Thames International College (Nepal)

Introduction to Thames:

Vision

Our vision is to become a premier academic institution which will transform the educational approach and raise the benchmark of the education system in Nepal.

Mission

Thames International College ensures world class education that transform students into independent, cooperative, competent and socially responsible citizens who value education as a lifelong process.

Core Values

• Promote independent learning that would foster in our students a lifelong desire to learn.
• Prepare students to become socially responsible citizens for meaningful contribution to the society.
• Cultivate in our students a critical cast of mind, a respect for diversity, and understanding of their own and others’ values.
• To transform our students into internationally competitive workforce.
• Promote a culture of tolerance, appreciation and cooperation.
• Create a student centered environment
• Encourage creativity in our faculty and students.
• Promote international perspectives in the course curriculum

Implementing the vision and mission into action

Community Service:

Social responsibility is an integral part of our core values. Thames, through its Office of Student Affairs, provides students with many community service opportunities including volunteering in social organizations, fundraising campaigns, rural camps and awareness campaign on various social issues.

Thames student are actively engaged with communities through Rotaract Club of Thames. Rotaract clubs bring together people ages 18-30 to exchange ideas with leaders in the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service (www.rotary.org). Thames also has a Social Work Club that engages students from different academic programs within Thames in making a difference in the lives of people.

Thames Leadership Award

The Office of Student Affairs confers Thames Leadership Award to graduating students who displayed outstanding leadership qualities during their years at Thames. Deserving students are required to apply to the Office to be nominated for the award during their final semester. In order to apply to be nominated for the award, applicant should have

• successfully completed their academic program from Thames International College
• should have completed academic writing course
• successfully accumulated 10 Leadership Award Points
• completed 100 hours of community service
• successfully completed at least one foreign language course

The focus on leadership, respect to diversity, intercultural sensitivity and civic engagement in its Leadership Award reiterates the commitment of Thames International College towards civically engaged and socially responsible higher education.

Thames believes in collaboration with individuals, groups and institutions who seek to empower people to deal with the complexities of the present day world. Students intern in various social organizations including I/NGOs. Thames also offers its resources for use by the community; the auditorium at Thames is a busy venue.

 Philosophy and Learning Approach

The college takes a liberal artsapproach, introducing a learning that empowers students as individuals and prepares them deal with the complexity, diversity and change in the modern world .The liberal arts approach provide students with a broad knowledge as well as in-depth study in the specific area of interest.

Students are encouraged to question, challenge, critically reflect, discuss and comment on the concepts and structures which frame the current practices. Students are also encouraged to become independent and self-sustaining individuals with the motivation and the abilities to continue their personal and professional development during the program and once they have graduated from Thames.

The liberal education provided at Thames

1. Develops Knowledge of Human Cultures and Society

Students’ future success will also depend on their ability to live and work in a global context. And that means knowing as much about other cultures as you do about your own.

 Arts help us develop a more self –conscious and expansive sense of how different cultural groups define themselves through social practices.

 Knowing how individuals are socialize and express their identities can lead to deeper insights about the nature of human organization, the sources of political power and authority, and the distribution of resources. The study of race, gender, ethnicity, and religion can help us think deeply not only about ourselves, but also about the social institutions that serve to define our very notions of self.

The college offers, besides English, several foreign language courses including French and Chinese. Language students are also provided with opportunity to participate in student exchange programs in France and China. Fluency in a third language, coupled with international travels, will sharpen students’ sensitivities, enlarge their sense of geography, and prepare them for leadership in an increasingly interconnected world.

Student body at Thames is extremely diverse. Thames’ diverse educational environment offers students the opportunity to think broadly about the nature of complexity itself, and to learn how to participate productively in a pluralistic society. Achieving excellence in liberal education requires a commitment to diversity in the broadest sense. This means embracing not only a range of intellectual perspectives, but also a diversity of people.  .

1. Develops Intellectual and Practical Skills

• Critical Thinking: In Thames classroomsstudents are encouraged to question, challenge, critically reflect, discuss and comment on the concepts and structures which frame the current practices.
• Reading and Writing: Courses across the Thames curriculum require students to be engaged in reading substantially. Gaining experience with close reading may be one of the most important things students will learn to do in their years at Thames.

Most of the courses, especially general education, are marked writing intensive.

These courses emphasize writing at all levels of instruction and across the curriculum, including final year projects. Students are encouraged to produce and revise various forms of writing throughout undergraduate years at Thames. The effectiveness of this repeated practice is incomparable.

• Working in a team: Course work at Thames often requires students to work in team. Collaborative assignments and projects have two key goals: learning to work and solve problem in the company of others, and sharpening ones’ own understanding by listening seriously to the insights of others, especially those with different backgrounds and life experiences. Approaches range from team-based assignments and writing, to cooperative projects and research.
• Life-long learning: Ability toread, think and write critically and work with others in a team is fundamental to becoming life- long learners.

1. Develops Applied Learning and Personal and Social Responsibility: Thames education is enriched by many kinds of work students are required to do beyond the classroom. Real world experiences not only provide help them with practical knowledge but also help them develop a sense of social and global responsibility. Field placements, internships and other community service activities not only helps strengthen students’ core academics but also strengthen their moral core.  Looking beyond the horizon of ones immediate interests and sharing knowledge and talents with others can expand intellectual and ethical capacities that will make it possible for students’ to lead a full and engaged life.