M.O.P Vaishnav College, Chennai
Within a short span this self-financing college (estb.1992) has succeeded in impacting the educational establishment in Chennai in a big way through its teaching-learning innovations
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| MOP Vaishnav exterior: women empowerment mission |
Sited in Nungambakkam in the heart of the port city of Chennai on a modest 1.3 acre campus, the six-storey M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women has transformed into an epicentre of women’s empowerment in the yet conservative southern state of Tamil Nadu (pop. 62.1 million). The main building, which is built around a verdant circular courtyard, and presided over by a Ganesha deity is well insulated from the bustle and noise of its commercial surroundings.
Established in 1992, with the objective of providing complete education for holistic development of women, M.O.P was born out of a collaboration of two philanthropic trusts — M.O.P Charities constituted by the late Dewan Bahadur M.O. Parthasarathy Aiyengar, a leading city barrister and advocate of women’s education, and the Sri Vallabhacharya Vidya Sabha, the governing body of D.G Vaishnav College (estb 1964). Today, eminent industrialists and administrators from both these promoter organisations constitute the board of governors and managing committee of this self-financing college which has an aggregate enrollment of 2,745 students.The mission and goals of M.O.P, as articulated by its founders, venture beyond conventional college education and aim at promoting academic excellence, developing self-reliant individuals, providing career opportunities and creating socially responsible citizens. In pursuit of these goals, the college has adopted several innovative strategies to empower its women students.
The recently concluded academic year 2004-2005 was especially significant for this all women college. On September 7, M.O.P was conferred autonomy by the University Grants Commission and attained the distinction of being the youngest self-financing college in the country to be granted this coveted status.
"The conferment of autonomy has given us the freedom to venture beyond traditional education, introduce job-oriented courses, modify the curriculum and include non-credit programmes like projects, internships, skill-oriented professional courses and student development programmes into the credit system," says Nirmala Prasad, the energetic principal of M.O.P Vaishnav College who has been actively implementing progressive pedagogies from the time she took charge of the institution in 1997. An alumna of Andhra and Utkal (Orissa) universities, Prasad also earned a doctorate in commerce from Madras University, served as professor and founder of the postgraduate department of commerce in Chennai’s Ethiraj College for Women before joining M.O.P eight years ago. Under her leadership, M.O.P was adjudged the best managed collegiate institution in Tamil Nadu and awarded the ‘Managerial Excellence Award’ in 2003 by the Madras Management Association (MMA).
Undoubtedly, within a short span of 13 years, M.O.P has succeeded in impacting the education establishment in Chennai in a big way through its teaching-learning innov-ations and brand development initiatives. The distinguishing feature of the college is the value additions it has introduced in its study programmes. These include publication of a journal by every department, introduction of personality development courses, communication workshops, soft skills training, and special professional courses dovetailed with market requirements. For instance to nurture young entrepreneurs, M.O.P established its entrepreneurship development (ED) cell in 1999. ED stages a self-employment project presentation competition every year, which culminates in a M.O.P Bazaar hosting a wide range of stalls by students with varied products on sale. Consequently the ED cell has proved to be a launching pad for several students-turned-businesswomen.
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| Nirmala Prasad |
But it’s in academics that this relatively new women’s college has excelled. Starting with just three study programmes — B.Com, B.B.A, B.Sc and 170 students on its rolls in 1992 — today MOP Vaishnav offers 13 undergraduate and four postgraduate courses to its 2,745 students instructed by a faculty of 96.
The college management has structured its market-relevant courses into various schools — School of Communication and Media Studies, School of Information Technology, School of Social Sciences, School of Business, School of Food Science and School of Languages — and follows a cafeteria approach, allowing students to choose inter disciplinary courses to add value to their core competencies. "Our biggest achievement is transforming our students into smart, skilled individuals who stand out wherever they go," says Prasad.
Unsurprisingly at the start of the current academic year in August the college received nearly 7,000 applications for the 950 seats on offer despite its relatively pricey study programmes. But for its prices the college ensures that its students are well provided for in the form of state-of-the-art infrastructure which includes an air conditioned media lab with modern equipment valued at Rs. 2 crore, a high-tech networked computer lab (4,000 sq. ft) with 124 nodes, a multimedia lab, a micro processor and digital electronics lab, nutrition and science lab, a fully equipped press, amphitheatre, air conditioned 450-seater auditorium, photography studio, fully computerised bar-coded library with 20,336 volumes and 102 journals and periodicals, a virtual library, nine seminar halls and a conference room.
With its growing reputation in industry in southern India, the college enjoys an enviable 90-95 percent placement record. Campus placement jamborees are held in July every year and among the prominent companies that have recruited M.O.P students are Citi Bank Associates, Ernst & Young, TVS Sundaram Motors, Hewlett Packard, ABN Amro, Chennai Ford, Lintas, MRF, Birla Sun Life Insurance, Hyundai Motors, Wipro, Cognizant Technology Solutions, ICICI Bank apart from recruiters from the print media, advertising companies and television channels.
In its onward journey towards excellence, M.O.P has plans to tie up with reputed universities abroad for faculty and student exchange programmes. Developing the ED cell to produce more ‘job creators’ is also on the cards. "A mere degree certificate is of limited value. We need to produce well-educated individuals able to take on the world beyond campus gates. I believe there’s hope for even for those who don’t excel academically, as they all have hidden talents waiting to be discovered," says Prasad.
Admission and fees
M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women is structured into six schools — School of Media, School of Information Technology, School of Business, School of Food Science, School of Social Sciences and School of Languages — and offers 13 undergraduate and four postgrad courses. Admission. The selection process comprises an entrance test for all undergraduate and postgrad courses held in May with 60 percent weightage given to the board exam scores and 40 percent to the entrance test. Tuition fee (annual)
Undergrad. Rs. 21,300-43, 900
Postgraduate. Rs. 30,900-62,900
For further details contact the Registrar, No 20, IV Lane, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600034. Tel: 28330262; e-mail: mopvcfw@giasmd01.vsnl.net.in
Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai)
Macquarie University, Australia
Established in 1967 with a current enrollment of 29,000 students including 7,000 from 94 countries worldwide, this sydney-based varsity has acquired an excellent reputation for teaching and research
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| Macquarie campus scene: excellence reputation |
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et in a verdant campus amidst spacious Sydney parklands, Macquarie University is widely recognised as Australia’s most innovative varsity with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching and research. It has been awarded more best practice rankings for technology-aided teaching than any other institution in Australia. The 38-year-old varsity boasts some of the most experienced and qualified educators in the world as 65 percent hold doctoral qualifications — way above the national average. During the past six years, MU has won 11 awards for its competitive centres of excellence in new science-based high-technology areas. Moreover the Macquarie University Research Park is Australia’s only privately funded research campus, which houses nine national research centres. "Teaching and research at Macquarie continue to set benchmarks nationally and internationally for quality, flexibility and relevance. The latest edition of the Good Universities Guide gave us ten 5-star scores across a wide range of criteria including student demand, research grants and research intensity, cultural diversity, entry standards, all categories of student services and — for a record eighth consecutive year — graduate starting salaries," says Prof. Di Yerbury, vice chancellor of Macquarie University, which also enjoys the distinction of publishing the Macquarie Dictionary, the official arbiter of Australian English.
Established in 1967, Macquarie has an enrollment of 29,000 students, of whom 7,000 are from 94 countries around the world. It offers a wide range of undergrad programmes across nine areas of study (see box) and an enviable list of postgrad and doctoral options in cutting edge technologies and disciplines. The Macquarie Graduate School of Management offers a full-time MBA programme which is ranked the No. 1 business studies programme in Australia and Asia and No. 50 in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit (2004). Moreover Macquarie is the first university in the world to introduce an actuarial studies degree programme and a Masters in Coptic studies.
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ydney. Situated on Australia’s eastern seaboard in the state of New South Wales, Sydney sprawls across 1,120 sq. km, an area almost as large as Beijing and six times the size of Rome. With the spectacular Sydney harbour and Opera House at its centre, the city is home to 4 million people from more than 180 countries, speaking 140 different languages. Voted three years in a row by Travel and Leisure magazine as the ‘World’s best city’, Sydney is a financial and cultural hub and boasts an amazing range of theatres, art galleries, shopping centres, night clubs, restaurants and sports facilities. A mild climate means Sydneysiders soak up the sun all year round. Temperatures rarely fall below 10oC and, while summer temperatures can reach 40oC, average temperatures are usually very pleasant.
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ampus facilities. Macquarie is set within scenic and spacious 135 acres of parkland in leafy North Ryde on Sydney’s famous north shore. The verdant campus, with lakes and creeks alive with waterbirds and parrots, is a 30-minute drive from Sydney’s central business district and houses state-of-the-art lecture halls, classrooms, laboratories, art galleries as well as Australia’s largest sculpture park. The main library houses a collection of more than one million books and periodicals. It also contains an extensive collection of microfilms, tapes, slides, computer software, videotapes, CD-ROMs, maps and other non-printed material.
Moreover an extensive range of cultural activities help students broaden their horizons. Among the museums and collections on-campus are an art gallery and Australian history, biological sciences, earth sciences and ancient cultures museums. The Macquarie University Sport & Leisure Centre offers a variety of sporting facilities including a cardio theatre, weights and fitness room, six squash courts, two multi-purpose sport halls, two floodlit tennis courts, and a comprehensive lifestyle programme incorporating yoga, pilates and Tai Chi. There are more than 150 student clubs encompassing a wide range of interests and activities.
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dmission. The minimum qualification for admission into Macquarie’s undergrad programmes is successful completion of Plus Two. Additionally applicants must submit proof of proficiency in the English language. A TOEFL or IELTS score of 6.5 and 580 is acceptable. The university also has a specific course entry rank and prerequisites for each course. The completed application form should be accompanied with certified copies of academic records, English language test score card and an application fee of A$ 10 (Rs.330). Admissions for the semester beginning January 13, 2006 are open now.
For further information contact Macquarie International, Macquarie University, Building E3A, Level 1, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia. Tel 61 2 9850 73 46; e-mail: iso@mq.edu.au, website: www.international.mq.edu.au.
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ccommodation. Macquarie University offers a range of on-campus and off-campus housing for students. On-campus housing includes the Robert Menzies and Dunmore Lang halls of residence which contain 260 modern and furnished single study bedrooms each with telephone, voice mail, and internet connection. The colleges are self-sufficient with a fully catered dining hall, computer lab, common room, laundries and library. The Herring Road apartments are also situated on-campus and offer 20 self-catering fully-furnished single bedroom flats. Additionally the Macquarie University Village offers five-bedroom townhouses with each bedroom having an ensuite bathroom and individual telephone line. D
egree programmes. Macquarie offers a wide choice of courses and subjects across the areas of business, commerce, economics, finance, statistics; humanities; education; computing and electronics; law; medical, health, speech and hearing and chiropractic studies; psychology and linguistics and sciences. Students have the flexibility to combine different study areas and earn single or double undergrad degrees. In particular Macquarie offers enviable postgrad and doctoral research programmes in cutting edge technologies and subjects (e.g biology, wireless communications, physics, linguistics, mathematics, and geology). It also houses six national research centres in addition to more than 20 university and other research centres.
Scholastic options at Macquarie
Macquarie University offers a wide range of undergrad and postgrad degree programmes in eight areas of study. They are:
Business, commerce, economics, finance, statistics
Computing and electronics
Education
Humanities
Law
Medical, health, speech and hearing and chiropractic studies
Psychology and linguistics
Science (including environmental science)
Society, culture, media and philosophy
The Macquarie Graduate School of Business offers a full-time MBA programme
For a detailed list of programmes offered in each of these areas of study log on to www.international.mq.edu.au.
Bill of costs
Tuition fee (per year): A$15,840-18,480
Health cover (per year): A$632
Housing (per week): A$120-220
Others (per week): A$90-100
NB A$=Rs.33
Summiya Yasmeen