padmakumari 26-12-1995 to 17-6-1996
  • Prof. P. Sahadevan 17-6-1996 to 31-5-1998
  • Dr. K.Sukumaran 31-5-1998 to 17-7-1998
  • Smt. P. Saraswathy Amma 17-7-1998 to 31-3-1999
  • Sri. S. Mohan Kumar 31-3-1999 to 16-6-1999
  • Prof. B. Rishikesan Thampy 16-6-1999
  • Sri. G. Gopalakrishnan
  • Sr. V.R. Ramachandran
  • Prof. S. Varghese 6-8-2001 to 16-8-2002
  • Smt. Vijayakumi Jaya Singh 17-8-2002 to 31-3-2003
  • Prof. Prasanna 28-6-2003 to 30-6-2003
  • Prof. A. Salahudeen Kunju 1/7/2003 to 31 March 2004
  • Prof. Dr. D. Maya 1/4/2004 to 31 March 2005
  • Prof. M.S. Girija 18 August 2005 to 28 April 2006
  • Dr. Cyriac Mathews 28 April 2006 to 28 July 2007
  • Dr. Asha Balagandharan 27 July 2007 to 30-6-2008
  • Smt. Shobha Ravindranath 19 July 2008 to 31 March 2009
  • Dr.B.S. Mohanachandran 18 July 2009 to 31 March 2010
  • Dr. M. Abdul Rahim 18 June 2010 to 31 March 2011
  • Dr. D. Premlal 26-08-2011 to 22-02-2012
  • Prof. K. B. Ajithakumar 22-02-2012 to 31-05-2012
  • Dr. S. Rajoo Krishnan 27 September 2012 to 04/10/2012
  • Prof. R. Thulaseedharan Pillai 04/10/2012 to 02-03-2013
  • Prof. T. P. Nalinakshan 21-03-2013 to 30-04-2013
  • Dr. T. G. Sarachandran 09-05-2013 to 24-06-2013
  • Dr. C. Moly Marceline 24-06-2013 to 31-03-2014
  • Dr. Thomas Kuruvila 09-04-2014 to 12-05-2014
  • Dr. J. Vijayamohanan 19-05-2014 to 30-07-2014
  • Dr. V. T. Beena 02-08-2014 to 31-03-2015
  • Prof. K. Jayakumar 28-05-2015 to 31-05-2015
  • Dr. M. K. Thankamani 26-06-2015 onwards
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See also
  • Campus Violence in India

References
  2. "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2019 (Colleges)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 2019.
  3. "The Maharajah's College, Trevandrum". Chronicles of the London Missionary Society. 1890. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  4. "Biographical Information – Suresh Babu" (PDF). Space Physics Laboratory. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.

See also
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