Mangaluru: St Aloysius (Deemed to be University) will host the 25th Triennial Conference 2025 of the Xavier Board of Higher Education in India. The four-day conference, starting on Saturday, will bring together heads of Catholic higher educational institutions, academic leaders, and delegates from across India to deliberate on the evolving landscape of higher education.It will be inaugurated by MC Sudhakar, minister for higher education. Armstrong Pame, joint secretary, department of higher education (DOHE), ministry of education, will grace the occasion as chief guest.Fr Praveen Martis, vice-chancellor of the St Aloysius (Deemed to be University), said on Friday that the theme of the conference will be ‘Empowering Minds, Embracing Change: Reimagining Higher Education for a Global Tomorrow.’ The Xavier Board of Higher Education in India, established in 1951, unites Catholic higher education institutions across the country and serves as a national platform for dialogue, reflection, and collaboration. Over its 74-year journey, the board promoted excellence and social commitment through annual and triennial conferences that build networks and leadership across India’s Catholic universities and colleges.The conference seeks to reimagine Catholic higher education in the face of rapid transformation and global interdependence, calling institutions to foster critical thinking, creativity, and global citizenship. It emphasises the integration of faith and innovation in building institutions that are spiritually grounded, intellectually dynamic, and socially inclusive.The keynote address on ‘Innovating for Inclusion: Higher Education at the Threshold of Global Leadership’ will be delivered by Dr Cynthia Menezes, former acting vice-chancellor, Bangalore University. The conference will also launch the Global Bridges Initiative—a networking platform promoting collaboration between Indian Catholic institutions and international universities for research, academic exchange, and sustainability initiatives.
