Government College Of Lahore

The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002.

Overview

In 1864, Government College was established by the British government in India. After being elevated to university status in 2002, it has advanced into one of the top ten largest institution in Pakistan, with a student body of over 12,000. It has 32 academic departments, segregated into five faculties. There are five research centers, focused on academic and industrial research and development projects. The university secured its second place in the general category by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in 2013. It has the highest graduation rate in the country, with an average of 94.6% annually. In Government College University, the medium of instruction is English.

Government College University is noted for its historical roots and produced notable scholars such as poet-philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Nobel laureates Har Gobind Khorana and Abdus Salam, former president of both the United Nations General Assembly and the International Court of Justice Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, scholar and novelist couple Bano Qudsia and Ashfaq Ahmed. Among its graduates are also four prime ministers and one caretaker prime minister of Pakistan.

History

Originally, the establishment of a central college in Lahore was sanctioned in 1856 by the British Raj, given that the teachers are from University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Dublin University HC or Durham University. Under the leadership of Dr. Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner, a professor of Arabic and Islamic Law at King's College London, the college was established on 1 January 1864, located in the ''Palace of Raja Dhyan Singh Haveli'' ( Dogra prime minister of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore) inside Walled City of Lahore, as an affiliated college of Calcutta University.

In April 1871, the college moved to a large Bungalow near Anarkali Bazaar. In 1873, its location was again changed to another house called '' Rahim Khan's Kothi'' due to rapidly increasing student strength. It moved to its present building in 1876.

The first principal was Dr. Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner, whose name is closely attached to the college. In 1882, Leitner was very instrumental in laying the foundation of Punjab University, Lahore. Thereafter, the college would remain affiliated with Punjab University for 115 years. In 1997, government of the Punjab gave Government College autonomy in all affairs and granted degree awarding status.

In 2002, it was promoted to university status by the government of Punjab; the word ''college'' was retained in its title for preserving its historical roots.

Campus

Old Campus

Positioned in Downtown Lahore, it is located at the junction of The Mall, Lahore and the Lower Mall, surrounded by main business and administrative areas, schools, colleges and Punjab University old Campus. The main building was designed by W. Purdon and completed in 1877 at a cost of Rs. 320,000. In the centre of the main building stands a 176' tall clock tower. Being built during the colonial era, the main building reflects the neo-Gothic tradition, with broad verandahs and elevated ceilings. A large ground accompanies the main building, alluded to as the "Oval Ground". In 2019, the ground was renamed "The Leitner Oval", in honour of Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner, the first principal of the institute. To meet with an increasing number of students, several buildings and blocks have been commissioned which include a postgraduate block, a new block for intermediate students and a bachelors' block which is accessible by the overhead bridge. The main campus is spread over 56 acres along the Anarkali Bazaar, one of the oldest surviving markets in Lahore.

Kala Shah Kaku Campus

On 24 August 2019, the Kala Shah Kaku campus of the university was inaugurated which is known as GCU KSK campus. The campus is spread over 370 acres, able to house 25,000 students, 1250 teachers and 650 staff members. 22 hostels are available for accommodation.

On 24 September 2020, the new campus was formally opened to students. A bus shuttle service will operate between both campuses.

Emblem

The torch, as the crest of the university emblem, represents the light of knowledge. The motto "Courage to Know" represents the guiding principle of the student community.

Academics

Programs

The university offers degrees in Higher Secondary School Certificate (locally referred to as ''Intermediate''), undergraduate and post-graduate studies. In the higher education level, it offers 28 bachelor's degrees, 28 MS/MPhil Degrees and 19 PhD degrees. These degrees are offered under the following faculties:

* Faculty of Chemistry and Life Sciences
* Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences
* Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences
* Faculty of Language, Islamic & Oriental Learning
* Faculty of Engineering

Research

The university has always been a research-led university, however, in recent times, it has shifted its focus towards quality output projects, which the university believes to be beneficial academically and industrially. Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) has been set up to manage all research issues. The objective of the office is to advance, diversify and manage all research programs and to uphold international standards of research.

It receives research grants mostly from the foreign universities like Strathclyde University, Cranfield University, World Bank Researchers Alliance for Development and British Council and from national institutes and organizations like Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), PTCL, Higher Education Commission and Ministry of Science and Technology.

Institutes

The university has five autonomous/semi-autonomous, research-oriented institutes, focused on academic and industrial research and development projects. These institutes are:

* ''Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences'' (ASSMS) – study of scientific and technological problems by mathematical methods in mathematical sciences.
* ''Center for Advanced Studies in Physics'' (CASP) – research and development (R&D) in Experimental Physics.
* ''Institute of Industrial Biotechnology'' (IIB) – offers degrees in Biotechnology and Microbiology.
* ''Sustainable Development Study Center'' (SDSC) – R&D in Environmental science.
* ''Center of Excellence of China Studies'' (CECS) – offers diplomas in Chinese language and China studies.

Abdus Salam School for Mathematical Sciences

The Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences (ASSMS) is one of the largest mathematical research institutes in Pakistan. The school was established in 2003 by Government of the Punjab under the aegis of Government College University. The aim of the school is to train professional scientists to pursue the study of scientific and technological problems by mathematical methods and to undertake research in branches of mathematical sciences. Before the existence of the school, Pakistani mathematicians opted to study abroad for postdoctoral fellowships; but after ASSMS was established, an increasing number of PhD holders from foreign institutions are choosing this school to pursue their postdoctoral fellowships.

In 2011, it was labeled as the first "Emerging Regional Center of Excellence" by the European Mathematical Society (EMS) for the period 2011 to 2015.

It has taken steps to provide encouragement to Pakistani students in schools and colleges. These include:
* Hiring Foreign Faculty to teach or supervise ASSMS students in advanced level mathematics. This step was initiated by the founding Director General of ASSMS, A.D.R. Choudary. Jürgen Herzog, Josip Pečarić, Amer Iqbal, Alexandru Dimca, and Hannah Markwig are among Foreign Faculty that have supervised/co-supervised Ph.D. students at ASSMS.
* Hosted international conferences and workshops in mathematics. The most important conferences of AS-SMS were “World Conferences of Mathematics in the 21st Century” series, held during the tenure of A.D.R. Choudary. Some notable mathematicians that have visited and given talks in this conference series are Ari Laptev

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