Presidency University, Kolkata Coordinates: 22°34′35″N 88°21′44″E From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College,[1] is a public state university Presidency University located in Kolkata, West Bengal.[2] It was established in 1817, making it one of the oldest educational institutions in India. It was founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and a number of other eminent personalities of Bengal, such as Raja Radhakanta Deb, Maharaja Tejchandra Ray of Burdwan, David Hare, Justice Sir Edward Hyde East, Prasanna Coomar Tagore and Babu Buddinath Mukherjee[citation needed]. Initially established as the Mahapathshala wing of Hindu Established 20 January 1817 College, it was renamed Presidency College, i.e. the college Type Public of the Bengal Presidency, in 1855. In 2010, under the Chief Vice- Malabika Sarkar Ministership of Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, a former student of the college, it was upgraded to the status of a full Chancellor university by the Presidency University Act, 2010 passed in Students 2202 (in 2004) the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. The Governor of (951 male, 1251 female) West Bengal, Shri M.K. Narayanan, gave his consent to the Location Kolkata, West Bengal, India bill on 7 July 2010. Campus Urban The longest serving Principal of Presidency College was J. Affiliations UGC, NAAC, AIU Sutcliff, who was its Principal intermittently for 20 years, from 1852-1875. He was the Principal of the college when the Website presiuniv.ac.in college was renamed in 1855 and the new building at 86/1, (http://presiuniv.ac.in/) College Street was built a few years later. The first Indian (acting) Principal of the college was Prasanna Kumar Ray (1902; 1903 and 1905–1906) and the first Indian (full- time) Principal of the college was B.M.Sen (1931-1934 (acting) and 1934–1942). Contents 1 History 1.1 Origin 1.2 Early 19th century 1.3 From Hindu College to Presidency College 1.4 Expansion of Presidency 1.5 Presidency during the Indian freedom struggle 1.6 Presidency after independence 1.7 Becoming a university 2 Departments 2.1 Department of Economics 10/23/12 Presidency Univ ersity , Kolkata - Wikipedia, the f ree ency clopedia 2.2 Department of English 2.3 Department of Geology 2.4 Department of History 2.5 Department of Mathematics 2.6 Department of Law 2.7 Department of Physics 2.8 Department of Physiology 2.9 Department of Political Science 2.10 Department of Statistics 2.11 Department of Zoology 2.12 Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry 3 Chaired lectures 4 Institutions that were started in Presidency 5 Administration 5.1 Hostel facilities 6 Extra-curricular activities 6.1 Students' Union 6.2 Sports 6.3 Cultural events 6.3.1 Debates 6.4 Canteen 7 Building and grounds 8 Alumni 8.1 Alumni Association 8.2 Notable alumni 9 Presidency in film and fiction 9.1 Fiction 9.2 Films 10 References 11 External links History Origin Principals of Presidency College With the creation of the J. Kerr, 1842–1848 Supreme Court of Calcutta in David Lester Richardson, 1848–1849 1773 many Hindus of Bengal E. Lodge, 1849–1852 showed eagerness to learn the J. Sutcliff, M.A., 1852–1856 English language. David Hare, in Leonidas Clint, 1856-1857 collaboration with Raja E. Lodge, 1857-1858 Radhakanta Deb had already J. Sutcliffe, M.A., 1858–1863 taken steps introduce English W. Grapel, 1863-1864 education in Bengal. Babu J. Sutcliffe, M.A., 1864–1875 H. Woodrow, 1875 2/17 10/23/12 Presidency Univ ersity , Kolkata - Wikipedia, the f ree ency clopedia Buddinath Mukherjee advanced H. Woodrow, 1875 the introduction of English as a C. H. Tawney, 1875 medium of instruction further by J. Sutcliffe, M.A., 1875 enlisting the support of Sir Alfred Croft, 1876 Edward Hyde East, Chief C. H. Tawney, 1876–1881 Justice of the Supreme Court G. Bellet, 1881–1882 who called a meeting of John Elliot, 1882–1883 'European and Hindu Alexander Pedler, 1883 Gentlemen' in his house in May John Elliot, 1883 1816. The purpose of the G. Bellet, 1883 meeting was to "discuss the John Elliot, 1884-1885 proposal to establish an C. H. Tawney, 1885 institution for giving a liberal W. Griffiths, 1885-1886 education to the children of the C. H. Tawney, 1886–1887 members of the Hindu Alexander Pedler, 1887 Community". The proposal was C. H. Tawney, 1887 received with unanimous Alexander Pedler, 1887-1889 approbation and a donation of C. H. Tawney, 1889 over Rs. 100, 000 was promised for the setting up of Alexander Pedler, 1889 the new college. Raja Ram Frederick James Rowe, 1889 Mohan Roy showed full C. H. Tawney, 1889 sympathy for the scheme but W. Griffiths, 1892–1896 chose not to come out in Alexander Pedler, 1896–1897 support of the proposal publicly J .H. Gilliland, 1897 for fear of "alarming the Frederick James Rowe, 1897-1898 prejudices of his orthodox J.H.Gilliland, 1898 countrymen and thus marring the Frederick James Rowe, 1898 whole idea". William Booth, 1898 A. Clarke Edwards, 1899-1902 The College was formally Prasanna Kumar Roy, 1902 opened on Monday, January 20, A. Clarke Edwards, 1902–1903 1817 with 20 'scholars'. The Prasanna Kumar Roy, 1903 foundation committee of the A. Clarke Edwards, 1903 college, which oversaw its M. G. D. Prothero, 1904-1905 establishment, was headed by Raja Rammohan Roy. The Prasanna Kumar Roy, 1905-1906 control of the institution was Alexander Macdonnell, 1906 vested in a body of two A. Clarke Edwards, 1906–1907 Governors and four Directors. Henry Rosher James, 1907–1909 The first Governors of the Hugh Melville Percival, 1909 college were Maharaja Henry Rosher James, 1909–1911 Tejchandra Bahadur of C. W. Peake, 1911-1912 Burdwan and Babu Gopee Henry Rosher James, 1912–1916 Mohan Thakoor. The first William Christopher Wordsworth, 1916–1917 Directors were Babu John Rothney Barrow, 1917-1924 Gopeemohan Deb of William Christopher Wordsworth, 1924 Sobhabazar, Babu Joykissen en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency _Univ ersity ,_Kolkata H. E. Stapleton, 1924-1926 3/17 10/23/12 Presidency Univ ersity , Kolkata - Wikipedia, the f ree ency clopedia Sinha, Babu Radha Madhab H. E. Stapleton, 1924-1926 Banerjee and Babu Gunganarain T. S. Sterling, 1926-1927 Doss. Babu Buddinath H. E. Stapleton, 1927–1928 Mukherjee was appointed as the R. B. Ramsbotham, 1928–1929 first Secretary of the college. John Rothney Barrow, 1929–1930 The newly established college Jahangir Cooverjee Coyajee, 1930–1931 mostly admitted Hindu students Bhupatimohan Sen, 1931-1934 from affluent and progressive Bhupatimohan Sen, 1934–1936 families, but also admitted non- Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1936 Hindu students such as Muslims, Bhupatimohan Sen, 1936–1942 Jews, Christians and Buddhists. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1942 Bhupatimohan Sen, 1942–1943 At first the classes were held in a Apurbakumar Chanda, 1943 house belonging to Gorachand Jyotirmoy Ghosh, 1943-1944 Bysack of Garanhatta (later Apurbakumar Chanda, 1944 renamed 304, Chitpore Road), which was rented by the college. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1945-1946 In January 1818 the college Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1946–1947 moved to 'Feringhi Kamal Muhammad Qudrut-i-Khuda, 1947 Bose's house' which was located Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1947 nearby in Chitpore.[3] From Jogischandra Sinha, 1947 Chitpore, the college moved to Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, 1948 Bowbazar and later to the Jyotirmoy Ghosh, 1948–1950 building that now houses the Jyotishchandra Sengupta, 1950 Sanskrit College on College Jyotirmoy Ghosh, 1950–1951 Street. Jyotishchandra Sengupta, 1951–1956 F.J.Friend-Pereira, 1956–1958 Early 19th century Sanat Kumar Basu, 1958–1967 Rajendralal Sengupta, 1967–1969 The increasing realization of the Samerendranath Ghoshal, 1969–1970 value of western education made Sudhir Chandra Shome, 1970 the college a coveted destination Pratul Chandra Mukherjee, 1970–1975 for scholars from all over the Sudhir Chandra Shome, 1975–1976 subcontinent. Pupils have come Pratul Chandra Mukherjee, 1976–1979 from almost all parts of the Bijoy Shankar Basak, 1979–1982 country, most notably from Achinta Kumar Mukherjee, 1982–1986 Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Sunil Kumar Rai Chaudhuri, 1986–1991 Orissa. By 1828 enrolment of Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay, 1991–1997 students steeply rose to 400. Nitai Charan Mukherjee, 1997–2000 The obvious question, that then Amitava Chatterjee, 2001–2005 arose, was whether it would not be wiser for the Government of Mamata Ray, 2005–2008 Bengal to establish a new Sanjib Ghosh, 2008–2010 'English College' open to all Amitava Chatterjee, 2010, classes and community of students. The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Presidency University Managers of Hindu College had soon after the inception of the Amita Chatterjee, 2010–2011 Malabika Sarkar, 2011–present en.wcikoipleldeiag.eor gb/weikci/oPrmeseid ednceyp_eUnidv eersnitty o,_nKolkata 4/17 10/23/12 college become dependent on Malabika Sarkar, 2011–present government subsidy, due to serious shortage of funds. The government had began to play a greater role in the administration of the College. By the middle of the 19th century the college had outgrown the plans made by its founders. Not only did it attract an ever-increasing number of scholars from the province and the rest of the Bengal Presidency, but it had also introduced courses in Law, Drawing, and Engineering, which catered to the needs of all classes of students - Hindus as well as non-Hindus. The government had also to consider whether this growing institution, spending a good deal of public money, could be retained as a non-governmental institution, particularly when Calcutta had no general college managed exclusively by the Council of Education. When other towns in Bengal had government colleges, it was felt in official and non-official circles that Calcutta should also have one.