Our Institution is 136 years old institution which was established in 1885 under Deccan Education Society. The founders of the Institution were forefront freedom fighters and their efforts towards establishing this institution (Fergusson College) has been well documented in books of history. They had a Vision to provide higher education to masses at very affordable cost. At the same time, they were very enthusiastic and eager to expand their horizons with reference to higher education. Over a period of time, the Institution/College felt necessary to revise the Vision and Mission Statement on par with global standards, as there have been sea changes, with regard to new academic programmes, linkages and collaborations with local community as well as International Universities. The Vision and Mission statement of the College is as follows: Vision We aspire to carry forward the Vision of our founders of providing affordable quality education, while expanding our academic horizons to bring the institution on par with global leaders in the field of higher education. Mission Strive for excellence in education in keeping with the motto of the college, “Knowledge is Power” and prepare young minds for imbibing knowledge, skills and sensitivity. The Institution/College has been performing excellent in providing quality education to all its students and mainly focussing on their overall development as a citizen and also taking efforts towards their progression and employability. The performance of the Institution in Teaching-Learning has been remarkable. This has been appreciated by the University Grants Commission and the Institution was awarded, “College of Excellence”. The Institution /College has also figured in top 50 in National Institutional Ranking Framework. Undergraduate and post graduate education has been a prime academic activity. After becoming an autonomous Institution, the course structures were transformed into credit-based structures for all academic programmes, which provided an innovative platform for learning. Since then, internships/ dissertations, working on live projects and undertaking courses available on SWAYAM-MOOCs have now become part of curriculum. There has been a paradigm shift in the teacher’s role, from not only a teacher but more of a facilitator. Teaching-Learning has evolved in these years, with teachers using different teaching pedagogies like use of models, softwares, flip classrooms, ICT platforms and e-resources and using virtual methods as well. The focus is mainly on learning aspects of the students. Advanced learners get an opportunity to undertake research projects along with a mentor-teacher and participation in scientific working model making, writing research papers, presenting their research work etc., Every student is assigned with a mentor-teacher who guides the student for their academic progression and placements, after performing a proper SWOT analysis of the student. The assessment methods are flexible with one mandatory online assessment. The student has liberty to select the method of assessment, so this has opened up a wide horizon for learning. Skill enhancement programmes/ activities/workshops, capability enhancement programmes/trainings and interdisciplinary learning have become an integral part of learning. Regular interactions with experts from research institutes and industries, preplacement activities, yearly Sectorial Summits and Career Summits have become a routine feature of the Institution. Infrastructural additions have been made considerably, with a new Media Center to cater to the needs of B.Voc programmes and subsequently number of computers and computer laboratories have been added. The Institutional distinctiveness can be summarised as follows:

1. The Institution offers wide variety of undergraduate and post graduate academic programmes in the faculty of Arts and Science. BA- 12 programmes; B.Sc.-15 programmes, B.Voc- 02 programmes, MA-04 programm

2. The Institute actively fosters active learning strategies for enhancing teaching-learning processes by equipping students with recent technologies/techniques, instilling sense of research in undergraduate and post graduate students through project- based learning. The Institute also promotes interdisciplinary learning to enhance the knowledge base of students.

3. The curricula are revised regularly bringing in more courses which focus on employability with guidance from industries and national institutes and takes efforts to make students industry ready.

4. Student progression to higher learning has been one of the strengths of basic sciences, where a greater number of students are guided to seek admissions to higher learning programmes in top universities/ institutes in India and also International Universities.

5. Credits are given to students participating in Social Outreach programmes/activities, NCC and NSS activities, Sports and cultural programmes. Credits are also given to students undertaking projects under the guidance of teachers and presenting / publishing papers in peer reviewed journals.

6. Students training in multidisciplinary areas through capability enhancement programmes under UGC-STRIDE scheme.

6. Students training in multidisciplinary areas through capability enhancement programmes under UGC-STRIDE scheme.

8. Promotion of research amongst teachers by orienting teachers to apply for PhD guideship, procedural and practical support to teachers for submitting proposals to funding agencies, training of teachers and research students in upcoming areas of research and making them aware about ethics in research and plagiarism.

9. The institution has entered into MoUs with NGOs, industries and one international University under ERASMUS plus progrmme (Geology). These linkages/collaborations have helped the institution for designing the curricula, expert guidance, pre-placement activities, placement drives in the campus, community outreach and research.

10. The institution is sensitive towards differently abled students. SAATHI enabling Center is one such initiative which caters to the needs to students with blindness. The activities of the center focus on skill development of students, peer learning, virtual study circles and also facilitating scholarships from foundations which provide financial support to students with blindness