KTWV 11 Issue 10: Alumni coming together?

2009 Founders' Day Coffee Session after programme of speech
by Past Indian President Abdul Kalam.

I had an interesting email sent to me through the Southern Stephanian Society Alumni Group which operates out of Bangalore:

from CHERIAN JACOB
reply-to southern-stephanian-society@googlegroups.com
date 10 February 2010 11:49
subject Please read this.
mailing list

www.savestephens.web.officelive.com

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That took me to a site which was called

Save St. Stephen's College
Yes We Can

which had the following text and links (Emphasis MINE.):

College is facing the greatest threat ever to its existence. The administrative and financial autonomy of the College is being undermined. Alumni and well-wishers have to put their heads together and intervene. It is important to have clear understanding of the turn of events which has led to the present crisis. A detailed note on the crisis facing College and other documents is posted on the web. An online petition appealing to the Chairman not to destabilize the institution is also in circulation. They can be accessed through the links provided.

1. Note on the Crisis Facing Stephen's College
   
2. Letter by 23 of the 45 permanent faculty expressing disapproval at the humiliation meted out to Mr. N Raghunathan
   
3. Letter to VC
   
4. Resolution passed by the Governing Body *
   
5. Letter from the Chairman, Bishop Sunil Kumar Singh* asking for an inquiry into the dharna staged by some teachers
   
6. Letter from the University of Delhi * stating its disapproval of appointing a Bursar in violation of university ordinance.
   
7. Online petition appealing to the Bishop not to interfere and hijack the College: http://www.petitiononline.com/sscd2k10
   

Please go to the site to download and see the various documents.

Although I am glad that some members of our alumni are taking steps, preferably I would have liked to do it behind the scenes with each Alumni Group (New York, Kolkotta, Mumbai, Singapore, Bangalore, etc.) calling together its own Action Committee and then meeting at the national level with a strong uniform voice about what should happen in and with the college.

However, I am pleased that this has happened, as I have been calling for something on these lines for several years.

Our College is in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

We should reclaim our College from all disruptive forces and help make the College a beacon for the education of tomorrow, not a hot bed for politics and fundamentalism.


The symbol of OUR UNITY -
The Blacksmith, the modern one (2009)!

I would like to state some of the obvious:

1. We should have the finest faculty in all branches we intend to teach in our learned institution.
   
2. We should have the brightest and best students in the College.
   
3. We should have professional management to run the College, both the teaching, the education and the premises.
   
4. We should optimise all the aspects of running an educational institution.
   
5. We should modernise in keeping with similar institutions around the world.
   
6. We should involve alumni who have experience in managing a national education institution.
   
7. We should change our focus to handle the problems that face the India of tomorrow.
   
8. We should stop the reservation policy for anybody which is only detrimental to all communities in the long run.

There are lot more ideas to offer to any Action Group, as I have seen how our small town of Oulu has a University, which is a Centre of Excellence in several fields, and is also run professionally. If we could do it in a city of just 120000 people, I see no reason why it cannot be done in our College!

Thank you guys for making this happen.