Mahindra United World College of India
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UWC Mahindra College (sometimes known as the ''Mahindra United World College of India'', or MUWCI) is a pre-university international boarding school, located west of
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
in
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, India. The college is a two-year programme with about 250 full-time boarders, and follows the
International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
(IB) Diploma Program (DP). It is one of the 18
United World Colleges United World Colleges (UWC) is an international network of schools and educational programmes with the shared aim of "making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." The organization was founde ...
. The school was established in 1997 with the support of Harish Mahindra and Anand Mahindra of the
Mahindra Group Mahindra Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai. The group has operations in over 100 countries, with a presence in aerospace, agribusiness, aftermarket automotive components, construction equipment, defenc ...
.


History

On 28 November 1997,
Queen Noor Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
of Jordan and
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
inaugurated the UWC Mahindra College in India as one of the now eighteen
United World Colleges United World Colleges (UWC) is an international network of schools and educational programmes with the shared aim of "making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." The organization was founde ...
(UWC) and the third UWC in Asia. The opening of the school was made possibly by a donation of land and building infrastructure by Harish Mahindra, of the
Mahindra Group Mahindra Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai. The group has operations in over 100 countries, with a presence in aerospace, agribusiness, aftermarket automotive components, construction equipment, defenc ...
. The company and several members of the family remain involved with the college, with
Keshub Mahindra Keshub Mahindra (born 9 October 1923) is an Indian businessman, and the chairman emeritus of the Mahindra Group. He retired as chairman in August 2012 after heading the Group for nearly five decades, handing over the position to his nephew, Anan ...
serving as chair of the college, and the company continuing to fund student scholarships.


Campus

The Mahindra United World College of India is one of twelve campuses under the
United World College United World Colleges (UWC) is an international network of schools and educational programmes with the shared aim of "making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." The organization was founde ...
banner, led by
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
and
Queen Noor of Jordan Noor Al-Hussein ( ar, نور الحسين; born Lisa Najeeb Halaby; August 23, 1951) is an American-born Jordanian philanthropist and activist who is the fourth wife and widow of King Hussein of Jordan. She was Queen of Jordan from their marriag ...
at the time of its design in the mid-1990s. The campus is divided into a residential and an academic area and was designed by architect
Christopher Charles Benninger Christopher Charles Benninger (born 1942) is one of India's highly decorated architects. His award-winning projects are, The Mahindra United World College of India, The Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies, The Suzlon One Earth world headquar ...
. The design incorporates traditional elements and local building materials. Benninger paid homage to traditional Indian architecture by incorporating elements such as wadas, staggered steps, and lotus ponds. The college is located near the village of
Paud Paud is a small village in the heart of the Mulshi valley in Pune district, the fourth most populous district in India. It is located in the state of Maharashtra. The main sources of income are the two international schools on the nearby hill ...
in the
Taluka Mulshi Mulshi taluka is a taluka in Maval subdivision of Pune district of state of Maharashtra in India. Mulshi consisted of Pune Metropolitan Region & Villages. Pune Metropolitan Region & Villages in Mulshi taluka * Adgaon (Mulshi) * Admal * Akole ...
region of the western state of
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, India. It is around from the city of
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
(which, in turn, is around south-east of
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
). The MUWCI campus is situated on a hill surrounded by rural communities and overlooking the valley of the Mula river near
Mulshi Dam Mulshi is the name of a major dam on the Mula river in India. It is located in the Mulshi taluka administrative division of the Pune district of Maharashtra State. Water from the dam is used for irrigation as well as for producing electricity ...
. The residential side of campus is divided into communal clusters called "Wadas". The Wadas house between 40 and 60 students and 4-6 teachers and families. Students live in independent houses of eight students each, with communal courtyards. Teachers also serve as 'Wada parents' and 'House parents', providing a supportive residential learning context.


Academics

UWC Mahindra College offers the
International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
Diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
. Students can also choose to do the UWC Mahindra College Project Based Diploma by pursuing a research project during their two years of study. The following IB subjects are available at MUWCI, though offerings may change slightly year to year: * Group 1: The Students' Best Language - English Literature (HL/SL), English Language And Literature (HL/SL), Spanish Literature (HL/SL), Hindi Literature (HL/SL), Language Self-Taught (HL/SL) * Group 2: Modern Language Acquisition - English B (HL/SL), Hindi B (HL/SL), Spanish B (HL/SL), Spanish ab initio (SL), French B (HL/SL), French ab initio (SL), Arabic ab initio (SL) * Group 3: Individuals and Societies - Psychology (HL/SL), Philosophy (HL/SL), Global Politics (HL), History (HL/SL), Economics (HL/SL), Environmental Systems and Societies (SL), Digital Society * Group 4: Experimental Sciences - Physics (HL/SL), Chemistry (HL/SL), Biology (HL/SL), Environmental Systems and Societies (SL), Computer Science (HL/SL). * Group 5: Mathematics - Mathematics (HL/SL), Mathematical Studies (1 year or 2 years) (SL) * Group 6: The Arts - Visual Arts (HL/SL), Film Studies (HL/SL), Theater (HL/SL). Apart from formal subjects, the experiential learning programme (known as ''Triveni'' at MUWCI) forms a significant part of the students' education. Triveni in
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
means confluence of three rivers. Triveni is formed of three streams - (i) the IB CAS (Creativity, Action & Service) programme, (ii) Project & Travel Weeks (iii) a rich on-campus seminar and discussion series including This Is India, Global Affairs, guest speakers and more.


Students

Students in UWC Mahindra College represent many different nationalities. The Class of 2018 represented 57 countries.


Admission

Most students are nominated to attend UWC Mahindra College via their UWC National Committees. Indian students, residents and PIO/OCI students can apply via the United World College Committee of India. The selection process is rigorous, with an acceptance rate of 10-15%. The application process for Indian students starts in June and are finalized by January. The candidates are shortlisted based on potential to demonstrate UWC values and academic merit. Shortlisted candidates are invited to an overnight selection camp held at the UWCMC campus in Pune. During the camp, various activities are conducted including panel interviews, Group Discussions, Object-Presentation and various written and computer based tests. Based on the students' performance the committee nominates students to Mahindra UWC or any of the other United World Colleges.


Administration

The founding Head of college, David Wilkinson, moved to Pune at the inception of UWC Mahindra College in 1997, having previously founded the
Li Po Chun United World College The Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong (LPCUWC, ), established in 1992, is an International Baccalaureate boarding school in Wu Kai Sha (烏溪沙), Hong Kong, within walking distance of Wu Kai Sha station. It is the eighth member ...
in Hong Kong. In 2009, Jonathan Long was appointed as the Head of college and remained until 2011, when Pelham Lindfield Roberts joined. Soraya Sayed Hassen took on the role of Head of College in 2018, after Pelham Lindfield Roberts was appointed principal at UWC Changshu China. In July 2021, Dr. Dale Taylor took the role of Head of College. Thereafter, in July 2022, Gaurav Chopra stepped in as Interim Head of College.


Alumni

*
Arvinn Gadgil Arvinn Eikeland Gadgil (born 18 January 1980, Tromsø, Norway) is a Norwegian Socialist Left Party politician of Indian descent. He was the State Secretary (International Development Affairs) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from April 201 ...
, '99 *
Valeria Luiselli Valeria Luiselli (born August 16, 1983) is a Mexican author living in the United States. She is the author of the book of essays ''Sidewalks'' and the novel '' Faces in the Crowd'', which won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First F ...
*
Malaika Vaz Malaika Vaz is a National Geographic Explorer, TV presenter and wildlife filmmaker from Goa, India. She is the youngest person to reach the Artic and the Antarctic with students on ice foundation. In 2018, she presented the TV series ''On The Br ...
, '15 *
Aditya Jain Aditya Jain (born 11 June 1986) is an Indian former cricketer. He played sixteen first-class matches for Delhi between 2006 and 2010. See also * List of Delhi cricketers This is a list of all cricketers who have played first-class, List ...
, '18


References


External links

*
Plans and images
at archnet.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahindra United World College of India International Baccalaureate schools in India United World Colleges Mahindra Group Private schools in Maharashtra Education in Pune district Educational institutions established in 1997 1997 establishments in Maharashtra