Chennai

Chennai: Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College Autonomous (VC)

VC was recommended to us by an Indian colleague of mine and the United States-India Educational Foundation. VC was established in 1946 by the Ramakrishna Mission which has as its purpose "to bring into existence a band of monks devoted to leading a life of purity and renunciation, and the to carry on, with lay workers, religious, philanthropic and charitable activities, looking upon all men, women and children, irrespective of caste, creed, nationality and colour, as veritable manifestations of the divine." All faculty, administrators, and the 3000 students are male. The curriculum is heavy in math, science, and business. VC is quite proud of their track record in educating some very prominent alumni who are placed throughout India in business, government, and scientific research. We will receive from VC a list of alumni who are faculty members in American universities as well. The placement of VC graduates is an obvious point of pride and the placement of our graduates seemed to be a barometer of OWU's quality as well.

VC is an autonomous constituent college of the University of Madras which governs the curriculum of the college so any initiatives will need to be approved by the UM. The three year undergraduate curriculum is highly regulated and regimented making undergraduate study abroad more of a challenge than study abroad for graduate students. They report that their students are very interested in study abroad, however, find the costs and logistics for doing so a challenge. Faculty exchange programs are more easily accomplished as there is greater flexibility in accommodating schedules to arrange a faculty swap. There appears to be a high level of interest in student exchange programs based on the home school tuition model in which students from each institution pay their home school fees but take classes at the exchange institution. Faculty members seem very interested in faculty exchange programs with a similar model- they continue to be paid from their institution and receive additional funding for travel expenses. They cannot receive a salary from an American institution so paying expenses is the best way to make the exchange affordable. It was suggested that we might consider a video conference or class bringing together students from our respective institutions virtually.

The campus itself is highly urban. Perimeter security is tight and guarded. Instructional spaces are organized in Blocks. About 200 students live on campus in the hostel which is managed by a warden. It appears that the lifestyle of residential students is fairly strict and controlled. Absolutely no visitors are allowed in the hostel and there is a visitor's room provided outside of the hostel for Sunday visits only. The hostel is built "according to Indian standards" and there is an international hostel several kilometers from the campus that is built "according to International standards" that might be more appropriate for our students. Cricket is the big sport of the college and they have a very nice cricket field that was being prepared for a game this weekend. I noticed the groundskeepers were preparing the turf on their knees using their hands-no tools- to trim and prepare the grass. Day college working hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m and the hostel office is open from 9-12 and 3-5. The principal told me that his typical work day is processing 300-400 signatures that are required to manage the operation. This "management by signature" system appears highly bureaucratic and without his signature, the institution stalls. He is reluctant to miss work as the consequences are significant for the operation of the college.

Overall, this was a good college visit. We were received with high interest and enthusiasm and will continue to share information. If we should want to develop anything more formal with VC, we would need to start with the University of Madras to get their stamp of approval.