Sophia College For Women , Cumballa Hill , Mumbai

Sophia College (autonomous), founded in 1940, is affiliated to the University of Mumbai. The Governing Body of the Society for the Higher Education of Women in India runs the College. The Religious Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and lay staff form the staff of the College.The Society of the Sacred Heart was founded in France in 1800, by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat. It is dedicated mainly to the all-round education of youth. There are now a number of schools and colleges of the Society all over the world, besides widespread innovative non-formal involvements. According to a long-standing tradition, the staff takes a personal interest in the harmonious growth of each student entrusted to their care. Sophia College (autonomous) is a Christian Minority Institution. Students of all denominations are welcome. The main goal of Sophia is the relentless search for Wisdom, through an education that is holistic and transformative. Institutional Distinctiveness A core principle of the college is the persistent search for wisdom, through a comprehensive education system that is relevant for the present as well as the future. Sophia College with its sprawling, and beautiful campus with rich diversity, sufficiently motivates one to engage with, appreciate and benefit from its galaxy of empowering attributes. An effort to get involved with the overall growth and well-being of our students is the purpose that we strive towards; this being one means by which our educational vision is taken forward. Its our hope that through the varied assets of experiences here in Sophia College, everyone will find meaning, and that their lives may be positively transformed. Dynamic campus experiences that call for healthy and enriching lifestyle would be one of our priorities. We will certainly adapt to changing situations. There will be scope for blended learning, and self-learning with support from teaching staff, experts and through various e-resources. Plans related to these will also continuously evolve; much depending on specific situations prevailing in India, Maharashtra and more specifically, in our city Mumbai. Being a women’s college at the outset, Sophia College focuses more on the overall development and transformation of women to the rediscovery of their fuller potential through the holistic education that they engage in here. The best means for empowerment of women, we think, is to educate the young minds in our society especially the women themselves which enable them to transcend and outgrow the patriarchal and restrictive frames of our society. With this view, our college, through various activities like webinars, conferences, discussion forums, artistic, cultural, and theatre events provide adequate structures for students to explore their possibilities and grow beyond the gender restrictions and find themselves as individuals. Thus, we stand for wisdom that leads to discretionary ability to discern and decide between the proper and the improper. Milestones in the History of Our College During its 80 years Sophia has been committed to responding to the changing needs of women in our society: During the 1940s, the period of the Freedom Struggle and the early years of Independence, the College focussed on Home Science as well as on the Arts and the Humanities. Stress was also laid on inculcating pride in our national identity. (The motto of this College, Urdhva Mula, and the crest highlight this). In the 1950s, as post-independent India was making her entry into the technological world, education in Science was first introduced (initially up to the Inter Science level and from 1967 up to the B.Sc. level, later extended to the M.Sc. level in three subjects). In the 1960s a thrust was given to the social dimension of education. During the 1970s importance was given to vocational education. In the 1980s research was given a boost. Excellence and ‘Quality Assurance' were the in-words in the 1990s. In the first two decades of the 21st Century our focus is on transformative education through networking and collaboration as well as through outreach work and extension of educational services to the community with special emphasis on the needs of women. Through it all, our commitment to women’s empowerment, to excellence and to integrity have grown deeper and stronger. Down the corridors of time A brief history of the Sophia College (autonomous) The campus and land in the vicinity belonged to the erstwhile East India Company. A part of the vast property was given to the Parsi family of Ashburner in the early 19th Century The main building was named SOMERSET HOUSE after Sir Henry Somerset one of the Commanders-in-chief of the Bombay Presidency. 1800 –The Society of the Sacred Heart is founded by Madeleine Sophie Barat. 1882 – The property was acquired by the Honorable Badruddin Tyabi. He built Somerset Annexe the nucleus of the present science building. 1917 – Mr. Hormusji Nosherwanjee Vakeel bought the property and added the east-west wing. 1923 – The house was purchased by the Maharaja of Indore, who used it as a winter residence. 1937 – The Maharaja of Bhavnagar bought the house. 1939 – His Grace Archbishop Roberts S. J. of Bombay invites the Sacred Heart nuns to start a women's college in Bombay. 1940 – The Society of the Sacred Heart bought the Somerset House, Somerset Annexe, some out-houses and the grounds. 1940 – The Home and Social Culture centre is formally declared open by His Grace Archbishop Roberts and the name Sophia College (autonomous) (AUTONOMOUS) is adopted; Mother Andersson is the first principal. 1941 – The ARTS FACULTY is started. The University of Bombay grants temporary affiliation to the college for First year and Intermediate classes. 1942 – Extension of affiliation is granted for Bachelor of Arts classes. 1945 – Sophia motto, crest and colours adopted. 1950 – The University of Bombay grants permanent affiliation to the college. 1952 – THE SCIENCE FACULTY is started with classes upto the Intermediate Science level. 1966 – THE SILVER JUBILEE YEAR : The Intermediate Science course is extended upto the Bachelor of Science degree 1975 – Junior college is introduced. 1978 – The Post graduate Diploma Course in Clinical Analysis is started. 1990-91 – THE GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAR 1993 – The Post graduate Diploma course in Quality Assurance in the Food and Pharmaceutical Industries is introduced. 2001 – The Sophia Centre for Women's Studies and Development is inaugurated. 2003 – The Bachelor of MASS MEDIA Course is introduced. 2011 - Certificate Course in Bioinformatics is introduced. 2011 - PhD Programme in Applied Biology is introduced. 2013 - Bachelor of Science - Information Technology is introduced. 2018 – College was granted status of Autonomy.