# St. Xavier's College, Simdega

St. Xavier's College in Simdega is a Liberal arts college in India. The college is named after Francis Xavier, the 16th-century Spanish Jesuit saint.
The college was established and founded in the year 2016 which being the realisation of the vision of Belgian Jesuits, Father Jan-Baptist Stockman and Father Constant Lievens, who brought the Society of Jesus to Chota Nagpur Division of British India in 1869.
The college is run by Indian Jesuits, with special consideration to Catholic students. It offers undergraduate courses in Humanities and Commerce.
The desire to start a college at Simdega was conceptualized under the leadership of former provincials of Ranchi Province ̶̶ Dr. Fr. Ranjit Pascal Toppo, SJ, and Fr. Xavier Soreng, SJ to cater to the educational needs of the socially and economically marginalized people of the area. But such a noble desire could be actualized under the leadership of Dr. Fr. Joseph Marianus Kujur SJ, and his team Fr. Sudhir Minj, SJ̶̶ the Socius to the Provincial, and Fr. George Kerketta, SJ, the PDD. The first Principal of the college was Dr. Emmanuel Barla, SJ.
The college began its journey on the 1st August 2016 in a humble manner with four Jesuit Fathers, thirteen Assistant Professors, four hundred and fifty-three students, and fifteen non-teaching staffs for the academic session 2016-2017. However, the college was officially inaugurated on 9th September, 2016 by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of Ranchi University, Dr. Ramesh Kumar Pandey. The motto of the college was Lucens et Ardens, i.e., ‘spreading light and burning bright’. The college started functioning from its temporary campus at St. John Berchmans’ Apostolic School, Samtoli. The initial infrastructure consisted of a modest academic building and limited resources. The college received both the permission and affiliation to run Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce courses from Ranchi university and the Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Jharkhand from the academic session 2016-2017.
St. Xavier’s College is an educational institution, which strives to prepare men and women who will build a more just and humane world. It strives to attain an intellectual endeavour that focuses on critical and creative thinking, with the aim of social transformation. The College makes a preferential option for the marginalised mass and it seeks to give an all round formation, inculcating both human and spiritual values. Competence, compassion and commitment are the hallmarks of a human person we seek to encourage.

## Vision:

To create a just, secular, democratic Society and to form credible, creative and socially committed citizens especially in the service of the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized.

## Mission:

* To provide inclusive and empowering learning opportunities, where search for knowledge complements a sense of responsibility towards the life of the community, where understanding is coupled with commitment, and where academic excellence goes with the cultivation of virtue.
* The College seeks to be a place which sustains women and men in their pursuit of innovation, education and fostering their conviction that life is only lived well when it is lived generously in the service of others and care of our Common Home.

## Objectives:

* Academic Excellence: Striving for excellence in learning, through creative, practical and co-operative leadership, inspired by genuine religious and moral values.
* Character Formation: Developing value-centred perspectives. Creating an environment for students to acquire a sound value system ingrained with honesty, justice, cooperation, fellowship, concern for others, belief in devotion to God and universal love that embraces all people cutting across the barriers of religion, caste, class and nationality.
* Social Concern: Preparing students to take their place in society as competent and responsible citizens by creating awareness on prevailing social conditions and thereby guiding them to commit themselves to the cause of justice.

## History

The college was established by the Jesuits of Ranchi province. The college was officially inaugurated on the feast of Nativity of Mary on 2016. The college is a vision of the Belgian Jesuits who have established several educational institutions in the area including the prestigious St. Mary School.
St. Xavier’s College, Simdega (SXCS), established in the year 2016, is managed by the XAVIERS RANCHI which is a unit of a Catholic religious’ order called the Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. St. Xavier’s College, Simdega was established in St. John’s Apostolic School, Samtoli (Simdega) campus which later shifted with its own building on Konmenjra, Simdega in the year June, 2025. The college has in its vision a model for higher education which encourages individuals to dream of a socially just world and in its mission a strategy to empower individuals in realising that dream.
With an objective to impart quality education, the college has been innovating in all aspects of higher education. These innovations were further bolstered with the granting of best holistic growth status to the college by the effort and endeavour of its different stakeholders and government officials. The college has taken a lead in redefining and focussing the curriculum and syllabi, examination and evaluation pattern, and teaching and learning processes given by Ranchi University under the guidance of NEP. To bring quality execution of education and administration the college have its internal Board of Studies, the Academic Council, and the Governing Council composed of eminent academicians, industry experts, and notable alumni. The college has striven to undergone the first cycles of NAAC accreditation to ensure its quality. Since its inception, the college has offered diverse programmes in Commerce and Arts.
The college aims at holistic development of students fostering in them academic excellence, social concern, and character formation; shaping them to become “men and women for and with others”. The motto of the College 'LUCENS ET ARDENS' which means “Let your light shine” serves as the foundation for the vision and mission of the college.
St. Xavier's College, Simdega, established as a beacon of higher education in the district of Simdega in Jharkhand, India, boasts a rich history that reflects the aspirations, challenges, and triumphs of the region. Over the years, the college has not only contributed to academic excellence but also played a pivotal role in the socio-cultural development of the region.
St. Xavier's College was founded in the year 2016, under the auspices of XAVIERS RANCHI - a society registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 (Reg. No. 13/1958-59 Bihar, Reg. No 198/2005-2006 Jharkhand), which recognized the need for a premier institution of higher learning in the Simdega district. The college was named after St. Francis Xavier - one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus, the patron saint of the College, who is known for his missionary work in India and his commitment to education. Ever since its inception, the college aimed to provide quality education rooted in ethical and moral values.
The desire to start a college at Simdega was conceptualized under the leadership of former provincials of Ranchi Province - Dr. Fr. Ranjit Pascal Toppo, SJ, and Fr. Xavier Soreng, SJ to cater to the educational needs of the socially and economically marginalized people of the area. But such a noble desire could be actualized under the leadership of Dr. Fr. Joseph Marianus Kujur SJ, and his team Fr. Sudhir Minj, SJ - the Socius to the Provincial, and Fr. George Kerketta, SJ, the PDD. The first Principal of the college was Dr. Emmanuel Barla, SJ.

## Religious Affiliation

The College is Roman Catholic and the Society of Jesus exercises responsibility over it through a Governing Body whose chairman is the Provincial of the Ranchi Province of the Society. St. Xavier's College is named after Francis Xavier, a Spanish Jesuit saint of the Sixteenth century who travelled to India. The College seeks to give an all-round formation, inculcating both human and spiritual values. It gives special consideration to Roman Catholics under the minority rights in Article 30, Constitution of India for whose education the college was founded.

## Accreditation

St. Xavier's College is accredited and affiliated to Ranchi University. It is accredited by the University with the task of preparing students for degrees in Humanities and Commerce.

## Courses

Presently, the college remains mainly an undergraduate institution.

### Undergraduate Degree

Undergraduate courses are of total duration of three years. Applicants seeking admissions are evaluated based on their academic performance in the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) examination.
* Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
* Bachelor of Commerce (B. Com.)

## Sister Institution

St. Xavier's College, Ranchi is a sister institution established by the Jesuits of Ranchi Province.