Presidency University, Kolkata
| প্রেসিডেন্সি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় | |
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Former names
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Hindu College Presidency College |
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| Motto | Excellence since 1817 |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 20 January 1817 |
| Founders | Raja Rammohan Roy David Hare Sir Edward Hyde East Radhakanta Deb Baidyanath Mukhopadhya Rasamay Dutt |
| Chancellor | Keshari Nath Tripathi Governor of West Bengal |
| Vice-Chancellor | Anuradha Lohia |
| Students | 2,198 |
| Undergraduates | 1,462 |
| Postgraduates | 736 |
| Location |
Kolkata, West Bengal, India 22°34′35″N 88°21′44″E / 22.57639°N 88.36222°ECoordinates: 22°34′35″N 88°21′44″E / 22.57639°N 88.36222°E |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | UGC, NAAC, AIU |
| Website | presiuniv |
Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a public state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal. The college was established in 1817 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Radhakanta Deb, David Hare, Sir Edward Hyde East, Baidyanath Mukhopadhya and Rasamay Dutt.
With the creation of the Supreme Court of Calcutta in 1773 many Hindus of Bengal showed eagerness to learn the English language. David Hare, in collaboration with Raja Radhakanta Deb had already taken steps to introduce English education in Bengal. Babu Buddinath Mukherjee advanced the introduction of English as a medium of instruction further by enlisting the support of Sir Edward Hyde East, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Fort William who called a meeting of 'European and Hindu Gentlemen' in his house in May 1816. The purpose of the meeting was to "discuss the proposal to establish an institution for giving a liberal education to the children of the members of the Hindu Community". The proposal was received with unanimous approbation and a donation of over Rs. 100, 000 was promised for the setting up of the new college. Raja Ram Mohan Roy showed full sympathy for the scheme but chose not to come out in support of the proposal publicly for fear of "alarming the prejudices of his orthodox countrymen and thus marring the whole idea".
The College was formally opened on Monday, 20 January 1817 with 20 'scholars'. The foundation committee of the college, which oversaw its establishment, was headed by Raja Rammohan Roy. The control of the institution was vested in a body of two Governors and four Directors. The first Governors of the college were Maharaja Tejchandra Bahadur of Burdwan and Gopee Mohan Thakoor. The first Directors were Gopi Mohun Deb of Sobhabazar, Joykissen Sinha, Radha Madhab Banerjee and Gunganarain Doss. Buddinath Mukherjee was appointed as the first Secretary of the college. The newly established college mostly admitted Hindu students from affluent and progressive families, but also admitted non-Hindu students such as Muslims, Jews, Christians and Buddhists.
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