About Stella Maris College, Chennai
Stella Maris College, founded on 15 August 1947 is an institution of higher education for women in Chennai, India. The College is a Catholic minority institution established and run by the Society of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM), a religious congregation founded by Blessed Mary of the Passion (Helene de Chappotin) in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu in 1877. The initiatives of the College arise from a sound philosophy of life based on faith in God and the contemporary reality of a pluralistic Indian society that is challenged by global ideologies and cultures.
Stella Maris was granted permanent recognition in 1951. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras and is partly residential.
Beginning in a small one-storey building on 15 August 1947, with an enrollment of 32 students in Santhome, Mylapore, Stella Maris College, relocated to its present campus later in 1960. In ‘The Cloisters’ on Cathedral Road, Chennai, the college has at present over 5,500 students from diverse communities, backgrounds and nations, housed in large buildings on the campus.
Additionally, it was the first women's college in Madras to offer M.A. degree courses in English, Economics, and Fine Arts. The following few decades saw tremendous growth and development in the college with several firsts and distinctions. The college was one of the few chosen to start the pilot project of the National Service Scheme in 1968. A spacious library was erected on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the college in 1972 and occupies a place of pride on the campus as well as in Chennai.
From 1978 onwards there was a shift in the admission policy, keeping in mind the thrust of the college towards social justice. Becoming conscious of the growing need for academic freedom, the college became Autonomous in 1987 and has 19 Undergraduate and 12 Postgraduate programs. Research programs such as M.Phil., PhD, and Postgraduate Diploma courses are also part of the academic curriculum.
The 1990s saw the college offering several new job-oriented courses as well as additional sections for the departments of B.Com. and Mathematics. On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee, the St. Clare's Centre - a four-story building that houses the Administrative offices, an Audio-Visual room, Computer Laboratories, and several Classrooms - was erected. With ten years of experiential learning processes behind it, the college restructured its system of education by introducing a credit-based system in 1997, offering many new academic programmes that encourage interdisciplinary associations.
Coaching for the civil services exams was launched in November 2009. Stella Maris also conducts coaching classes for both faculty and students who are preparing to appear for the NET and SLET exams.
As of 2014, the college has undertaken around twelve environmental initiatives including light-emitting diode cluster lights, solar-powered streetlights, source segregation, vermi-composting, and waste water recycling plant. In January 2014, the college opted for green energy with the installation of a 50-kilo watt roof-top solar power plant on its campus. The plant, installed by Omega Natural Polarity Private Limited at a cost of several million, has 200 solar panels and caters to six percent of the total power requirement on the campus, powering lights and fans in the college.
Stella Maris College has the unique credit of having initiated Bachelor's degrees in Western Music and History of Fine Arts, as well as Master's degrees in Social Work and Indian Music. The college is recognized as an ‘A’ Grade college by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Stella Maris College aims to promote education and empower women to face the challenges of life with courage. In 2021, the college has been ranked 58th in the college category by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) while, in 2020, the college was ranked at 64th in the same category.
The vision of the college is to build a vibrant and inclusive learning community in a Culture of Excellence sustained by a Sound Value System that promotes responsible citizenship and effects social change.
Stella Maris College is on a mission to empower young women to face the challenges of life with Courage and Commitment, to be builders of a Humane and a just Society, and to promote a learning community in which everyone feel part of the collaborative high quality educational process which is value-based and leads to holistic growth.
The college is committed to serving the economically and socially marginalized sections of society and provides University education in a Christian atmosphere for students, especially those belonging to the Catholic community. Admission is open to all, irrespective of caste and creed, and their rights of conscience are respected. In keeping with its mission, the College promotes inclusive practices in the implementation of its academic programs, taking into account learning differences and the special needs of the differently-abled. In seeking to mould women of character who will be self-reliant and work towards social transformation, the College has established an educational road map that provides a framework for quality education and stimuli for lifetime learning.
A Student-centric, participatory Teaching-learning-evaluation system assures the students of optimal educational benefits. The College is at the forefront of higher education in India by balancing its commitment to academic excellence with emphasis on all-round development of students. Offering courses in traditional Arts and Science courses and in emerging areas such as International Studies, Information Technology, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, the curriculum promotes National Development, fosters Global Competencies and facilitates Skills training to meet the challenges of a competitive workplace.
Running parallel with the nation's trajectory towards self-hood and development, Stella Maris College has evolved into an Institution of repute, serving national, regional and local needs.
It has five hostels – Snehalaya, Our Lady's, Klemens, St. Josephs and Nava Nirmana.
