The demand to rename a university after a particular historical figure may appear, at first glance, to be a matter of honoring an important personality. But, a university is fundamentally different from a memorial, museum, cultural center or public monument.
It is an institution created for education, research and the pursuit of knowledge. Doors are meant to remain open to students and scholars irrespective of their community, language, religion or ancestry.
This is why there may be considerable merit in retaining the university’s existing name. You are coming to Kodagu University, like Mysore University or Bangalore University.
There are many other meaningful ways of honouring historical personalities: establishing research chairs, libraries, archives, museums, scholarships, annual lectures, fellowships, study centres or dedicated galleries in their names. Such initiatives can provide a more substantial and lasting tribute than simply attaching a name to an institution – a prime example being General Thimayya Memorial Museum in Madikeri.
RENAMING WONT MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Renaming a university does not, by itself, make it special or enhance its reputation. A university earns its standing through the quality of education it provides, the facilities it offers, the research it encourages and supports, and, above all, the students it produces.
A truly distinguished university should be able to take pride in its alumni – people who have studied there and gone on to distinguish themselves in different spheres of their professions and lives. Their achievements become the university’s real identity and legacy.
If a university named after a great historical personality keeps churning out mediocre students, the irony would be hard to miss. Instead of adding lustre to his or her legacy, the institution could end up blemishing his or her name. He or she might well turn in their grave and wonder from six feet underground: “Why did they do this to me?”
Instead of spending energy on renaming, the focus should be on upgrading the university’s academic standards, infrastructure, research facilities and overall learning environment to the highest possible level. A university should create an atmosphere where students are given the knowledge, opportunities and encouragement they need to achieve greatness.
The Field Marshal K M Cariappa (FMKMC) COLLEGE AT MADIKERI
There is already a historic institution in Madikeri that carries Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa’s name. The college, established in 1949 and subsequently taken over as a constituent college of Mangalore University in 1993, was renamed Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa College in 1994. It has since served as one of Kodagu’s principal institutions of higher education.
The more pertinent question, therefore, is whether the priority should have been to further strengthen and modernise this existing institution rather than create another university. Investment in its infrastructure, laboratories, library, teaching facilities, research capacity, faculty and postgraduate programmes could have built upon an institution with decades of academic history and an established alumni base.
A change of name by itself does not create academic excellence. What gives an institution its reputation is the quality of its faculty, students, courses, research, infrastructure and facilities. Mangalore University itself had earlier envisaged strengthening the infrastructure and departments of the Cariappa College, introducing additional courses and strengthening research facilities.
There is also an important irony in the present situation. The college that bears Field Marshal Cariappa’s name is now itself a constituent college of Kodagu University, following the transfer of Kodagu colleges from Mangalore University. Thus, the creation of Kodagu University has not replaced the need for a strong Cariappa College; the college remains one of the principal institutions – within the new university.
The real issue, therefore, is not what name an institution carries, or how many new institutions are created, but whether the available public resources are being used to build institutions capable of providing students with high-quality education, modern facilities and meaningful opportunities for research.
FMKMC college’s own website currently says it has more than 2,000 students, offers UG, PG and doctoral-level programmes, and has been NAAC-accredited, demonstrating that this was already an institution with a substantial academic base on which further investment could be built.
Names can honour history, but it is the institution’s performance and its people that create a lasting legacy. If a university becomes one that consistently produces outstanding scholars, professionals, researchers, artists, administrators, entrepreneurs and leaders, its name will acquire prestige naturally.
The real question, therefore, should not be “Whose name should the university carry?” but rather “What can we do to make this university an institution of excellence?”
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