A BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. PHILOMENA’S COLLEGE, MYSORE

Location:

At the doorstep of the beautiful heritage city of Mysore, a sprawling college campus blends gracefully with the city’s aesthetics. Situated on the highway to Bangalore adjacent to Bannimantap grounds, where the Dasara Banni Pooja and Parade are held annually, St. Philomena’s College is a heritage building and a landmark in Mysore. The college’s stately European Classical style buildings and verdant environs are the perfect setting for a venerable learning institution.

Origin and Early History, Growth and Development:

The vision of a Bishop and the generosity of a Maharaja, in short the very stuff of legend - this was the beginning of St. Philomena’s College. In 1945, the Catholic Diocese of Mysore resolved to start a First Grade College in the city. The dream took shape the following year, when His Excellency the Rt. Rev. Dr. Rene Feuga, the First Bishop of Mysore, vacated his mansion to make room for classes and the Wodeyars, the Mysore Royal family, donated 29 acres of land to the institution.

Looking back through the mists of time, we are reminded of that sunny day in June, 1946, when Bishop Feuga stood on the steps of the main building to welcome the first batch of 380 students. The College was declared open by His Highness Sri Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, Maharaja of Mysore, on October 9, 1946 – a rare honour and privilege for any institution.

It was history in the making in more ways than one and the first group of Philomenites was aware of it. They knew that they were stepping into the very first of the First Grade Colleges in the Royal City, affiliated to the University of Mysore. Even more importantly, St. Philomena’s was the first Degree Science College in the erstwhile Mysore Region.

Before its inception, the college had already received its motto. On a tour of Europe, Bishop Feuga met his Holiness the Pope and presented him with a picture of what was then the Bishop’s house. This was to become the nucleus of the college. The Holy Father returned the picture after inscribing on it a sentence from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians. Caritas vestra magis ac magis abundet in scientia- May your love grow richer in knowledge. Caritas in scientia- the first and last words of the quotation became the motto of the college to remind students that love comes before knowledge and that knowledge is the means towards the end, which is love.

 All through her fledgling years, the college’s future was shaped by teachers of outstanding calibre, among them were the doyen of the Modern Movement in Kannada poetry, Prof. Gopalakrishna Adiga and the renowned space scientist and former Chairman of ISRO, Prof. U.R. Rao, and a host of other great pioneering Principals and teachers. These worthy educationists shaped the lives and destinies of the young men and women committed to their care.  The old and the young worked in tandem to set standards and to lay down a tradition of excellence for their alma mater.  

More than half a century later, the student strength has multiplied manifold, buildings have mushroomed and courses and infrastructure have proliferated. Each year, St. Philomena’s re-invents itself to adjust to the needs of a fast-changing world, harmonizing the new with the old. Old blocks, new blocks – the process continues, adding to the diversity of the campus. Traditional courses co-exist with the modern, more challenging and contemporary courses such as Biochemistry, Microbiology, Electronics, Computer Science, Social Work, Journalism and the UGC-sponsored vocational course in Functional English with its accent on media.

As the college races towards yet another milestone in history - its Diamond Jubilee - many signposts stand out along the way.

 St. Philomena’s College :

1.                  The first of the First Grade Colleges in the Royal City, affiliated to the University of Mysore.

2.                  The first Degree Science College in the erstwhile Mysore Region.

3.                  One of the three city colleges selected by the UGC for its innovative vocational courses.

4.                  In 1988, Sqn. Ldr. A.B. Devayya, a former student, was awarded the Mahavir Chakra posthumously for his outstanding bravery in the Indo-Pak War of 1965.

5.                  The College has a Governing Council under the chairmanship of the Bishop of Mysore, which along with the College, manages more than 100 educational institutions in the 4 revenue districts of Mysore, Mandya, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar.

6.                  The college has a College council which consists of senior members of the staff who assists the principal in decision making. 

7.                  The College was accredited with A+ by NAAC and the Re-accreditation process is going on.

8.                  UGC has selected the college as College with Potential for Excellence

9.                  The campus is multinational and multicultural. They educate students of 21 nationalities and 20 states of India.

10.              A good number of students get placements in companies like Wipro, Infosys, IBM ect…. During the campus recruitment every year

Mission and Goals reflected in the Curricula:

 The story of any pioneering community is the story of torchbearers and extraordinary human beings. The founding fathers were driven by a sense of mission – for them education was not just an investment in future career opportunities: it was a means to self-realization and a guide to wholesome living.

These pioneers laid the foundations and over the years, the temple of learning built by them has grown, drawing students from every corner of India and some from across the seas. Together, they represent a microcosm of our country, with its rich composite culture and long-standing tradition of inclusiveness. They fulfill the vision of their founding fathers by educating the financially and intellectually poor students of the region.

 They come to study – first the traditional subjects and later the more contemporary disciplines. They come also to develop their overall personality by participating in various cultural events and sports events like – hockey, cricket, football and table-tennis. Their sporting talents come to the fore at the college’s Annual Athletic Meet and some go on to represent the college at state and national Athletics and Games.

 But most of all, these young men and women come to learn, not just from books, but also from Life and the shared experience of working and playing together. Inculcating Life Skills in students has been the objective of Value Education at St. Philomena’s.  The NCC, NSS and the Nature Club, Adventure Club, Fine Arts Club, Literary clubs enhance social awareness and add further worth to education.

 Seminars, panel discussions and guest lecturers buttress classroom learning; especially since most of the time it is the students who do the organizing.  Co-curricular activities have placed the college firmly on the cultural map and the list of Clubs and Associations at St. Philomena’s continues to grow. Additional exposure comes through field trips and excursions.

 Leadership and Personality Development programmes help boost confidence and morale on campus and the Total Quality Management (TQM) Cell at the college, conducts programmes for staff and students.

Expanding its horizons, the college, in collaboration with the Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, has introduced Distance Education programmes in Bio-technology and Information Technology (Post-graduate courses), Bio-informatics and Hotel Management (Under-graduate courses) and a P.G. Diploma in Hospital Management.  St. Philomena’s is also a Study Centre for the P.G., U.G. and Diploma Courses in Science, Arts and Commerce offered by Kuvempu University, Shimoga, Since two years, our College has been recognized by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) as a Partner Institution under Convergence scheme.

As for the methods employed in teaching, there is freedom to innovate. Encouraged by a far-sighted and progressive Principal, teachers as well as students stretch their wings and accept challenges both within the college and in society at large. Even as it changes, St. Philomena’s continues to hold on to its traditions and values, its poetry and pizzazz, instilling a sense of belonging in all who pass through the portals of this college.  The personal interaction of the teachers with the students make a real difference in the teacher student relationship and that is what makes the alumni association increase the quality and quantity every year.

The vision for the future:

Throughout its sixty five years, St. Philomena’s has endeavoured to be faithful to its vow of preparing youth to face the challenges of life, promoting not only the pursuit of knowledge but also the development of truly human values. From that small beginning in 1946, the college has grown and has celebrated its Diamond Jubilee. Today there are 31 Departments in all – including the Science, Arts, Commerce and Social Work Streams, B.B.M. B.C.A. and the Languages. In addition to the existing PG Departments in the Distance Education Mode, the college has started M.Sc. in Chemistry and Master of Social Work (MSW) as regular PG courses of the University of Mysore.

The future looks bright indeed with autonomy a definite prospect. This will enable them to evolve need- based curricula, incorporate horizontal and vertical mobility and switch over to a credit- based system with continual evaluation of students. All this without ever losing sight of the founder’s vision of providing quality education to all who enter the portals of St. Philomena’s College - especially those from the less privileged sections of their society.