Union Christian College, Aluva

Union Christian College, Aluva
Motto The Truth shall make you free
Established 1921
Location Aluva, Kerala, India
Website www.uccollege.edu.in
UC College Aluva
Nameboard of UC College

The Union Christian College, Aluva (known as UC College) is an educational institution in Kerala, India. It is situated to the north of Aluva in Ernakulam District.

Founded in 1921 as a centre of Christian Higher Education, UC College is an inter-denominational cooperation venture among four major Kerala Christian denominations, Church of South India, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Mar Thoma Syrian Church, and Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church.

The college was affiliated to The Travancore University and is now affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.

Founders

Special Grade College affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University

Union Christian College Aluva was founded in 1921 as a premier centre of higher learning in Kerala, South India. The campus is located close to the banks of the river Periyar, five kilometers from Aluva city.

Union Christian College is the only centre of higher education in Kerala functioning on an ecumenical basis. The college is managed by an association of members drawn from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, the Malankara Marthoma Church, the Church of South India and the Inter Church Fellowship of the College. It became a congregating centre for a host of scholars, theologians and missionaries from the west. The list includes Canon W. E. S. Holland, Rev. L. W. Hooper, Rev. B. G. Crowley and Malcolm Muggeridge. The faculty of the early years was a balanced mix of Christian and non-Christian members. The college has maintained this secular structure to the present.

An A grade college

Union Christian College received A grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. In the history of India, UCC is the first college getting accredited in the third cycle (for the period of 2005-10 ). The NAAC team visited the campus on 16, 17 and 18 March 2011.

Features

The founder members of the College had as their ambition the instituting of a Christian College whose distinctive features were to be:

The college, at first entirely residential, has now on its rolls a larger number of day scholars than residents.

Mahatma Gandhi's visit

In 1925 Mahatma Gandhi visited the college and planted a mango tree. He wrote in the visitors book delighted with the ideal situation. The mango sapling is now flourishing in front of the administrative block

The tree planted by Gandhi in 1925

Motto and emblem

Emblem

The present emblem was adopted in 1939. The symbolism calls on the seekers after knowledge and truth to hold the torch, read the book and reap the harvest.

Motto

The college motto is The Truth shall make you free. This motto is drawn from a statement made by Jesus to the Jews: “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free”.

The Rigveda proclaims that ‘Truth is the support of the earth’. Buddha exhorts : ‘Hold to the truth within yourselves as to the only lamp’. The Quran declares that ‘God is truth’. To Gandhiji, the father of the nation, the whole of life was the pursuit of or experiments with truth. His life demonstrated to the world, although in a limited field, that the way of truth leads to freedom.

Mahaganitham

‘Mahaganitham’ is a sculpture commemorating the large mahogany tree that stood in front of the Cutcherry Malika. The tree was struck by lightning in 2002 and the remnants stand as ‘Mahaganitham’ near its original position. the ‘Mahaganitham’ represents the historic Mahogany tree and ‘Ganitham’, Mathematics, the queen of all sciences. Concepts like the Golden ratio and Fibonacci series are used in the design. More than a thousand mathematical entities and geometrical shapes are engraved in the sculpture. The five Platonic bodies - tetrahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron and icosahedron - are present in it. An iron bell, used during the early period of the college, is a part of the sculpture.

Buildings

Two major projects, the Golden Jubilee Block and C. P. Mathew Block have been completed. The new academic block named C.P. Mathew, Memorial Academic Block was dedicated on 17 September 2004. The building took its shape as an extension of the new Psychology Block built in 1994. Prof. C. P. Mathew, one of the founders of the college, was the bursar when the construction of the New Hostel was started in 1926. The hostel started functioning in 1928 with 46 students.

Mr. Gopalan Achari was instrumental in planning most of the old buildings including the chapel, Biology Block and Skinner Hostel. The block is now a wing of the College including the departments of Psychology, Zoology, Women's Cell, Computer Centre and other facilities.

Offices and facilities

Residential life

There are five hostels for women and one hostel for men.

Athletics and fitness

Facilities for all the major items of games and athletics are provided.

Campus ministry

Students have the opportunity to attend Value Education class from 9.30 to 10.15 a.m. on Fridays.

Chapel services

There is a Morning Worship at 9.10 a.m. on every working day of the College and a United Evening Worship at 6.45 p.m. every Sunday during term time in the College Chapel. Hymns and prayers from different faiths and religions are used during workships. Attendance at these services is not obligatory. Bible study circles hymn practice morning and evening workships are available.

The Students’ Christian Fellowship

The Students’ Christian Fellowship of the college is affiliated to the SCM of India. The activities of the SCF include weekly meetings (noon interval of Fridays), Bible classes, talks, discussions, camps, etc. Another programme is the carol service held in the chapel every December.

Inter Church Fellowship

The faculty belonging to Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, Syrian Jacobite Church, Church of South India and Marthoma Syrian Church form the Inter Church Fellowship. The members of ICF meet on Tuesdays at 3.30 p.m.

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Coordinates: 10°07′34″N 76°20′02″E / 10.1262°N 76.3340°E / 10.1262; 76.3340

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