The Higher Education Review

The Principal and Head, Department of Psychology, Hislop College, Dr. Christian, has an extensive 39 years of teaching experience. She is also a trained Counsellor and Certified Soft Skills trainer from All India Association of Christian Higher Education and has conducted workshops and seminars for school teachers, youth groups, professional bodies, corporate and Government organizations on Gender Sensitization, Leadership, Group Dynamics, Personality Development, Time-Management, and many more. She has presented research papers at several national and International conferences. She was conferred the Best Principal Award by AICHE, New Delhi in 2017.

Named after the visionary Rev. Stephen Hislop, and known as the oldest and most venerable Institution in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Hislop College holds the legacy of existing in the education arena for over 135 years now. Rev. Stephen Hislop, who was an iconic educationist and a keen geologist, had initiated a boy's school in Nagpur with the motive of making quality education accessible to the people of the region, including tribal and marginalized communities. In the later years, his dream took the shape of a college, Hislop College- one of the finest institutions of higher education in Central India hosting over 4000 students. Run by the Hislop Education Society under the aegis of the Church of North India Synod, the College in the 2017-18 academic years has celebrated the Bicentennial Birth Anniversary of its founder, Rev. Stephen Hislop, marking his valuable contribution in uplifting the education quotient of the region.

Taking a progressive move, the College, started to enroll girl students since 1941. "Over the years, the College has achieved matchless milestones in terms of fostering academic excellence. Given this, in 2016 UGC has granted Heritage Status to our college along with been adjudged the honor of Best College by Nagpur University and ‘A' Grade reaccreditation by NAAC," shares Dr. Dipti R. Christian, Principal & Head, Department of Psychology, Hislop College.

The College today runs 5 UG, 11 post-graduate courses, 10 Ph.D. programmes under 21 departments in its campus that comprises state-of-the-art facilities. "We also offer a number of diploma and certificate courses to the students. In fact, Hislop College is the only college in Nagpur University that offers Certificate Course in Heritage Studies & Conservation and Human Values," pinpoints Dr. Christian. Termed popularly as ‘The Most Happening' college in the city, Hislop College promises its students an exciting and memorable campus life.

"Owing to the widespread recognition of Hislop College, the graduates get a distinctive edge in the job market coupled with the key to doors of limitless opportunities"

Dr. Christian claims, "We believe in providing to our students a holistic education where academics is perfectly combined with a wonderful range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities." The College organizes ten mega annual events throughout the year keeping the campus vibrant and captivating. The inter-collegiate fest, the Athena Fest, witnesses the presence and participation of students from most colleges in and around Nagpur. The unique factor about this event is that it is entirely planned and executed by the students, inculcating in them a range of skill sets- from leadership to team bonding. "Sports has been one of the strengths of our college. We have bagged the Best Sporting College Award a multiple times," adds Dr. Christian. The campus is filled with ample positive vibes and a sense of active participation by allowing students to express themselves freely and creatively through multiple forums, associations like the Athenaeum, Centre for Performing Arts, Rotaract Club and many more. The Annual Flower Show, now in its 15th edition, is a showcase event displaying 20,000 flowers and plants and attracting tremendous footfalls from the general public.

Leading the Way

The College has produced a host of notable alumni including Padma Shri Baba Amte, Rajkumar Hirani, one of the critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hindi film industry and Ashis Nandy, a famous political psychologist and social theorist to name a few. "We take immense pride while naming our alumni which encompasses distinguished politicians, academicians, scientists, journalists, and so on. As a Hislopian our students not only carry the reputation of the college

but also get benefitted from the networks of illustrious alumni through the alumni association of the college-HISCAAN," opines Dr. Christian. Owing to the widespread recognition of the College, the graduates get a distinctive edge in the job market coupled with the key to doors of limitless opportunities.

For ensuring that the students are trained in 21st century skills, the College has established a Skill Development Centre that conducts workshops on work skills and transferable skills. It also leverages with the alumni to arrange industry interactions, industrial visits, and internships. "Hislop College is the only non-technical college in the city to have an academic-industry linkage with Tata Consultancy Services, Bengaluru, and on account of this collaboration we offer employment ready courses like Campus to Corporate and Finance and Accounting," proudly says Dr. Christian. The College likewise boasts of associations with first-rate companies such as HCL Limited, Ankur Seeds, and many more. In order to bring in the best possible placement opportunities for the outgoing students, the College's Training & Placement Cell works round the clock by welcoming top companies like Infosys, IBM, HCL, TCS and so on, for the recruitment prospects and placing students in the organization which suits their respective career goals.

The faculty members of the College, which tirelessly puts emphasis on rendering outcome-oriented education by adopting the modern teaching technologies, are given substantial scope and encouragement by the management of the College to undertake several major and minor research projects funded by National agencies. Giving research a paramount importance, the College has incorporated 10 recognized research centers across all three streams, where nearly 50 research scholars work under 40 guides. "Providing emotional and moral support, student mentoring and counseling are some of the points that our faculty members look after whilst shaping the students' careers. However, on the note of our future plan, we are resolute to apply for autonomy and for that, we have already started the process and are hoping to gain the autonomous status from the statutory authorities real soon," concludes Dr. Christian.