Senate of Serampore College (University)

The Senate of Serampore College (University) is an ecumenical regulatory and affiliating body for Christian theological education, which works in partnership with Bible colleges, seminaries and theological research institutes in the Indian subcontinent that comply with its regulations and standards. The college was founded by the Baptist missionaries Joshua Marshman, William Carey and William Ward (the Serampore trio), to give an education in arts and sciences to students of every "caste, colour, creed or country" and to train a ministry for the growing Church in India. It is located in Serampore in West Bengal, India. Serampore was granted the status of university by King Frederick VI of Denmark in 1829.^[1]

Senate of Serampore College (University)

Latin: Serampore senatum collegium (academia)[citation needed]
Motto	Gloriam sapientes possidebunt
Motto in English	The wise will possess glory
Type	Divinity school
Established	1818; 207 years ago (1818)
Founder	Baptist missionaries: Joshua Marshman William Carey and William Ward
Religious affiliation	Baptist
Chancellor	Bishop Anilkumar John Servand, MCI
President	Bishop Zacharias Mar Aprem, MOSC
Registrar	The Rev. Limatula Longkumer, CBCNEI
Location	Mac House Complex, 8 no., William Carey Road Serampore – 712201 , West Bengal , India
Campus	Semi-Urban
Language	English
Treasurer	The Rev. Ch. Vasantha Rao, CSI
Website	senateofseramporecollege.edu.in

History

Since Serampore was then a Danish colony, King Frederick VI, the King of Denmark, issued Serampore College its Royal Charter of Incorporation on 23 February 1827, in Copenhagen, Denmark (Charter, 1, Charter, 2, Charter, 3). The charter came in response to Baptist missionary Joshua Marshman's visit to King Frederick in August 1826; the charter gave Serampore College the privilege of awarding degrees in Arts and Theology. Baptist missionaries William Carey, Joshua Marshman, and John Clark Marshman (Joshua's son) were designated as members of the first Council. At its opening, the Trio released a prospectus which proposed "A College for the instruction of Asiatic Christian and other Youth in Eastern Literature and European Science." The college was open to all persons of any caste or creed, and the founders ensured that no denominational test would apply to faculty members.

After 22 February 1845 when Denmark sold all of its Indian assets to Britain, the management and operation of the college continued without interruption under the direction of a master and council. In 1856 the Baptist Missionary Society in England took over the management of the college and, in 1857, the college became affiliated with the newly established University of Calcutta and became a constituent college of that university. In 1883 the college closed as an arts college and began functioning as a Christian Training Institution and a theological institute for the Baptist churches in Bengal.

The Royal charter has also been confirmed by the Bengal Govt Act. IV of 1918.

Accreditation and Charter

The Senate of Serampore College draws its power to award degree from the Royal Charter awarded by King Frederick VI of Denmark, giving the Senate of Serampore College the status of a degree granting university.^[2] Through the Danish Charter, Serampore became the first institution^[3] in India to be given the status of a university.

The Senate of Serampore College is not accredited by any other theological academic body or council. Also, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council has given its accreditation only for the secular degree programs of Serampore College, a sister institution, for the degrees that are awarded through University of Calcutta.

The degrees that are awarded by Senate of Serampore are not recognised under the UGC Act for the purpose of the Section 22 of the Act and are awarded by Senate without the need for approval of the University Grants Commission (India).^[4][5][6] Seminary students having degrees that are not listed under UGC Act of Section 22 are not eligible to sit for public service examinations, or avail public employment or government research grant, etc. based on their degrees.^[7][8][9] However, "Students of Serampore College in the Faculty of Theology are, entitled to all the privileges of students in any of the other universities and colleges in India."^[7]

Senate of Serampore College practices autonomy in the preparation of its curriculum in partnership with the affiliated colleges.

Degrees awarded

Presently, the Senate of Serampore College (University) restricts itself to award of degrees pertaining to theology. The theology curriculum includes various courses offered in the fields of religion and culture including the study of Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Theology, Study of Classical Biblical Languages: Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Greek, other classical languages: Sanskrit, Arabic, Syriac, Pali, German, Latin etc., Study of other Major Religions: Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism; Ministry related courses such as: Homiletics, Christian Worship and Music, Pastoral Care and Counselling, Clinical Counseling, Christian Education, Communication, Social Analysis, History of Christianity, Missiology, Contextual Theologies and Christian Ministry.

The following are the degrees awarded to students through its affiliated colleges throughout India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka:

Diploma programmes

• Diploma in Worship and Music (Dip.W.M)
• Diploma in Christian Studies (Dip. C.S) (External)
• Diploma in Clinical Pastoral Counselling (Dip.C.P.C)
• Diploma in Bible Translation (Dip B.T)

Graduate programmes

• Bachelor of Theology (B.Th)
• Bachelor of Missiology (B.Miss)
• Bachelor of Christian Studies (B.C.S.) (External)

Postgraduate programmes

• Bachelor of Divinity (B.D)
• Master of Theology (M.Th)
• Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy (MCP)
• Master of Ministry (M.Min.) (External)
• Master of Christian Studies (MCS) (External)

Doctoral programmes

• Doctor of Ministry (D.Min)
• Doctor of Theology (D.Th)

Officers of the Senate[10]
President: The Rev. Zacharias Mar Aprem Convenor: Vangsanglura, Registrar: The Rev. Limatula Longkumer, D. Th. (Serampore) Treasurer: The Rev. Samuel Akumarthi

Registrarships of the university[11] (Period, Name of the registrar )

1919–1920; 1922–1926, The Rev. John Drake, M.A. (Oxford),[12] 1921, 1926–1929, The Rev. G. H. C. Angus, B. D. (London),[13] 1929–1949, The Rev. C. E. Abraham, M.A. (Calcutta),[14] 1949–1954, The Rev. W. W. Winfield, B. D. (Oxford),[15] 1954–1959, The Rev. William Stewart, M. A. (Edinburgh),[16] 1960–1975, The Rev. C. Devasahayam, Th.M. (Northern), 1975–1978, The Rev. J. T. Krogh, Cand. Theol. (Copenhagen), 1978–2004, The Rev. D. S. Satyaranjan, Th.D. (San Francisco), 2004–2013, The Rev. Y. R. Tiwari, PhD (Jabalpur),[17] 2013–2021, The Rev. Santanu Patro, D. Th. (Serampore), 2021-2022, The Rev. M. Justin Moses, D. Th. (Serampore) Acting 2022-presentThe Rev. Limatula Longkumer, D. Th. (Serampore)

Constituent colleges

• Serampore College^[18] (Theology Department), Serampore
• South Asia Theological Research Institute,^[19] Serampore

Affiliated colleges

The affiliated colleges of the university up to 2016^[18] are,

No.	State	Institution	Founded	Town PIN	Courses
					Residential	Non-residential
I	Andhra Pradesh	Bethel Bible College	2000	Guntur 522 006	B.D.	B.C.S.
II	Andhra Pradesh	Master's College of Theology	1996	Visakhapatnam 530 041	B.D.	Dip.C.S. B.C.S.
III	Assam	Eastern Theological College		Jorhat 785 014	B.D. M.Th.	Dip.C.S. B.C.S.
IV	Gujarat	Gujarat United School of Theology		Ahmedabad 380 006	B.Th.	-
V	Gujarat	Methodist Bible Seminary		Vasad 388 306	B.Th.	Dip.C.S.
VI	Haryana	Dharma Jyoti Vidyapeeth		Faridabad 121 101	B.D.	-
VII	Haryana	Nav Jyoti Post graduate and Research Centre		Faridabad 121 006	M.Th.	-
VIII	Jharkhand	Gossner Theological College	1866	Ranchi 834 001	B.Th.	-
IX	Jharkhand	Santal Theological College		Benagaria 814 101	B.Th.	-
X	Karnataka	Karnataka Theological College	1965	Mangalore	B.D.	Dip.C.S.
XI	Karnataka	United Theological College, Bangalore	1910	Bangalore	B.D. M.Th. D.Th.	-
XII	Kerala	Faith Theological Seminary	1970	Adoor 691 551	B.D. B.Miss. M.Th. D.Th.	B.C.S.
XIV	Kerala	Federated Faculty for Research in Religion and Culture,[18][19]		Kottayam 686 001	M.Th. D.Th.	-
XV	Kerala	India Bible College and Seminary	1930	Thiruvalla 689 541	B.D.	-
XVI	Kerala	Kerala Theological Seminary	2000	Kottarakara 691 531	B.D.	-
XVII	Kerala	Kerala United Theological Seminary	1943	Thiruvananthapuram 695 011	B.D.	-
XVIII	Kerala	Malankara Syrian Orthodox Theological Seminary		Mulanthuruthy 682 314	B.D.	-
XIX	Kerala	Mar Thoma Episcopal Jubilee Institute of Evangelism		Tiruvalla 689 105	B.Th.	-
XX	Kerala	Mar Thoma Syrian Theological Seminary		Kottayam 686 001	B.D.	-
XXI	Kerala	Orthodox Theological Seminary	1815	Kottayam 686 001	B.D.	Dip.W.M.
XXII	Madhya Pradesh	Leonard Theological College		Jabalpur 482 001	B.D.	-
XXIII	Maharashtra	St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary	1995	Nagpur 441 501	B.D.	-
XXIV	Maharashtra	Union Biblical Seminary	1953	Pune 411 037	B.D. M.Th. D.Th.	-
XXV	Maharashtra	United Theological Seminary of Maharashtra		Pune 411 001	B.Th.	Dip.C.S.
XXVI	Manipur	Manipur Theological College		Kangpokpi 795 129	B.D.	-
XXVII	Manipur	Trulock Theological Seminary		Imphal 795 001	B.D.	-
XXVIII	Meghalaya	Harding Theological College		Tura 794 002	B.D.	-
XXIX	Meghalaya	John Roberts Theological Seminary		Shillong 798 009	B.D.	-
XXX	Mizoram	Academy of Integrated Christian Studies	2000	Aizawl 796 001	B.D. M.Th.	-
XXXI	Mizoram	Aizawl Theological College	1907	Aizawl 796 001	B.D. M.Th. D.Th.	B.C.S. M.C.S.
XXXII	Mizoram	Missionary Training College		Aizawl 796 005	B.Miss.	-
XXXIII	Nagaland	Baptist Theological College		Pfütsero 797 107	B.D.	-
XXXIV	Nagaland	Clark Theological College		Mokokchung 798 601	B.D. M.Th.	-
XXXV	Nagaland	Trinity Theological College		Dimapur 797 112	B.D.	-
XXXVI	Nagaland	Witter Theological College		Wokha 797 111	B.D.	-
XXXVII	Odisha	Orissa Christian Theological College		Gopalpur 761 002	B.Th.	-
XXXVIII	Tamil Nadu	Bethel Bible Institute,[18]		Danishpet 636 354	B.D. B.Miss.	-
XXXIX	Tamil Nadu	Concordia Theological Seminary		Nagercoil 629 001	B.D.	-
XL	Tamil Nadu	Gurukul Lutheran Theological College	1953	Chennai 600 010	B.D. M.Th.	-
XLI	Tamil Nadu	Indian Theological Seminary	1990	Chennai 600 062	B.D.	-
XLII	Tamil Nadu	Madras Theological Seminary and College		Chennai 600 010	B.D.	B.C.S.
XLIII	Tamil Nadu	Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary	1969	Madurai 625 010	B.D. M.Th.	Dip.C.S. B.C.S.
XLIV	Telangana	Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture	2016	Hyderabad 500 052	M.Th.	-
XLV	Telangana	Andhra Christian Theological College	1964	Hyderabad 500 080	B.D.	Dip.C.S. B.C.S. M.C.S.
XLVI	Telangana	Calvin Institute of Theology		Yacharam 501 509	B.D.	-
XLVII	Telangana	Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College	1920	Shamshabad 501 218	B.D.	Dip.C.S.
XLVIII	Uttarakhand	Luther W. New Jr. Theological College,[18]		Dehra Dun 248 001	B.D. Dip.W.M.	-
XLIX	Uttar Pradesh	Allahabad Bible Seminary		Allahabad 211 002	B.D.	Dip.C.S., B.C.S.
L	West Bengal	Bishop's College		Kolkata 700 017	B.D.	-
LI	West Bengal	Calcutta Bible Seminary		North 24 Parganas 700 132	B.D.	-
LII	West Bengal	North India Institute of Post Graduate Theological Studies	1980	Serampore 712 201	M.Th. D.Th.	-

Other affiliated centres

Affiliated centres as of 2014 for the purpose of Diploma in Clinical Pastoral Counselling.

• Karnataka
  • Christian Medical Association of India,^[18] Bangalore
• Kerala
  • Life Enrichment Counselling and Training Centre,^[18] Idukki district
  • Mar Thoma Hospital Guidance,^[18] Trivandrum
  • T. M. A. Institute of Counselling,^[18] Kottayam
• Tamil Nadu
• Christian Medical College, Vellore,^[18] Vellore

References

1. Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education "Department of Secondary&Higher Education". Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
2. Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education, "Other Universities", Chapter XVI, Calcutta University, Three Missionaries, Carey, Marshman and Ward started the first Mission college at Serampore in 1818, and 9 years later it received a charter from the King of Denmark empowering it to grant degree."Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. Murli Manohar Joshi, Higher Education in India Vision and Action, A paper presented at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in the Twenty First Century, Paris, 5–9 October 1998. Internet, accessed 22 August 2008."Department of Secondary&Higher Education". Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
4. The UGC Commission noted that the Theological degrees granted by Serampore College had not been included among the degrees to be notified by the Commission under Section 22 (3) of the U.G.C. Act and that therefore there would be no bar to the College continuing to award these degrees. https://www.senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/pages/index/ugc-and-serampore-college
5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. "University Grants commission ::UGC ACT 1956". www.ugc.ac.in.
7. "UGC & Serampore College". Senate of Semapore College (University).
8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
9. "University Grants commission ::UGC ACT 1956". www.ugc.ac.in.
10. Senate of Serampore College (University), Officers of the Senate
11. Senate, Registrars of the Senate Archived 19 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
12. The Baptist Missionary Society, 138th Annual Report, 1930, p.51
13. University of Leeds Calendar 1953, p. 140.
14. The Serampore College Magazine, Volumes 1-16, July-April 1922
15. 140th Annual Report of the Baptist Missionary Society, 1932, p. 83.[imageserver.library.yale.edu/digcoll:355364/500.pdf]
16. University of Edinburgh Journal, Volumes 33-34, 1987, p. 145
17. Linked In^{[permanent dead link‍]}
18. Senate, List of Colleges as on 31.7.2016.
19. Monica J. Melanchton, Graduate Biblical Studies in India in Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Kent Harold Richards (Edited), Transforming Graduate Biblical Education: Ethos and Discipline, SBL, Atlanta, 2010, p. 120.

External links

• Official website