The Senate of Serampore College (University) is located in Serampore Town, in Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. Serampore was granted the status of university in 1829, making it India's first institution to have the status of a university. The college was founded by the missionaries Joshua Marshman, William Carey and William Ward (the Serampore trio), to give an education in Arts and Sciences to students of every "caste, colour or country" and to train a ministry for the growing Church in India (See: Christianity in India). The Senate of Serampore College (University) runs the academic administration of all its affiliated theological colleges. The Council of Serampore College holds a Danish Charter and had the power to confer degrees in any subject, which it currently exercises only for conferring theological degrees as recommended by the Senate. The present Master is the Rt.Revd.Dr.John S. Sadananda, Bishop of Karnataka Southern Diocese of the CSI. Several theological Colleges and Seminaries all over India including Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College.