Christ (Deemed to be University), in its Golden Jubilee year, has announced that Dr Father Abraham V M will take over as the new Vice-Chancellor from March 1, 2019. Father Abraham has been serving as the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for the last ten years and will succeed the incumbent Vice-Chancellor Dr Father Thomas C Mathew.
Father Abraham has proven credentials in both the academic and administrative ends of education. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, and Theology from Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore; a Bachelors and Masters degree in Mathematics from University of Calicut; and a Masters in Computer Science from Iona College, New York. He obtained his PhD in Mathematics from Bangalore University, in the area of graph theory. As an accomplished scholar, Father Abraham has significant publications and figures on the Editorial Board of reputed journals. He has travelled to many countries and visited several universities abroad on academic engagements. In July 2019, he is scheduled to attend a three-week training programme in Educational Leadership for Vice Chancellors, to be held at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the United States.
In his career at Christ spanning almost 30 years, Father Abraham has served in varied capacities, as Principal of Christ Junior College; Finance Officer of Christ College; Professor, Department of Mathematics; and Director, Centre for Research. As the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University, the CMI priest had played a significant role in policy making and reinvigorating its academic culture.
"Dr Thomas C Mathew in his tenure has scripted a glorious chapter in the history of the Institution. With his transformational leadership, he has ensured that Christ (Deemed to be University) is a key destination in the educational map of India. The University is now at a crucial juncture, ready to scale newer heights. In the spirit of the University’s Vision ‘Excellence and Service’, I shall strategically work with different teams and further many of the best academic and administrative practices. I shall devote special attention to create a robust and enabling atmosphere for socially and academically impactful research to flourish," says Father Abraham.
Christ started as an affiliated college of Bangalore University and then became the first NAAC accredited college in Karnataka in 1998. It was the first college to be granted autonomy status in Karnataka in 2004, and the first Liberal Arts College to become a Deemed to be University in 2008.
