Xavier's International Re-Union

17th December 2006

St. Xavier’s College is hosting for the first time an International Reunion of its alumni/ae and former teachers on December 17, 2006, on Dr. Mariano Saldanha Lawns of the College, in association with the Association of Alumni/ae of St. Britto High School, St. Mary’s High School and St. Xavier’s Higher Secondary School and College (BMX).

Around 150 alumni/ae from USA, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Australia, UK, Gulf and some other countries, and an equal number from the other parts of India are expected to participate in this programme.

Most of the students of St. Britto High School, meant for boys, and St. Mary’s High School, meant for girls, join St. Xavier’s. BMX is a Canadian brainchild and the first Reunion was held in Toronto, Canada, in 2004. The second BMX Reunion will be held in Goa from December 16 to 21, 2006.

One of the items of the BMX programme is the participation in the Goa Xavier College Alumni/ae and former teachers Reunion. Such Reunions have been hosted by the College in the month of December since 2002, with participation mostly of the local alumni/ae and a sprinkling of foreign alumni/ae. But this year, it is truly an international reunion.

The Chief Architects of St. Xavier’s have been Fr. Edward D’Cruz s.j (1963-65), Fr. Nicolau Pereira (1965-1991) and Fr. Antimo Gomes (1991 – 2002). The former two have passed away. Fr. D’Cruz was the Principal of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai and his services were loaned to the Archdiocese by the Jesuits when St. Xavier’s was established in 1963, soon after liberation of Goa. To him goes the credit for laying the foundation of the College, which initially functioned in Bastora, in the Fransalian Complex for 5 years.

Fr. Pereira joined soon after completing his Ph.D. in Chemistry in U.S.A. The present huge complex consisting of Teaching Block, Administrative Block and Hostel at Altinho, Mapusa, was undertaken by Fr. Pereira alongwith the expansion of academic courses and other programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. level. His tenure was the longest. He was known in the student community as POP.

Fr. Pereira joined soon after completing his Ph.D. in Chemistry in U.S.A. The present huge complex consisting of Teaching Block, Administrative Block and Hostel at Altinho, Mapusa, was undertaken by Fr. Pereira alongwith the expansion of academic courses and other programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. level. His tenure was the longest. He was known in the student community as POP.

Fr. Gomes served the Archdiocese for many years as Secretary of Diocesan Society of Education before starting his teaching career at Xavier’s from 1984 to 1991, when he was appointed Principal. He introduced P.G.Degree programme in Psychology and many other courses. During his tenure the gardens became lush green with new plants which he loved very much.

The present International Reunion has an added significance because its memorial is going to be a vast auditorium named as Fr. Nicolau Pereira Auditorium which will be a gift of its alumni/ae and friends of Xavier’s to the student community. This auditorium will accommodate 1500 persons. The alumni/ae & friends of Xavier’s are going to gift chairs which will carry the nameplate of the donor, each chair costing Rs.15,000-00 to cover the cost of the building.

The Alumni/ae are going to help the College in the context of Internationalization of Higher Education for twining partnerships with foreign Universities, Faculty exchange programme, Student exchange programme, Student internship, Faculty enrichment partnership , Joint research projects, Joint publications etc. The College needs the assistance of its alumni/ae for international networking.

This will help the College for enrichment of the teaching-learning process, greater flexibility of educational experience, improved quality of research, sharing of the best practices and economic potential.

Neither a nation nor an institution can simply afford to rest on its laurels. It needs to constantly keep pace with the times, for ‘time and tide wait for no man’. Keeping this in mind the college plans to add a host of facilities to its infrastructure. Chief among these are a new state-of-the-art library building, an auditorium with a seating capacity to two thousand and an indoor stadium. These will enable our students to be better equipped, both in faculties of the mind and of the body, so as to prepare themselves for the future.

Ever mindful of its rich past, St. Xavier’s College rededicates itself to the tenets of its founders so as to produce academic excellence and all-round development of its students