Over the last nine decades, the
contributions of Loyola College to higher education has been highly influential
and remarkable as a pioneer in the field of education that has created an
avalanche of innovative and best practices for other educational institutions
to inspire and emulate.
1. Educational Policies and
Autonomy
In 1978, Loyola was one of the first
eight colleges to receive autonomous status which helped the college to uphold
its educational policies concerning admissions that aim at providing University
Education in a Christian atmosphere for deserving students, especially for
Catholics, Dalits and the underserved sections of the society.
2. Pioneering
Programs
Loyola has been known for its
path-breaking ventures like bringing forth some innovative programs and courses
that have inspired many institutions to adopt them into their teaching and
learning environment.
2.1. Visual
Communication Program
One of the flagship programmes of the
college and the only one of its kind that emerged as a precursor in the 1970s
was the two-year Diploma in Visual Communication offered by Loyola Institute of
Visual Communication (LIVCOM) as an evening program. Owing to the remarkable recognition
from the media industry, the college started a full-fledged Degree in Visual
Communication in 1989.
2.2. Foundation
Course
Emphasizing the Ignatian pedagogy and
spirituality, the Foundation Course was designed to inculcate values in the
future leaders of our nation. The program is run by an exclusive academic unit,
the School of Human Excellence (SHE), committed to guiding students in their
values-centred pursuit of becoming men and women for and with others in
society.
3. Research and Innovation
Loyola has a strong research culture.
It is the only Arts and Science College which figured in Current
Science magazine for research contributions to national development.
Loyola is the only Arts and Science College in India to be recognized as a Scientific
and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the Department of Scientific and
Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India.
4. Student Support
Services
A very significant contribution that
Loyola College makes to higher education and society is the avalanche of Good
Samaritan services it renders to the student community.
4.1. Resource
Centre for Differently-Abled (RCDA)
Loyola College has set a trend
nationally in stepping first to help the differently-abled students. There is
an exclusive facility, Resource Centre for the Differently Abled (RCDA),
established with the fund received from UGC-HEPSN and the National Institute of
Visually Handicapped (NIVH), Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment,
Government of India. RCDA was chosen to serve as the Model Resource Centre of
Disability Services (MRCDS), the first of its kind in the nation to fulfil the
needs of the Differently-Abled students with specialized digital devices and
resources.
4.2. Loyola Students Support
Services (LSSS)
An exclusive service unit, LSSS, was
established to offer academic, financial and personal support services, such as
Scholarships, Management Concession, Free Noon Meal, Special English Program,
Supplementary Education, Special Coaching, Remedial Programmes, Personality
Development through Life Skills, Art and Literature and a Special Assistance to
Foreign Students. One of its chief focus is empowering students from
marginalized section of the society especially, the Dalits, to face the
challenges in life with dignity.
4.3.Counselling
Loyola pays a great deal of attention
towards personal and mental wellbeing of the students through counselling which
is predominantly carried out by AURA, the Centre for Counselling at the
college. Loyola is proud to be a pioneer among educational institutes that have
professional counsellors serving fulltime to attend to the needs and problems
of the students at their intrapersonal, interpersonal and social levels.
4.4. Mentoring
Loyola has a staunch commitment to
moulding the students through academic mentoring. The Academic Staff are
trained exclusively to handhold the young aspirants as their mentors to guide,
support and sort out the academic and personal issues and help them complete
their studies successfully.
4.5. Financial Supports
Loyola offers a tremendous financial
support to economically disadvantaged students. Every semester, the college
management provides fee concession through Jesuit Educational Support (JES) to
students from poor families. In 2018-19, the college has issued around 1.60
crore rupees as a management fee concession to 2600 students.
5. Reaching out to
the Neighbourhood
One of the best practices for which
Loyola has been well-known in the national higher educational arena is the
effort constantly made to reach out to the local community in total
humanitarian service.
5.1. Loyola FM 107.4
The college had ventured into an
exceptional service by establishing Loyola FM 107.4, a community
radio frequency over a radius of 15 km. Through Loyola Community Radio, the
college addresses various issues related to the neighbourhood airing a variety
of special programs for Transgender, gipsies, widows, visually challenged,
street vendors, slum dwellers, auto drivers, etc.
5.2. Loyola Rain Relief Service
(LRRS)
Another very unique service that has
set trend among educational institutes across the country is establishing LRRS
during the November 2015 rain, which initiated to provide the rain-affected
people living in the slum areas of the city of Chennai with food materials and
clothes. Loyola Rain Relief Services had 30 staff, and 250 energetic student
volunteers, and a medical team consisting of 8 doctors offering medical
treatment to nearly 1750 flood victims housed in Loyola premises. Through LRRS,
a rain relief camp was initiated for Post Graduate students to offer their
service to rain-affected areas especially the Gaja cyclone-hit areas in
November 2018.
5.3.Outreach
Program
Another exceptional venture of the
college is pioneering in community service through the Outreach Program that
functions under the School of Service Learning. The college had taken up around
50 slums (urban villages or sub-standard settlements) around the college campus
falling under the zones 5, 7 and 8 of the Chennai Corporation. The UG students
are required to complete 120 hours of community service and PG students visit
villages and experience life at the grassroots level to prepare themselves to
serve these underserved people in their future.
Since 1925, Loyola College has been making
impactful contributions to the economic growth of the country, formation of the
brilliant minds, and shaping the young leaders of tomorrow in alignment with
the motto of the college forming men and women in service of others.
