GC University (Government College)

Established: 1864
Dean: Dr. Islam Ullah Khan
Students: 7,382
Contact : +92 42 111 000 010
Address:Near Nasir Bagh, Katchery Rd, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Former names: Government College (GC)
Nickname: GCU Lahore
Website: www.gcu.edu.pk

The Government College University, Lahore  is a public university located in the downtown area of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest university in Pakistan as well as oldest institution of higher learning in the Muslim world. Initially established as Government College Lahore, it was granted university status by the Government of Pakistan in 2002; the word college is retained in its title for preserving its historical roots.

The GCU offers wide range of programs for undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral studies with a strong emphasis on science and arts. Its departments of physics and mathematics holds an international prestige and retains distinguish image for world-class research and development in the country as well as in the world. As of current, the GCU has four faculties within which there are 29 academic departments; there are four research institutes associated with the GCU.
The GCU secured its second position in the "medium category" by the HEC in 2013. In addition, the GCU has the highest graduation rate in the country, with an average of 95.5% annually. Alumni of the GCU are called Ravians which is derived word from the name of the student magazine "Ravi", published by the administration of the college; the magazine name is inspired by the Ravi River. The GCU is noted for its historical roots and attracted notable scholars such as Leitner, Salam and philosopher Iqbal to studied and became alumnus of the GCU.

Lahore Metro Bus near GCU.

History

Government College, Lahore in the 1880s
Under the British Raj Government College was opened on 1 January 1864 in a portion of the Palace of Raja Dhyan Singh Haveli. The institution was affiliated with the University of Calcutta for examination. Along with the establishment of the college, Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner (professor of Arabic and Islamic Law at King's College in London) was nominated as principal of college. Later, he later was instrumental in the foundation of University of the Punjab, established in 1882. The first class consisted of nine students, all of whom matriculated from University of Calcutta. In April 1871, the college moved to its present site. Eric C. Dickinson became its Principal. He taught English at the Aligarh Muslim University.

In 1996, it received autonomous status; on 9 September 2002, it became a university.

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. It is intended to develop courage among the students to fulfil their academic potential.

Academic departments

The university consists of the following faculties, centres and teaching departments:

• Centers Chairs
• Center for Advanced Studies in Physics (CASP)
• High Tension Laboratory (now CASP) – established in 1954 by Dr. Rafi Muhammad Chaudhry to carry out research in Atomic and Nuclear Physics.

Faculty of Engineering

• B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering a four-year degree programme and also offers MS Electrical Engineering a two-year degree programme.
• National Center of Mathematics – The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan has established the National Centre for Mathematics (NCM) at the GC University, Lahore for the advancement of Mathematical Sciences in Pakistan and to develop indigenous human resources and research capability in the field of Mathematics.
• Human Resource Development Center (H.R.D.C) – The center has arranged in service teachers training programmes for the GCU faculty on academic and administrative topics.

Abdus Salam Chair in Physics

The Abdus Salam Chair in Physics, named after the Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Abdus Salam, is a physics research institute of GCU. The institute became operational in March 2000 with the efforts of Ishfaq Ahmad, a lifelong friend of Salam. In 2009 the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) donated Salam's original Nobel certificate to the Salam Chair in Physics. The former director of ICTP Dr. Katepalli R. Sreenivasan visited Pakistan where he had gifted the original Nobel certificate to GCU alma mater. The certificate reads: "for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter-alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current".

The institute has academic programmes that promote research activity in physics. Some of its achievements include: getting 52 research publications in international journals; producing 6 PhD and 25 M.Phil theses; the setting up of a Plasma Technology Lab; and contracting research grants from funding agencies and research centres such as the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL), Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) and Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR).

Abdus Salam School for Mathematical Sciences (ASSMS)

Main article: Abdus Salam School of Mathematics
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 the Government of 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 ASSMS, Pakistani mathematicians opted to study abroad for postdoctoral fellowships, however an increasing number of M.Phil/PhD holders from foreign institutions are choosing ASSMS to pursue their postdoctoral fellowships.

The director of ASSMS, Dr. Alla Ditta Raza Choudary, has taken steps to provide encouragement to Pakistani students in schools and colleges. These include:

The faculty at the Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences host training camps for students from schools and colleges. The participants of the camps are prepared for the national team of Pakistan to compete at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). In 2005, the national team of Pakistan took part for the first time in IMO. In 2007 Pakistan won the first medal at IMO and the second in 2009.
ASSMS has organised mathematics contests at the national level.

Institute of Industrial Bio-Technology

The Institute of Industrial Biotechnology GC University, Lahore, was established in April 2005. Prof Ikram-ul-Haq is the first head of the institute. The Vice Chancellor has consented to launch B.Sc., M.Sc, and M. Phil classes in Biotechnology and constitute a separate Board of Studies for the institute.

Postgraduate departments

• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Science
• Geography
• Economics
• Botany
• Banking & Finance
• Entrepreneurship and SME Management
• Industrial Chemistry
• Financial Economics and Management
• English
• Computer Science / Information Technology
• History
• Industrial Bio-Technology
• Management Studies
• Mathematics
• Persian
• Physics
• Philosophy and Inter Disciplinary Studies
• Psychology & Clinical psychology
• Political Science
• Statistics
• Telecommunication
• Urdu
• Zoology