Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is a multi-campus public university in Mumbai, India. It is Asia's oldest institute for professional social work education and was founded in 1936 in the then Bombay Presidency of British India as the Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work by the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. In 1944, the institute was officially renamed the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and in 1964, the Government of India declared TISS a deemed university under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act (UGC), 1956.

In 1954, TISS moved to a permanent campus at Deonar, Mumbai (now known as the Main Campus), from the earlier campuses at Nagpada and then Andheri. In 2001, the Deonar campus was expanded to include the Malti Jal and Jal A. D. Naoroji Campus Annexe, which are now commonly known as the New Campus. TISS, in 1986, established a rural campus in Tuljapur, Maharashtra and two off-campuses in Guwahati and Hyderabad in 2011. In addition to these campuses, TISS offers teaching, training, research, and development support from centres established across India including in Leh, Ladakh and Port Blair, the Andaman and Nicobar.

TISS's academic programs focus on the social sciences and offer doctoral degrees in Habitat Studies, Management and Labour Studies, Disaster Studies, Development Studies, Education, Gender Studies, Health Studies, Law, Media and Cultural Studies, Public Policy, Rural Development and Social Work. Since its inception TISS has had a focus on field action including responding to disasters such as the Partition of India, the Bhopal disaster and Uttarakhand floods. Several TISS initiatives have shaped public policy in India, such as India's labour welfare laws. Notable organizations and personalities have been appreciative of TISS's social service work including Eleanor Roosevelt, Jawaharlal Nehru, Niels Bohr and the United Nations, among others.

History

TISS (Tata Institute of social sciences) - India's first premier institute for social work was established in the year 1936, as the Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work. It was renamed to its current name in 1944. It was recognised as a Deemed University in 1964 by the University Grants Commission of India.

Academic collaborations 
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences has a history of collaboration with institutions in India. The institute also has academic and research collaborations with other institutes and universities including the University of Chicago, the London School of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sciences Po,  and 12 universities under the Erasmus Mundus program.

London School of Economics and Political Science research collaboration, was launched at LSE in June 2007. The programme is undertaken in two streams, namely, Social Sciences and Health.

Campuses and schools

Mumbai 

TISS was established in 1936 as the Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work in Mumbai. In 2014, TISS introduced the Secular Ethics for Higher Education credit course in Mumbai. The inauguration was attended by the Dalai Lama, who was reported to have stated that, "Since women have been shown to be more sensitive to others’ suffering, their leadership may be more effective. His Holiness suggested it's time for men to withdraw and for women to step forward."

Hyderabad 

TISS Hyderabad came into being with the approval of the Academic Council and Governing Board of TISS. The Registrations under the Societies Registrations Act and Public Trust Act of TISS Mumbai are valid for TISS Hyderabad as well. TISS Mumbai provides oversight in matters of admission, instruction, evaluation of TISS Hyderabad and confers TISS degrees. Currently, it operates from two campuses: one in Alimineti Madhava Reddy Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development (AMR-APARD) in Rajendranagar, and the other in Roda Mistry School of Social Work in Gachibowli. At the invitation of the Government of Telangana, TISS is in the process of setting up a 100 acres campus in Kothur Mandal, Mahabubnagar district.

Governance
The institute has a governing board nominated by the Government of India, Government of Maharashta, the University of Mumbai and the University Grants Commission along with representatives from the institute faculty. S. Ramadorai, vice chairman, TCS and Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, is the current honorary chairperson of TISS. The chairperson of the governing board has functions similar to that of the chancellor of a conventional university. The academic council decides matters of academic nature and comprises faculty drawn from the institute's 4 campuses and as well as 6 external experts.

Director 

The director of the institute acts as both the academic and administrative head. This position is similar to that of the vice-chancellor of any university. From February 2018, Shalini Bharat serves as director.

Deputy Directors 
The deputy director (equivalent to post of pro-vice-chancellor) is the academic head of the institute.

Rankings

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranked Tata Institute of Social Sciences in the 151–200 band overall in India in 2023 and 98 among universities.

Notable alumni

Alumni 

Medha Patkar, Social Activist
Anu Aga, Former Chairman, Thermax
Purnima Mane, President and CEO, Pathfinder International
Akash Khurana, actor.

References

External links
 

 
1936 establishments in India
Schools of social work
Universities and colleges established in 1936
Research institutes in Mumbai
Universities and colleges in Mumbai
Tata institutions
Deemed universities in Maharashtra