Over the last nine decades, the contributions of Loyola College to higher education has been highly influential and remarkable as a pioneer in the field of education that has created an avalanche of innovative and best practices for other educational institutions to inspire and emulate. 

 

1. Educational Policies and Autonomy

In 1978, Loyola was one of the first eight colleges to receive autonomous status which helped the college to uphold its educational policies concerning admissions that aim at providing University Education in a Christian atmosphere for deserving students, especially for Catholics, Dalits and the underserved sections of the society. 

 

2. Pioneering Programs 

Loyola has been known for its path-breaking ventures like bringing forth some innovative programs and courses that have inspired many institutions to adopt them into their teaching and learning environment. 

 

2.1. Visual Communication Program

One of the flagship programmes of the college and the only one of its kind that emerged as a precursor in the 1970s was the two-year Diploma in Visual Communication offered by Loyola Institute of Visual Communication (LIVCOM) as an evening program. Owing to the remarkable recognition from the media industry, the college started a full-fledged Degree in Visual Communication in 1989. 

 

2.2. Foundation Course

Emphasizing the Ignatian pedagogy and spirituality, the Foundation Course was designed to inculcate values in the future leaders of our nation. The program is run by an exclusive academic unit, the School of Human Excellence (SHE), committed to guiding students in their values-centred pursuit of becoming men and women for and with others in society. 

 

3. Research and Innovation

Loyola has a strong research culture. It is the only Arts and Science College which figured in Current Science magazine for research contributions to national development. Loyola is the only Arts and Science College in India to be recognized as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India. 

 

4. Student Support Services

A very significant contribution that Loyola College makes to higher education and society is the avalanche of Good Samaritan services it renders to the student community.  

 

4.1. Resource Centre for Differently-Abled (RCDA)

Loyola College has set a trend nationally in stepping first to help the differently-abled students. There is an exclusive facility, Resource Centre for the Differently Abled (RCDA), established with the fund received from UGC-HEPSN and the National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH), Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment, Government of India. RCDA was chosen to serve as the Model Resource Centre of Disability Services (MRCDS), the first of its kind in the nation to fulfil the needs of the Differently-Abled students with specialized digital devices and resources.

 

4.2. Loyola Students Support Services (LSSS)

An exclusive service unit, LSSS, was established to offer academic, financial and personal support services, such as Scholarships, Management Concession, Free Noon Meal, Special English Program, Supplementary Education, Special Coaching, Remedial Programmes, Personality Development through Life Skills, Art and Literature and a Special Assistance to Foreign Students. One of its chief focus is empowering students from marginalized section of the society especially, the Dalits, to face the challenges in life with dignity.

 

4.3.Counselling

Loyola pays a great deal of attention towards personal and mental wellbeing of the students through counselling which is predominantly carried out by AURA, the Centre for Counselling at the college. Loyola is proud to be a pioneer among educational institutes that have professional counsellors serving fulltime to attend to the needs and problems of the students at their intrapersonal, interpersonal and social levels.

 

4.4. Mentoring

Loyola has a staunch commitment to moulding the students through academic mentoring. The Academic Staff are trained exclusively to handhold the young aspirants as their mentors to guide, support and sort out the academic and personal issues and help them complete their studies successfully.

 

4.5. Financial Supports

Loyola offers a tremendous financial support to economically disadvantaged students. Every semester, the college management provides fee concession through Jesuit Educational Support (JES) to students from poor families. In 2018-19, the college has issued around 1.60 crore rupees as a management fee concession to 2600 students.

 

5. Reaching out to the Neighbourhood

One of the best practices for which Loyola has been well-known in the national higher educational arena is the effort constantly made to reach out to the local community in total humanitarian service.

 

5.1. Loyola FM 107.4

The college had ventured into an exceptional service by establishing Loyola FM 107.4, a community radio frequency over a radius of 15 km. Through Loyola Community Radio, the college addresses various issues related to the neighbourhood airing a variety of special programs for Transgender, gipsies, widows, visually challenged, street vendors, slum dwellers, auto drivers, etc. 

 

5.2. Loyola Rain Relief Service (LRRS)

Another very unique service that has set trend among educational institutes across the country is establishing LRRS during the November 2015 rain, which initiated to provide the rain-affected people living in the slum areas of the city of Chennai with food materials and clothes. Loyola Rain Relief Services had 30 staff, and 250 energetic student volunteers, and a medical team consisting of 8 doctors offering medical treatment to nearly 1750 flood victims housed in Loyola premises. Through LRRS, a rain relief camp was initiated for Post Graduate students to offer their service to rain-affected areas especially the Gaja cyclone-hit areas in November 2018. 

 

5.3.Outreach Program

Another exceptional venture of the college is pioneering in community service through the Outreach Program that functions under the School of Service Learning. The college had taken up around 50 slums (urban villages or sub-standard settlements) around the college campus falling under the zones 5, 7 and 8 of the Chennai Corporation. The UG students are required to complete 120 hours of community service and PG students visit villages and experience life at the grassroots level to prepare themselves to serve these underserved people in their future. 

 

Since 1925, Loyola College has been making impactful contributions to the economic growth of the country, formation of the brilliant minds, and shaping the young leaders of tomorrow in alignment with the motto of the college forming men and women in service of others.