Constitution:

This is a provisional Constitution to be promulgated by the JCSA at its March meeting in 2009.

Name

  1. The name of the Association shall be “Jesuit Higher Education Association - South Asian Assistancy”.

Legal Status

  1. For purposes of Civil Law, the Association is the “Higher Education Section” of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia, a Registered Society, and legal owners of the material assets of the Association.
  2. The Head Office of the Association shall be located for the present at I.S.I. 10, Lodi Road, New Delhi – 110 003.

Aims and Objectives of the Association

  1. The aims of the Association shall be:
    In General
    1. To promote the welfare of Jesuit Higher Education Institutions and of all persons concerned with them; to strive especially, to give a social, moral and spiritual orientation to Jesuit higher education work and to foster among Jesuits and lay staff alike an Ignatian vision of education, and to produce men and women for others.
    2. Through its member institutions, to make its own contribution towards the transformation of present-day socio-cultural conditions, so that the principles of social justice, equality of opportunity, genuine freedom and respect for religious and moral values, enshrined in the Constitution of India, may prevail, and the possibility of living a fully human existence may be open to all.
  2. In particular, the Association shall:
    1. Assist the Jesuit Conference of South Asia and individual Provincials and Regional Superiors to organize the sector of higher education with clarity, relevance and vision;
    2. Encourage and promote educational research, particularly with reference to the religious and social dimensions of Jesuit education, and provide a forum for reflection on key educational issues, social issues and developmental issues at the zonal and Assistancy level;
    3. Collect and circulate useful and meaningful information, publish journals, books, pamphlets and other literature, arrange for meetings, seminars, conferences, consultations etc., and assist Jesuit Higher Education Institutions with information and guidance in higher education matters;
    4. Foster collaboration among Jesuits engaged in higher education work and among Jesuit Higher Education Institutions, and coordinate their activities wherever necessary, and support initiatives/research at zonal and Assistancy levels;
    5. Foster and coordinate the work of Jesuits working among Colleges/Universities outside Jesuit Higher Education Institutions, such as youth animators, hostel directors, study centers, and others engaged in similar activities;
    6. Represent, as and when required, one, some, or all of the members of the Association before the authorities concerned, as well as before other Associations and the general public; and
    7. Cooperate with all other bodies both governmental and voluntary, Christian and non-Christian, Jesuits and others, engaged in higher education work, or connected with it, and to assist them to the extent possible.

Membership

  1. All Institutions of education at the tertiary level administered/owned by the Society of Jesus in the South Asian Assistancy shall be ipso-facto members of the Association. The following categories of such Institutions shall therefore be eligible for membership of the Association:
    1. Arts, Science, Commerce, Social Work (either single/dual/or triple faculty – Undergraduate/Post Graduate);
    2. Teacher education colleges/Institutions/Research Centers;
    3. Centers/Institutions giving degrees in computers (BCA/MCA);
    4. Institutions/Centers granting management/Engineering degrees/diplomas (MBA/Diploma in Business Administration etc.);
    5. Autonomous Research Centers (physical sciences/social sciences/humanities).
  2. Exercise of the membership will be as follows:
    1. The Jesuit Heads (Principals/Directors) of each of the colleges/Centres/Institutions listed above shall ordinarily exercise membership in the Association;
    2. If the Jesuit Head of a college due to unavoidable circumstances cannot exercise membership then the Rector will be obliged to exercise membership;
    3. In the case of the Principal/Director being a lay person, then both the lay Head (Principal/Director) and the Rector shall ordinarily exercise membership in the Association;
    4. The Head (Principal/Director/Rector) may not delegate the membership in the Association to any other person;
    5. The Zonal Coordinators for Higher Education;
    6. The National Secretary of AICUF is a permanent invitee to this meeting.

Management

  1. The ultimate management and administration of the Association is vested in the Jesuit Conference of South Asia.
  2. Between meetings of the Conference, the Provincial of South Asia shall act on behalf of the Major Superiors, as the Conference may determine.
  3. The management of the Association shall be vested in an Assistancy Committee composed of:
    1. The Provincial of South Asia;
    2. The Assistancy Secretary of the JHEASAA;
    3. Zonal Coordinators for Higher Education;
    4. The National Secretary of AICUF is a permanent invitee to this meeting.
  4. The Provincial of South Asia shall be ex-officio Chairman of the Committee, and the Secretary of the JHEASAA shall be its Secretary.
  5. The Assistancy Committee shall meet at least once a year.

Assistancy Secretary

  1. The Association shall have an Assistancy Secretary who shall be proposed by the Jesuit Conference of South Asia in consultation with the Heads (Principals/Directors/Rectors) of our Jesuit Higher Education Institutions and shall be appointed by the Provincial of South Asia. His term of office shall be three years, and may be extended to a maximum of six years.
  2. The Assistancy Secretary’s position will initially be a part-time responsibility. At such time as the Jesuit Conference deems it necessary it may convert this position to a full-time responsibility.
  3. The Assistancy Secretary shall be an ex-officio member of any Committees/Task Forces set-up in the Assistancy for the purposes of pursuing the goal of Higher Education.
  4. The Assistancy Secretary should be selected from Jesuits in Higher Education who are actively involved in our Institutions.
  5. The duties and powers of the Assistancy Secretary shall be:
    1. To direct the administration of the Association;
    2. To promote the aims and objectives of the Association, in particular to sensitize the heads of our Jesuit Higher Educational Institutions to take corporate responsibility for the entire network of Higher Education Institutions in the Assistancy;
    3. To organize and conduct the annual meeting of the members of the Association;
    4. To coordinate staff-level and student-level national seminars/workshops etc.;
    5. To assist the Province Coordinators for Higher Education and coordinate their activities wherever desirable;
    6. To advise the Jesuit Conference of South Asia or individual Major Superiors on higher educational matters, chiefly where inter-Provincial cooperation is desirable;
    7. To report to the Council of Secretaries of the Provincial of South Asia, and to the Jesuit Conference of South Asia and to the Superior General of the Society of Jesus on the work of the Association and to keep them generally informed about the Jesuit higher education work in South Asia, its problems, needs, progress, etc.;
    8. To attend Province seminars and to periodically visit at least some of the Institutions in each Province;
    9. To represent the Association, either personally or by deputing one who is on the Assistancy Committee, at meetings of other Higher Education Associations, if and when desirable;
    10. He shall be the Administrator and manager of the official website of JHEASAA.

Province Coordinators for Higher Education

  1. Provinces having at least three Higher Education Jesuit Institutions shall have a coordinator for Higher Education appointed by the Provincial on the wide consensus of the educators in the Higher Education Institutions. They shall be referred to as Province Coordinators for Higher Education (PCHE). As far as is possible he/she should be currently a Head (Principal/Director) of a college or Director of a Research/Education Centre or any other education Institution.
  2. The PCHE will be the Chairman cum convener of the Province Commission for Higher Education, which will normally be constituted by the Principals of the Higher Education Institutions in the province.
  3. The functions and duties of the PCHE shall be as follows:
    In General
    1. To assist the Provincial Superiors in all matters connected with the higher education work of their respective Province and with the Jesuit personnel engaged in higher educational activities, and to assist them in periodically formulating or revising the higher education policy of the Provinces;
    2. To supervise, under the Provincial Superior, the higher education Institutions of the Province, to assist these Institutions in their work, to coordinate their activities and to advise on the opening of new Institutions and departments and the closing of existing ones;
    3. To attend the meeting of the PCHEs of the Assistancy with the JHEASAA Secretary once in two years.
  4. For the proper exercise of the above functions he shall:
    1. Visit periodically the higher education institutions under his charge to acquaint himself with their work, to inspire and encourage those working there and to promote the implementation of Province policies on higher education, and of the resolutions and recommendations of the Province and Assistancy meetings of the Association;
    2. Report, if so called upon, to the Superior General of the Society of Jesus on the higher education work and Institutions of the Province and, as often as may be required, to his Provincial Superior;
    3. Report to Rectors or Principals on the state of the Institutions under their charge and make recommendations for their improvement;
    4. Keep in touch with the Province Coordinators for Formation and with Jesuits in Formation so as to interest them in the work and the needs of the colleges/research centres/Institutions;
    5. Convene and conduct at least twice a year meetings of the Province Commission for Higher Education, so as to discuss and find solutions to common problems and to subject Jesuit higher education work to constant review and updating;
    6. Organize seminars, workshops for the Jesuits and other stakeholders of our Higher Education Institutions keeping in mind the Jesuit mission vision;
    7. Act as liaison with government and other higher education bodies on behalf of the higher education institutions of the Province;
    8. Collaborate with other Province Coordinators for Higher Education as and when desirable.

Zonal Organization

  1. For a more effective realization of its aims and objectives, the member institutions of the Association will be grouped into three zones (north+east, south and west) corresponding to the geographical regions of the Assistancy.
  2. One of the PCHEs from each of these zones shall be proposed as Zonal Coordinator for Higher Education by the Jesuit Conference of South Asia in consultation with the PCHEs of the corresponding zones. He shall be appointed by the Provincial of South Asia for a term of three years. This term may be extended to a maximum of six years.
  3. The functions of the Zonal Coordinator shall be in general to animate and coordinate the PCHEs of that zone.
  4. In particular the Zonal Coordinator shall:
    1. Convene and conduct a meeting of the PCHEs of the zone at least once a year;
    2. Organize programs like seminars, workshops, consultations and courses at the zonal level, as and when required;
    3. Represent the zone at Assistancy meetings, etc. as and when such meetings etc. are convened;
    4. Perform such other duties that might be entrusted to him by the Assistancy Secretary of the JHEASAA.

Finance

  1. The expenses of the Association will be borne by the members, as determined by the Jesuit Conference of South Asia.
  2. The Assistancy officers and the Assistancy Committee may raise funds by the sale of books, giving lectures, receiving donations etc.
  3. For purposes of Civil Law, the accounts of the Association, though maintained separately, shall be incorporated into those of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia.

Publications of the Association

  1. Amendments to the Constitution shall be proposed by the Assistancy Secretary to the Jesuit Conference of South Asia through the Provincial of South Asia, provided that not less than two-thirds of the JHEASAA concurs in the changes.

Amendments to the Constitutions

  1. Amendments to the Constitution shall be proposed by the Assistancy Secretary to the Jesuit Conference of South Asia through the Provincial of South Asia, provided that not less than two-thirds of the JHEASAA concurs in the changes.
  2. Amendments that are approved by the Jesuit Conference of South Asia shall become part of the Constitution when duly promulgated.

Dissolution

  1. The Association shall be dissolved when the Jesuit Conference of South Asia shall decide that this is in the best interest of the Jesuit Higher Education Institutions in South Asia.