St. John's College, Agra
| St. John's College | |
|---|---|
| Established: | 1852 [1] |
| Affiliation: | Agra University |
| Principal: | (Dr) F.M.Prasad |
| Former Principals: | Rev. Thomas Valpy French (first principal) |
| Location: | Agra |
| Website: | www.stjohnsagra.org |
St. John's College, Agra is a reputed college of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, established in 1852, now part of the Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, earlier known as Agra University. It is the oldest Christian college in India [2].
History
St. John's College, Agra was established in 1852 [1] by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) of England, along with Agra C.M.S. Association, and its first principal was Rev. Thomas Valpy French (1825-1891), a fellow of University College, Oxford [3] [4].
During 1862 to 1888, the college was affiliated with Calcutta University and till 1927, with Allahabad University. In 1927, when Agra University came into existence, it became affiliated with Agra University (now known as Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University). Since 1893, this college is offering post-graduate courses and it is one of the oldest colleges in India to do so.
The college celebrated its centenary in 1952, on this occassion a new wing of the college was built, which later inaugurated by then Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru on October 9, 1959 [1]
The current Principal of the college is Professor (Dr) F.M.Prasad, an eminent Scientist and Educationist.
Academics
St. John's offers undergraduate and post graduate degrees in:
- English
- History
- Political science
- Economics
- Psychology
- Geography
- Hindi
- Sanskrit
- Urdu
- Business Administration
- Accounts & Law
- Business Economics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Zoology
- Botany.
St. John's offers one Ph.D. in Science and Commerce. Additionally, students can take vocational courses in: Foreign Trade, Advertising and Sales Promotion, Insurance, Computer Science, Demography, Yoga Psychology & Mental Health and Communicative English. The college also runs a study centre of Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Former Principals
- George Augustus Pargiter, (1885-1890) [5]
Notable Alumni
- Shankar Dayal Sharma, Former President of India.
- Rangeya Raghav (1923-1962):Hindi writer.
- Shilendra Kumar Singh, Governor of Rajasthan
- Babu Gulabrai, eminent Hindi writer and philosopher
- Ajay Veer Singh, Advocate in the Supreme Court of India, New Delhi.
- Dr.Shri Bhagwan Sharma, Eminent Hindi Writer and Analysist
- Kinshuk Gupta, Chartered Accountant
- Abhishek Sachan,software engg.
- Saurabh Raisinghani, Software Architect
- Gaurav Gupta, Equity Research Analyst.
- Anuj Lavania, Pricing Analyst.
- Dr.Bhaskar Sharma,Polymer Scientist.
- Sonedra Gupta, Mathematician
- V.P.Kulshrestha, Town Planner
Notable President of St. John's College, Agra
- Cyril Charles (1980)
- Samuel Charles (1952)
Further reading
- St. John's College, Agra (1850-1930), by Rev. John Parker Haythornthwaite, revised and completed by Rev. T D Sully Highway), 1932. [1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Message of the President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Correspondence and Select Documents, by Rajendra Prasad, Valmiki Choudhary. Published by Allied Publishers, 1984. ISBN 8170230020. Page 251.
- ↑ The Christian college in India: the report of the Commission on higher education in India, by Commission on Christian higher education in India. Published by Oxford university press, 1931. Page 322.
- ↑ Thomas Valpy French Britannica.com.
- ↑ History
- ↑ The Anglican Church in India, 1600-1970, by Mildred E. Gibbs. Published by Indian] Society for Promoting] Christian] Knowledge, 1972. pp. 320.