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COLLEGE DAY – March 19, 2016

Annual Report

Dr. Sr. Jasintha Quadras fmm

Good morning and a warm welcome to everyone to our annual College Day celebrations.

I am honoured and privileged to welcome Padma Vibhushan Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman

of the Apollo Hospitals Group to our College. Thank you Sir, for taking time off from your

busy schedule and so graciously consenting to be here this morning as our Chief Guest for the

69th

College Day Celebrations of Stella Maris. A very warm welcome to Sr. Leena D’Souza,

Provincial, FMM, Chennai Province, Sr. Susan, Secretary of the College, Sr. Christine

Antony, Superior, Stella Maris Convent, Dr. Sr. Helen Vincent, former Principal, the Vice

Principals, Deans, faculty, members of the Governing Body & the Academic Council,

Fr. Kurien, Fr. Pancras, administrative and support staff, retired faculty, parents, alumnae,

benefactors, friends, FMM sisters and you, my dear students.

As always, I begin my report with felicitating faculty and staff who retire this year after

several years of devoted and committed service to Stella Maris in various capacities:

Dr. Nirmala Kanagaraj, Associate Professor, Head, Department of Botany after 36 years

Dr. Bernadine Mary Joseph, Vice Principal and former Head, Department of English after

31 years

Dr. Annie Cherian, Associate Professor and former Head, Department of Zoology after

29 years

Ms. Pearl Rose Paul, Associate Professor, Department of Economics after 24 years

Dr. Razia Tony, Associate Professor, Department of Fine Arts after 17 years

Mr. Joseph Robin, Lab Assistant of the Department of Botany retires after 40 years and

Mrs. Annie Joice, Administrative Staff, served the College for 29 years and retired in

June 2015.

On behalf of the management, staff and students of the College, I thank you for your

dedicated services to Stella Maris. You will be remembered for the richness you added to

campus life and your invaluable contribution to the growth of this institution. May you enjoy

a life of peaceful and happy retirement.

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It is with deep sorrow that I announce the passing away of five members of the Stella Maris

family this year.

Sr. Angela Hurley passed away in Rush, Ireland on 08 January 2016. She was the Superior

and Correspondent of the College from 1968-1972 and Provincial of Chennai Province from

1972-1980.

Dr. Chellam Mithran, former Head, Department of Economics passed away in April 2015.

Dr. Bhagavathy Jayaraman, retired faculty, Department of Mathematics and Controller of

Examinations, Stella Maris College passed away in May 2015.

Dr. Mridula Jose, former Head, undergraduate Department of English and faculty, English

Language and Life Skills Programme passed away on 30 September 2015.

Dr. Cecilia Thangarajan, former Head, Department of Social Work passed away on 4 March

2016. May their souls rest in peace.

This past year has been eventful, challenging and exciting. The re-structured curriculum and

revised syllabi came into force this year, and student strength has grown with the introduction

of a new major in Commerce – Accounting & Finance and an additional section in

B.Com. (CS).

The next academic year will see the introduction of the B.Voc programmes - Food Processing

and Quality Control and Sustainable Energy Management - funded by the UGC. These

programmes are part of the “Skilling India” initiative of the Government of India, and will tie

in with our mission for inclusive educational opportunities.

The recognition and acknowledgement of our faculty for their expertise in various disciplines

and experience in the field of education continues with several receiving awards and

positions at national and international levels.

Dr. Sr. Jasintha Quadras fmm, Principal, was elected Vice-President (Asia) of the

International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) Board of Administration at the

General Assembly of IFCU, held at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne in

July, 2015. She also participated in the World Congress, ‘Educating Today and Tomorrow:

A Renewing Passion’ organised by the Congregation for Catholic Education and attended the

IFCU Executive Board Meeting at Rome in November 2015. She participated in the meeting

of the Board of Administration of the IFCU in March 2016 at the Catholic University of

Lyon, France.

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Dr. Felbin C. Kennedy, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics delivered the

Plenary lecture at CMST 2015 in November at Barcelona, Spain.

Dr. Belina Xavier was invited as a Guest Editor for the Malaysian Construction Research

Journal in December 2015.

Dr. Shiny John Vairamon was selected for the Fellowship Programme by the United Board

for Christian Higher Education in Asia and was placed at Ateneo de Manila University,

Philippines from August 24 – December 16, 2015. She obtained a Certificate of Recognition

for two Oral Presentations at a Convention held at Centro Escolar University, Manila.

Dr. Sandra Joseph, Associate Professor and IQAC Coordinator was Scientific Advisor for the

Colloquium at the Expo “Right to Food, Peace, and Democracy: Research and Education in

an Ethical Perspective” organised in Milan, Italy in September 2015.

Dr. Ulaganayaki Palani received the Woman Achiever Award awarded by the International

Lions Club, Mahabalipuram in June 2015. She was also awarded the Tamil Chudar Award by

the Washington Tamil Sangam, Maryland, USA in July 2015 and the Samuthaya Sirppy

Award for contribution to Tamil Language and Literature.

Dr. Mithila Rengaswamy of the Department of Tamil received the “Tamizh Nithi” award for

her contribution to the Tamil language by the Chennai Kamban Kazhagam in June 2015.

Dr. V. Padma, Associate Professor, Department of English was awarded a Visiting Professor

Fellowship at the Centre for Law and Governance at JNU, New Delhi.

Dr. Margaret Thomas of the Department of Fine Arts was awarded the ‘Sessions Best

Presentation Award’ at the second International Conference on Arts and Humanities, held in

Colombo, Sri Lanka in July 2015.

Dr. K. Veena Gayathri of the Department of Biotechnology won the Best Paper Award at the

national level Symposium on Bio-prospecting of Marine Resources at Hindustan University,

Chennai. She also won the second place for paper presentation at the National Seminar on

‘Emerging trends in Eco Microbes’ held in Chennai.

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Dr. Nirmala Alex, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work and NSS Coordinator was

honoured as ‘Teacher for Peace’ by the Gandhi Peace Foundation in February 2016.

Dr. S. Sujitha of the Department of English has obtained recognition as Ph.D. supervisor.

Dr. Prabha George of the Department of English, Dr. Teresa Santiago of the Department of

Mathematics and Dr. Sr. Stella Mary of the Department of Economics have obtained

recognition as M.Phil. supervisors from the University of Madras.

Dr. Ulaganayaki Palani, Dr. V Padma, Dr Srabani and Dr. Fathima have authored books in

their areas of specialisation.

Congratulations to the six members of the faculty who have received their doctoral degrees

this year.

Dr. Dolly Thomas, Assistant Professor, Head, Department of History

Dr. Vidya Srinivasan, Associate Professor, Department of Commerce

Dr. D. Hima Bindu, Associate Professor, Department of Economics

Dr. Shanthi Stanley, Associate Professor, Department of Commerce

Dr. Avila Josephine, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry

Dr. Mary Teresita, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry

Ms. Ajie George, Ms. Nazneen Marshall of the Department of English, Sr. Fatima Furtado of

the Department of Fine Arts, Ms. Antony Rose Immaculate of the Department of Botany and

Ms. K. Nitya of the Department of Commerce have been awarded the UGC funded Faculty

Development Programme to pursue their doctoral degrees.

Several departments as well as individual faculty have been sanctioned projects funded by

various agencies. The Department of Science and Technology has sanctioned Rs. 100 lakhs

under the FIST programme 2015 to the Science Departments to strengthen teaching and

research facilities.

Dr. Mary George and Dr. K. Shyamala of the Departments of Chemistry and Bio-informatics

were sanctioned a project supported by NCSTC, DST, Govt. of India in 2015.

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Dr. Sr. Lourthu Mary, Ms. Beula Francis and Ms. Vijalakshmi of the Department of Social

Work were sanctioned a Minor Research Project by the UGC in 2015.

The UBCHEA has approved a three year institutional Project on Promotion of Folklore,

Culture and Heritage of Tamil Nadu for Sustainable Development. The project is

co-ordinated by Dr. Kalpana Jayaraman, Dr. Priya George and Dr. Dolly Thomas of the

Departments of Zoology, Social Work and History respectively.

Faculty will also benefit from a generous endowment by TAFE under the aegis of the

Jayshree Venkatraman Endowment fund for research and related activities.

Beyond these developments that focus on academics, the College has made advancements in

institutional and Academe-Industry partnerships. Recent tie-ups have been with the Indian

Institute of Technology, SRM University, the Centre for Initiatives in Social Management

and Cognizant Solutions to develop technological expertise in research. Another MoU with

the Trinity Western University, Canada, in February 2016 will open opportunities for faculty

and student exchange programmes as well as cooperation in educational and scholarly

initiatives.

This year a delegation from the Chiang Rai Rajabhat University, Thailand and St. Albert’s

College, Kerala visited the College to interact with us on our educational programmes and to

take forward possibilities for academic networking.

Departmental activities have continued through the year, focusing on a spectrum of activities

that engage students in events that challenge them to cross boundaries of the self and

demonstrate their special talents.

The Department of Value Education led by Sr. Sundari organised the Inaugural Mass which

was celebrated by the Most Rev. George Anthonysamy, the Archbishop of Chennai,

Mylapore. Retreats and workshops for all students and an inter-faith prayer meeting on Peace

and Harmony was organised for III year students in March 2016.

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The Department of History introduced a Diploma course - Spanish for Tourism in

collaboration with the Medrar Cultural Service Connecting Continents, Thiruvanmiyur. As a

follow up of the UBCHEA Project, ‘Heritage and Conservation’, the Department inaugurated

the ‘Heritage Club’ in June 2015.

The Department of Sociology conducted SOCIOGENESIS, an inter-school competition for

students of standard IX-XII to raise consciousness about Sociology as a discipline of study.

In association with the Insurance Corporation Employees Union, the Department organised a

digital signature campaign for 33% reservation of seats for women in Parliament and State

legislatures.

The Department of Economics organised workshops on Data Analysis in Social Science

research for students across city colleges.

The Department of English organised a two-day Writer-in-Residence programme with the

internationally known Dalit writer Ms. Bama. Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar Awardees and

alumnae of the College, Nivedita Subramanian and Sowmya Rajendran, spoke to the students

of the Department on ‘Illustration in Children’s Literature’.

A group of twenty students of the Department of Fine Arts accompanied by Dr. Sumithra

Dawson, attended a two week summer programme in art and design at the

Middlesex University, London, in August 2015. The programme included museum tours in

art history and studio sessions in drawing, illustration and design.

The Department of Mathematics organised an International Workshop on Social Networking

by Dr. Anthony Bonato, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada and Dr. Paul Manuel, Kuwait

University. The Department also organised a Scholar – in - Residence Programme on

Algebraic Concepts and Applications in collaboration with the Chennai Mathematical

Institute.

To celebrate, 30 years of the DBT, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of

India, the Science departments – Botany, Zoology, Chemistry and Physics under the Star

College Scheme organised several lectures, workshops and events in the months of January

and February this year. As the culmination of the celebrations, an exhibition and workshop,

‘Exploring Science’, for popularising Basic Sciences was organised for students of ten

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schools in the city in January 2016. A State Level Intercollegiate Quiz Competition Zone 2

in collaboration with IGCAR, Kalpakkam on Nuclear Energy and its applications was

organised in July 2015. The quiz had 216 participants from all over Tamil Nadu. At the

undergraduate level, Stella Maris College students emerged as Over-all winners.

An exhibition also was organised by IGCAR at Stella Maris College on the same theme.

A 30 hour Certificate Course on “Digital and Social Media Marketing” was organised for

students by the Department of Commerce (Shift – I) in collaboration with the Indian Institute

of Knowledge Management Business (IIKM), Chennai. Faculty and students of Shift II of the

Department organized an exhibition ‘Business Souk 2015’ to showcase entrepreneurial skills.

Students L. Sangeetha, S. Divya, Priyanka R. Anne Sugirtham J. and Pavithra V. of M.Sc.

IT of the Department of Computer Science developed an application to automate the working

process of the Career Guidance Cell. The App was successfully launched as a link on the

College website in July 2015. This application will aid online registration of students,

uploading of resume and provide notification on campus recruitments. The Department

organised a regional workshop on “Entrepreneurship” in September 2015 and a four day

Certificate Course on Cloud Computing which provided students the much needed exposure

to latest trends in technology.

All faculty of the Department of Social Work were involved in the preparation of course

material for the papers ‘Human Rights and Gender Justice’ and ‘Entrepreneurship’ for a

Postgraduate Diploma course in Youth Development being launched by the Rajiv Gandhi

National Institute of Youth Development, Sriperumbudur in 2016.

Five students of the Department visited Germany to attend an International Conference on

Peace Building and the Summer School at Hochschule Coburg University in May 2015.

Three students from the School of Social Work, Liverpool Hope University, UK completed

their field practicum from the BSW Department. A lecture on Disability and Law by

Dr. Michael Stein, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Harvard Law School Project on

Disability was organised in September 2015.

The Department of International Studies organised a national workshop on Nuclear Issues in

May 2015. The Department and the US Consulate General, Chennai, jointly hosted a

programme on “The Role of Social Media in Public Policy”.

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As part of their Annual Scholar-in-Residence Programme, the Department of International

Studies invited Dr. Shankari Sundara Raman, Professor, JNU to deliver a series of lectures

and conduct workshops for the faculty and students. The Department, in collaboration with

the Chennai Centre for China Studies organised a one day National Seminar on ‘Changing

Asian Landscape: Role of India and China.’

Deci-PRO marked the celebration of the decennial year of the Department of Public

Relations. Jagriti- a Consumer Awareness Programme was organised at various Government

schools in the city in August 2015. The Department collaborated with Fundazone to promote

and manage a corporate quizzing event, ‘MINT- the money in your head’, conducted for

students in schools and colleges across the city in September, 2015. ‘Sthree’, a cancer

awareness campaign in association with Global Hospitals, was organised in February, 2016.

A Cancer Screening Medical Camp was conducted on our campus.

The Department of Bioinformatics organised a Workshop on “Bioinformatics – Applications

and Current Approaches” in February 2016.

The students of the Department of Biotechnology attended several workshops organised by

institutes of repute in the city.

The Department of Tamil organised a special lecture on ‘Literature is Life’ by Poet Jo Arul

Prakash in September 2015.

Students of the I year Foundation Course of the Department of Hindi, won a trophy and cash

prize for their performance at the Conference on “Vyagnaik Hindi Dasha Aur Disha”

organized by the Tamil Nadu Hindi Sahitya Akademi in January 2016. The intercollegiate

cultural competition ‘Band Baaja Baraat’ had nearly 450 students from different city colleges

participating.

The students of the Department of French won the Overall Championship for Forla Fest, the

intercollegiate French competition held at Loyola College, Chennai in August 2015. The

French Club organised its first intra-collegiate French competition in October, 2015.

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Students of the Department of Sanskrit won the first and second prizes in Classical music

organised by the M.G.R. Janaki College for Arts and Science, Chennai.

Graduation day was held on 6 February 2016. It was presided over by Professor Bhasker

Ramamurthy Director, IIT Madras.

The Centre for Research in Science and Technology (CRIST) conducted a three-month

Certificate course on ‘Exploring Nanoscience – Synthesis and Characterization of

Nanoparticles’ from October 2015 to February 2016. The highlight of this year’s Course was

the special invited lecture by Professor C.N.R. Rao, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced

Scientific Research, Bangalore.

The Centre for Women’s Studies organised the Southern Regional Workshop on

‘Documenting Contributions of Women's Movements, Women's Organizations and Women’

in collaboration with other Centres for Women’s Studies across Tamil Nadu in February

2016.

The IQAC organised several sessions/ workshops for faculty, students, administrative and

support staff. The Cell ensures that quality parameters are sustained and enhanced through

review and analysis of programmes.

In this technology-driven globalised environment, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

have become increasingly important in educational initiatives. Two-hundred and nine

students from the departments of Botany, Chemistry, Commerce, Computer Science and

Mathematics completed the course offered by the National Programme on Technology

Enhanced Learning Project, (NPTEL), a joint initiative by seven IITs and IISc Bangalore.

S.V. Kruthika of III B.Com. was ranked third in the country for completing the course on

Practical English: Learning and Teaching.

As part of the MoU with Liverpool Hope University (LHU), UK, the first batch of students of

the Stella Maris Postgraduate Certificate Programme in International Business has completed

the programme. These students have been accepted to the LHU Business School for their

IMBA Programme.

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Students have excelled not only in their academic pursuits but have also won laurels in many

fields.

Shwetha Thomas and Deivanai of III B.Com stood first in India in the Auditing paper in the

examination held by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. They are ranked

16th

in the world.

Nikita Wilson of II B.Com won the All India Case Study competition conducted by Ernst and

Young and received a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.

Santhiya K.R. of II M.Sc. of the Department of Biotechnology won the first prize for her

paper presentation at the National Conference on “Herbal Technology – Present, Past and

Future” organised by the Alpha Arts and Science College, Chennai.

Nandini S. of II MSW won the second prize for her paper on ‘Factors Influencing Family

Breakdown’ at the National Conference on Happiness and Family Wellbeing in the Modern

Era at the Anugraha Institute of Social Sciences, Dindigul in February, 2016.

Tara George of II B.Sc Zoology is the recipient of the Fellowship for Project Oriented

Biological Education. She has completed the first phase of internship at the Jawaharlal

Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore.

Ashreya J. Hridya V. Varma, Niveditha R. of III B. Sc. Physics were selected for the Indian

Academy of Sciences Summer Student Research Fellowship.

Ashreya J. of III B.Sc. Physics was also selected for the Summer Research Programme in

Physics at Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Taramani, Chennai.

Ashreya J. Dravina S. and Hridya V. III B.Sc. Physics bagged the first prize at the State

Level Inter-Collegiate Science Quiz competition organised by the Department of Atomic

Energy, IGCAR, Kalpakkam.

Amritalaxmi, Annapoorani and Ankita of III B.Sc Chemistry won the second place in the Inter

Zonal Quiz competition conducted by the Department of Atomic Energy, IGCAR.

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Rumaiza and Janvi of I B.A Economics won the second prize at the Dr. Nirmala Endowment

Quiz conducted at MOP Vaishnav College.

N. Harinie Jeevitha, III B.A. English received a two-year scholarship from the Ministry of

Culture, GOI. She also received the National Balashree Award for Creative Performance for

dance from the Government of India.

Swetha Anandasivan, I M.A. English won the second prize in the National Violin Competition

conducted by Prasar Bharati.

Dravina S. of III B.Sc. Physics was awarded as the best adjudicator in the VIT Chennai

British Parliamentary Debate and the 3rd

best adjudicator in RVDT. She also won the IGCAR

State level quiz competition.

Yazhini of III B.A. English won various prizes at the district and state level Tamil oratorical

competitions. She has also been awarded the Ilaiya Silamboli Award.

Ramya Venkataraman, II B.A. Economics, was selected as an artiste at Doordarshan.

Three students of the Department of English - Pooja Hariharan, I B.A, Amritha Srikanth and

Gowri Rekha of II B.A. have published novels.

The NSS Unit was once again awarded the Dr. Radha Krishnan Award and the YRC received

the Award of Red Cross Appreciation for mobilizing the maximum number of blood donors

among women’s Colleges in Chennai.

The NSS in collaboration with YRG CARE organized an event to sensitise volunteers on

AIDS and the role of vaccines in treatment. Junita of III B.Sc Physics, Francina of III

B.Com. and Nandhini of II B.Sc. Botany participated in the National Integration Camp held

in Mangalore organised by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs.

The NCC Unit of the College has to their credit several accomplishments and has done the

College proud.

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Cpl. Lalitha M. and Cpl. Micmel Flora C. of II B.Sc. Mathematics were selected for the

National level All India Thal Sainik Camp held at New Delhi.

Cpl. Selvanaayaghi was selected for the All India Republic Day Camp 2016 and Prime

Minister’s rally held at New Delhi from January 1 – 29, 2016.

Naval Cadets Carolin Cindiya W. Archana Devi A. and Arokiya Sundari F. were selected for

the National level All India Nau Sainik Camp and Archana Devi A. won the gold for the Best

Cadet competition.

Naval Cadet, Cesily Devakirubai V. was selected for the All India NCC Yatching Regatta

2015 Camp held at INS Chilka.

Senior Under Officer Jessy Jenifer of III B.Sc. Botany, represented India at the Youth

Exchange Programme in Vietnam from September 4 – 30, 2015 and Sgt. Samreen Wani of

III B.A. History, represented India at the Youth Exchange Programme in Singapore from

November 20 – 28, 2015.

As always, we have excelled in sports and games this year too. Our College teams secured

the Winners title in Madras University B Zone inter collegiate tournaments in Basketball,

Badminton, Table Tennis and Tennis besides winning many other inter collegiate

tournaments. The College teams emerged winners in Badminton, Tennis and were Runners-

up in the Table Tennis tournament at the state level. In the Sports Fest 2015, organised by

the IIT Madras, the College Basketball, Badminton, Tennis and Volleyball teams secured the

Winners title and won the Over All Championship. I would like to make a special mention

here of Rochelle Maria of II B.A Economics who secured two Gold Medals in Triple Jump in

State level and three Silver medals at the National level. She also has several other awards to

her credit.

The College organized the Madras University Inter Collegiate and Inter Zone tournaments in

Lawn Tennis. Thirty-five students of the College represented Madras University B Zone and

15 students were selected for Madras University.

Sixty students enrolled for the IAS Coaching classes which were held from July- December

2015.

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The Language Partnership Programme and Remedial Coaching classes have been held

through the year. These classes enable students to hone their linguistic skills and improve

academic proficiency.

The Stella Maris College Pathway Programme has helped students from the less privileged

sections of society to have improved access to employment opportunities.

Personal guidance for both academic and personal matters is made available to students

through the mentoring programme. Students affected by the floods of December 2015 were

greatly helped by their mentors through counselling. The mentors were instrumental in

identifying those in need of relief material.

The vibrant and dynamic Students’ Union organised a range of events and activities to enable

students to pursue their special interest in culture and performing arts, current affairs, and

writing. As part of the ‘Swachh Bharat’ initiative, the Students’ Union dedicated an entire

week in June, to promote a litter free campus. Other activities of the Union included the Club

Fair, Elementum 2015 the inter year cultural competitions in September 2015 and a Student

and Alumnae Entrepreneurs’ Day in February 2016. They also participated in the Chennai

Blind Walk at the Marina beach.

Students have continued to be very active in Club events. The first edition of the SMC

Intercollegiate Quiz was organized by the Quiz, Debate and Current Affairs Club in October

2015 with participation of 52 teams across schools and colleges in the city of Chennai. The

Stella Maris College Parliamentary Debate -IV recorded participation of 56 teams from

across the country. Members of the Quiz, Debate and Current Affairs Clubs won several

prizes in various competitions in which they participated.

Extension and outreach activities form an important aspect of the life of the campus

community. In October, another extension centre was inaugurated on Campus, to enable the

campus community to reach out to marginalised communities in the vicinity. The Stella

Maris Centre for Development of Resources for Inclusion and Vocational Enrichment

(SMCDRIVE), under the leadership of Sr. Susan offers education and support services for

children, women and the elderly from socially and economically backward communities in

the neighbourhood. A multi-disciplinary team is available on the third Saturday of the month

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to provide care, support and treatment in the field of mental health. Counselling services are

provided free of cost and has been utilized by many within and outside the College. Other

services at the Centre include alternative medicine, referral services and training in low-cost

nutrition and life–skills. An introductory Certificate Course in Counselling Skills in

collaboration with The Banyan was held in March 2016. Eighty-two participants attended the

course. The six month Lay Counselling Course will commence in June 2016.

The Extension Project Centre (SMCEPC) at Tirupachur village was rededicated to the

community with the construction of a new facility in 2013. Last year, as one of the first

initiatives at the Centre, under the National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM), a group of one

hundred Anganwadi teachers underwent training and took online exams conducted at the

National level in November 2015. An additional 100 teachers will complete training by the

end of March. I congratulate Sr. Susan and Dr. Sundari Krishnamurthy, the driving forces

behind this initiative.

The floods of November/December 2015 brought the College community together to render

assistance to the victims both within the college and in the neighbourhood. Relief material

was distributed to affected students, faculty and staff of the College, and five communities in

the vicinity. Faculty and students of the Department of Social Work collaborated with the

Chennai Corporation in the Mobile Medical Relief Camps in North Chennai after the floods.

A workshop on ‘Psychosocial Care and Support’ helped faculty prepare themselves to extend

support to students and others who experienced suffering and loss. The College continues to

be engaged in planning for long term development of communities affected by the floods.

Stella Maris College is listed among the top 10 users of the N-List Programme among

5013 registered colleges. This is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource

Development (MHRD) under the NME-ICT. The College has also become a member of

Bookshare, an online community that enables people with visual and other disabilities, share

and download scanned academic resources. Visually challenged students participated in a

two-day orientation session to help them use online resources effectively.

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Archivist Ms. Gita Balachandran presented a poster at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the

American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, held in Miami, Florida in

May 2015. The poster illustrated the herbal methods of preservation that are used at the

Stellarchives and explains its effectiveness. Several teams from institutions across the country

have visited the Archives to study the centre.

Four hundred and fifty students registered at the Career Guidance Cell during the campus

recruitment programme. Many students have already been placed in various multinational

companies.

The annual re-union of the Alumnae Association of Stella Maris College was held in October

2015. Thirteen Alumnae were felicitated for outstanding contribution in their respective

fields.

The College continues to reach out to needy and deserving students by providing financial

assistance. One thousand eight hundred and forty-six students received assistance through

scholarships amounting to one crore four lakhs forty two thousand nine hundred and thirty

eight rupees.

This year 10 students of the 2014-15 batch of the English Language and Life-skills

Programme under the leadership of Dr. Sr. Helen Vincent were admitted to various

undergraduate programmes in the College.

“SMART” – The Stella Maris Retired Teachers Association, our valued community of retired

professors organised several programmes to reconnect and relax. Their continued

involvement with Stella Maris speaks volumes of their dedication to the institution and to the

bonds of friendship which continue to grow stronger with the passage of time.

As I conclude this report, I look back with satisfaction at the many accomplishments of every

member of our College community. This year has been a challenging one for all of us

residents of Chennai, who experienced the torrential rains and floods that ravaged the city in

December 2015. I thank God for His continuing faithfulness and protection through that

difficult time.

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In our mission and commitment to higher education, we are grateful to many individuals who

support us, collaborate with us and work tirelessly to ensure the smooth functioning of our

day to day activities.

I take this opportunity to thank Sr. Leena D’Souza, Provincial, Sr. Susan, Secretary,

Sr. Christine, Superior and to all Sisters at Stella Maris Convent for their support and

encouragement.

I thank the members of the Governing Body & the Academic Council for their continued

support and valuable contributions to the growth of the institution.

I express my heartfelt thanks to the Vice Principals, Controller of Examinations, Academic

and Student Deans, the IQAC Co-ordinator, NSS Programme Officers, NCC Officer, the

Director of Physical Education, the Dean of Research, Director, SMCNC, the Public

Relations Officer, Heads of Departments and faculty members. My special thanks also to the

administrative and support staff, wardens of the hostels – Sr. Leony, Sr. Leema, Sr. Kamala

Philomena, Sr. Assumpta and Ms. Alice Rani for effective management of all day to day

affairs of the hostels.

I acknowledge the support and service extended to the College by the UGC, DBT, IFCU,

UBCHEA, the Department of Higher Education, Government of Tamil Nadu and the

University of Madras. I would also like to thank all our benefactors and well- wishers for

their support.

I thank you, dear parents for being here today to share our happiness as we celebrate our 69th

College day. We value your presence with us and look forward to your continued support in

all our endeavours. May the Star of the Sea shine on us now and always.

Thank you and God bless!