The University of Manitoba

St Xavier’s College in Calcutta will now widen our horizon by joining hands with the University of Manitoba in Canada to take on several academic projects together. “The University of Manitoba has been considering a collaboration with St Xavier’s for almost ten years. However, it was only when St Xavier’s was granted autonomy that they gained the flexibility to engage in meaningful collaboration,” says Professor Michael Trevan, dean of agriculture and food sciences at the University of Manitoba. “Initially, the topics chosen for collaboration are biotechnology, plant biotechnology and microbiology, especially food microbiology,” reveals Trevan.

The partnership has been etched in stone with the signing of the MoU. “We have a lot of planning to do, but it is likely that among the first events will be short-term staff exchanges, so that the academic staff become familiar with the processes and ethos of each others’ institutions. Student exchanges could begin as early as the next academic year,” says Trevan.

“The details of the exchange scheme will develop over time. We have discussed, in principle, the exchange of students for a term of study, shorter visits, and collaborative academic programmes,” says Trevan. The number of students for an exchange programme is under discussion but in the first stage, roughly five students accompanied by one teacher will be visiting Manitoba.

St Xavier’s offers a three-year BSc in microbiology and a five-year integrated MSc course in biotechnology. “It has been decided to pool in resources to yield the maximum benefit in academic schemes for students in both the institutions. We are discussing the probability of students’ expenses being met by the respective institutions,” says Father P.C. Mathew, principal of St Xavier’s College. Mathew is visiting Manitoba in April to work out the nitty-gritty of further co-operation.

Officials of the University of Manitoba have looked at the syllabus offered at St Xavier’s and believe it is at par with international standards. “The University of Manitoba representatives have been very impressed with the fact that while teachers in the West use powerpoint presentations to teach students, so much has been achieved here by the simple ingredients of ‘chalk and talk’,” says Arup Kumar Mitra, head of the department of microbiology at St Xavier’s.

Mitra mentions that the collaboration between St Xavier’s and the University of Manitoba would strengthen the principle of “blended learning” as students would learn and interact via the Internet. “Web learning would be incorporated as a teaching tool in such a process,” adds Mitra.

The University of Manitoba has a wide range of scholarships available and students of St Xavier’s would have an edge in competing for these financial grants. “My faculty of agricultural and food sciences dispenses over $250,000 annually in scholarships and bursaries to undergraduate and graduate students. The university has a programme of graduate fellowships based solely on merit,” reveals Trevan.

According to Mitra, students at St Xavier’s are at an advantage because they are constantly polishing their scientific skills in India by presenting papers at the Indian Science Congress. “Such high-level participation by our students also opens up a possibility for joint research schemes,” he states.

One important area that is being considered for a joint undertaking is that of seasonal crop cycles in agriculture. Whereas crops can only grow for three months in Manitoba due to snowfall for most of the year, the fertile period for crop generation in India is almost throughout the year.

“This aspect makes it possible for the two institutes to look into technology that could be applied to developing agricultural methods for better crop production,” says Father Mathew.

Students at St Xavier’s are very excited about the new development. “I think that the proposed deal is great since we would be able to utilise the modern equipment that is available in Canada,” says Ritama Gupta, a first year microbiology student. “Any interaction is always beneficial.”

Gupta is keen on doing her masters at the University of Manitoba and feels that studying at St Xavier’s would improve her chances of getting admission there. “Recently a University of Manitoba official visited our college and it was a wonderful experience interacting with her,” she enthuses.

The opportunity to visit Canada will also encourage students to do their best academically. “We will be monitored regularly here for our stint in Canada and since a lot of students want to go abroad, this understanding with the University of Manitoba would act as an incentive for us to excel in our studies,” says Arya Gupta, a student of microbiology.

Both the institutes are upbeat about the strategic alliance and the partnership could be extended in the future to include subjects like computer science, concludes a proud Father Mathew.