Fr. Felix Raj, SJ, Principal and President of the St. Xavier's College Alumni Association presenting the Global Xaverian Award to Xaverian L.N Mittal on Saturday evening at British Museum, London in recognition of his global achievement in the presence of Jesuit Fathers, High Commissioner of India, 300 Alumni/ae and many distinguished guests.

April - June 2013  [ Vol. XVI  No. 2]  Earth Summit Issue  (new)

Address of His Excellency, Shri M. K. Narayanan, Governor of West Bengal, 31 July, 2010

A Painting and Photography Competition & Exhibition

Fr. J Felix Raj, SJ  in wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Raj

Click on these Youtube videos and share with friends:

 1) Prayas: College to Village and Village to College-SXC Novel Project, Fr Felix Raj 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MupmwZZiiv0

 2) SPIRITUALITY FOR LEADERSHIP: A TALK BY Fr Felix Raj S.J.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-KkDuoZJU4

 3) A Film on St. Xavier's College-Principal, Rev. Dr. Fr J Felix Raj S.J. 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp6wq-gx1k4

XAVERIANS CONGREGATE AT LONDON

Xaverians will congregate at London on May 17th - 19th 2013 for the fourth global convention. Fr. Felix Raj, SJ, Principal and President of the SXCCAA will be present at the convention. He invites Xaverians from around the world to attend this convention.

Book on  ‘Disinvestment in India Trends, Problems and Prospects’

by Dr. J Felix Raj

The book, Disinvestment in India: Trends, Problems and Prospects focuses on economic reforms and resulting disinvestment of public sector enterprises (PSE) in India. The book quite lucidly analyses the pre and post disinvestment performance of the PSEs in terms of efficiency analysis and many other indicators. Starting from the conceptual framework of Development through the Public Sector enterprises from a historical point of view the book enlightens on to the LPG model implemented in nineties.The most important aspect of the book is to take into consideration the effects of disinvestment of public sector enterprises in the various spheres of the economy, viz. employment, income, poverty, etc.

Fr. J. Felix Raj, S.J. is the Principal and Former Rector of St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata. He is currently the Vice-President, Bengal Economic Association (Bangiya Arthaniti Parishad). Dr. Felix Raj is an well known writer and has presented papers in many national and international conferences. 

Copies are available: At Goethals Library, St. Xavier’s College (Discount Price of Rs 1240/-)
Copies are also available from the Publishers: Regal Publishers, F-159, Rajouri Gardens, New Delhi.

SXCCAA AUSTRALIA CHAPTER LAUNCHED
Australia Chapter of the St. Xavier’s College Kolkata Alumni Association was launched on Saturday, 3rd November 2012 at the central auditorium of the university of New South Wales, Sydney, by Fr. J. Felix Raj, SJ, Principal of St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata in the presence of about 100 Alumni/ae and two MPs, Mr. Kunal Ghosh and Mr. Nadimul Haque.

Fr. Felix Raj, who is also the president of (SXCCAA) spoke at length and presented the future vision and mission of the Alma Mater. He thanked the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee for the allocation of 17 acres of land at Rajarhat and her offer to upgrade St. Xavier’s College to St. Xavier’s University.
A small organizing committee has been formed to take forward the Australian Chapter. The Australian Xaverians discussed with Fr. Raj about the possibility of exchange between St. Xavier’s College and Australian universities.
Fr. Raj and the Secretary of the Association, Mr. F. Hasan also met a group of Xaverians in Melbourne on Sunday, 4th November. He exhorted them first to build the network and strengthen the data base of Xaverians working and studying in Australia. The Australia Chapter is the 7th international chapter of the SXCCAA.

The next chapter to be launched by SXCCAA is the Canadian Chapter in July 2013. Fr. Raj will lead a team of Alumni members to Canada. He will also meet the Xaverians in New York.

Jesuit Higher Education Meeting:

The Annual Jesuit Higher Education Meeting was held on October 12-14 at Dhyan Ashram, Konchowki, Dimond Harbour Road. Sixty Jesuit College Principals and Higher Education Coordinators attended the meeting. St. Xavier's College, Kolkata organized the Meeting this year. The inaugural address was given by Prof. Suranjan Das, Vice Chancellor, University of Calcutta on “Higher Education in the XII Plan”.

Fr. Xavier Savarimuthu made a beautiful presentation on international ecological project. Fr. Principal thanks the SXC Alumni Association particularly Mr. F. Hasan, Mr. Ravi Kasat and Ajay Mimani for the wonderful hospitality and service extended to the members The next year meeting JHESA will be held in Trivandrum, Kerala.

St. Xavier’s University:

Fr. Felix Raj, SJ along with Prof. Ashis Mitra, Member Secretary, Academic Council and Mr. F. Hasan, Hon. Secretary, St. Xavier’s College Alumni Association submitted a proposal for St. Xavier’s upgradation to a university to Mr. Bratya Basu, the Higher Education Minister on October 18.

During St. Xavier’s convocation ceremony on January 20, Chief Guest Mamata Banerjee had urged the institution to submit an upgrade proposal. The proposal submitted on Thursday justifies the need for a St. Xavier's university and elaborates on academic and administrative plans.

The ball was set rolling on the proposal with the appointment of a think tank with principal Felix Raj as convener. Calcutta University vice-chancellor Suranjan Das, industrialist and Xaverian Sanjiv Goenka, Fr. George Ponodath, the Rector, Xaverian Snehasis Sur and two senior teachers were part of the think tank. The governing body of the college recently approved the proposal.

Apart from expanding undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, the university will start PhD programmes. It also has plans for starting an engineering institute and a business school.
If upgraded, St. Xavier's will be the first Jesuit University in India. The Jesuits run 46 university colleges in the country.

St. Xavier’s Alumni Chapter in Bangladesh
The Alumni Association of St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata has opened yet another international chapter closer home in Dhaka. This is the fifth international chapter of the Association after Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok and London.
The Principal of the College and President of the Alumni Association, Father Felix Raj, SJ, inaugurated the new chapter at Gulshan Club in Dhaka last Friday, February 26. Fr. Raj has appointed a local team headed by Manzur Elahi who had graduated from Xavier’s in 1962.
“It was great to see over 60 Xavierians gather together at the inaugural programme”, said Firdausal Hasan, the honorary secretary of the Alumni Association. The function started with readings from the Bible, Bhagavad Gita and Koran. Xaverian Elahi in his speech remembered his old days and called for a strong chapter in Bangladesh.
Fr. Raj, in his address, thanked the Xaverians in Bangladesh and invited them to involve themselves in building their alma mater. He asked for their active participation in Jesuit mission in Bangladesh.
There was a musical performance and the evening ended with a fellowship dinner attended by around 100 guests including spouses of the Xaverians. Around 8 Jesuit priests of Bangladesh including Bishop emeritus of Baruipur, Linus Gomes had joined the programme.
“ The inauguration was well organised. It was very cordial and the spirit of ‘Nihil Ultra’ was thriving. We look forward to active participation from the Bangladesh chapter and hope that it will further the cause of education”, said Father Felix Raj.
The Principal took time off during his visit to explore the possibilities of academic exchange with Notre Dame College, Dhaka run by Holy Cross Fathers and of Setting up a St. Xavier’s College in Bangladesh. “Further study and planning is required before drawing up a proposal of a college for approval”, said Father Raj.

St Xavier's College Kolkata applies for university status

KOLKATA: St Xavier's College on Thursday submitted an application to chief minister Mamata Banerjee for upgrading the institution to a university. A copy of the application was also forwarded to state education minister Bratya Basu. If things go according to plan, the college will become a unitary university before the end of this year.

A three-part dossier, submitted with the application, has just been readied by the "think tank" of the college. The college, in its application, has said that it does not want just a private status. Instead, the new university would be a minority-run private university, fully aided by the state government.

At the convocation of the autonomous college in January this year, the CM had advised the college to apply for an upgrade. She was also given a honorary membership of the college alumni association. Since then, she had taken an interest in the college and allotted a 16-acre plot at Rajarhat for its expansion.

At the moment, the autonomous college affiliated to Calcutta University receives a grant for one-third of its expenses. The document appeals to the state to increase that grant when the college is upgraded to a university. A financial statement, giving details of the present expenses of the institution and the projected expenses post expansion, forms an integral part of the document. "We have submitted our application and the CM has assured us that she would speed up the process," Father Felix Raj, principal of the college said.

The dossier sums up how the Rajarhat campus will have a management school, an engineering college and a research hub for both pure and social sciences. "While the BBA course will still be run by us, for MBA we will tie up with both XLRI and XIMB. Similarly, for our engineering school, we will tie up with Loyola College Chennai, St Joseph's Bangalore and St Xavier's Mumbai," Father Raj added. The three part dossier has been divided into context, college profile and university proposal.

-Courtesy Times of  India

Fr. Felix Raj, SJ, visited the University of Namur, acultes Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix (FUNDP), Belgium with 7000 students. He visited all faculties of the University. He addressed the faculty members and students of the university on Oct. 7 on “India and its Growing Economy- prospects and problems”.
The program was organized by FUCID, an NGO in Namur. Fr. Raj met the President of the university, Yves Poullet and signed a MoU to collaborate with University of Namur on academic advancement. The MoU is for exchange of faculty and students for five year period for study and research.

Rev. Fr. P. Felix Raj, SJ, Principal, of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata was on a week long visit October 4 to 9 to the university of Namur, Facultes Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix (FUNDP), Belgium, a 400 hundred year old Jesuit university in Europe with 7000 students and 500 faculty. He visited all faculties of the University. He addressed the faculty members and students of the university on Oct. 7 on "India and its Growing Economy- prospects and problems". After 45 minutes talk, there was an interactive session with students. The talk created a lot of awareness and interest about India. The program was organised by FUCID, an NGO in Namur. Father Raj also met the three Indian students doing research in chemistry funded by Namur university. After the well appreciated presentation, Fr. Raj met the President of the university, Yves Poullet and signed a MoU to collaborate with University of Namur on academic advancement. The MoU is for exchange of faculty and students for five year period for study and research. It is a collaborative move between two Belgian founded institutions. St. Xavier's, Kolkata was founded by Belgian Jesuits in 1860. The Belgian History is one of the reasons why Fr. Raj visited Namur. He said Namur University is very positive and welcoming collaboration. Father Raj will meet Jesuit Fathers Raymond pilette , Louis Hinq and Paul Dettienne in Brussels who returned to Belgium after working at St. Xavier's for many years. Fr. Raj moves on to London from Namur to inaugurate the St. Xavier's College (Calcutta) Alumni Chapter in London and to meet Arcellor LN Mittal, an alumnus on Oct. 22nd.

Third specialization to its physics postgraduate course in collaboration with Bose Institute
St. Xavier’s College has added a third specialization to its physics postgraduate course in collaboration with Bose Institute, widening the ambit of higher education in a state short of options for meritorious students. The MoU was signed by Fr. Felix Raj and Dr. Shibaji Raha on

The new MSc course in solid-state electronics is an extension of the Mother Teresa Sarani institution’s four-year collaboration with the renowned Bose Institute, a beehive of research for nine decades.

“Our partnership with Bose Institute (since 2007) has been very fruitful. So we wanted to expand the collaboration,” Father Felix Raj, the principal of the college, said.

Students pursuing an MSc in physics at St. Xavier’s have so far had a choice of astro-particle physics and space sciences for specialization. Solid state electronics, which makes its debut this academic year, is a stream in applied physics that deals with circuits or devices built entirely from solid materials. Common solid-state devices include transistors and microprocessor chips.

“Students with specialization in solid state physics get a head start both in frontline research and in technology-driven fields. They are groomed for academics as well as industry,” said Shibaji Raha, the director of Bose Institute.

The new physics course will have a batch of 22, of which 18 will be picked by the St. Xavier’s management and four by a selection panel from Bose Institute. The course starts in July with a monthly fee of Rs 1,400.

Bengal’s unflattering record in research is blamed mostly on lack of adequate options at home for students wanting to pursue higher education in the applied sciences.

“Our aim is to improve higher education in Calcutta and efforts like this are needed to fulfil that objective,” Father Felix Raj said.

St. Xavier’s will be responsible for drawing up the course structure and providing the faculty. Bose Institute will bring to the collaboration its professors, provide the use of its library to students and offer some special classes and research opportunities.

“We have decided to offer two full scholarships to needy students along with concessions based on needs and performance,” the principal said.

The college, the first private educational institution in the state to be granted autonomy, intends renovating its observatory and open it to the public, especially students.

“We are going to collaborate with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune for the renovation,” Father Felix Raj said.

Calcutta University also has a tie-up with Bose Institute, but St Xavier’s is the only college in Bengal to collaborate with it.

“Our aim is to prepare and encourage students for further research. It is always better to catch them young,” director Raha said.

The Minister for North Bengal met Fr. Felix Raj on June 14 on the advice of the CM. The discussion between the two centered on starting a center of excellence like Kolkata St. Xavier’s. Fr. Felix Raj assured the Minister all possible help. He spoke to Mr. Deb about the two Jesuit Colleges in NB and suggested making both of them as centers of excellence. Fr. Felix Raj took this matter further in his meeting on June 15 with Prof. Bratya Basu, the Higher Edication Minister. There will be a meeting of the two Ministers and the two Principals, Fr. Felix Raj and Fr. Cherian Padiyera of North Bengal St. Xavier’s College soon.