HNC is founded on the motto, Quaesitum, meaning, ‘something that is sought’ or ‘a solution to a problem’. Quest, derived from this word, means an act or process of careful search. Behind the history of progress in human society is the inherent capability of humans to be on the quest for knowledge and the embrace of ideals that make a society just and equitable. At HNC, a student is encouraged to ask questions and imbibe thirst for knowledge and how it is acquired and disseminated. Similarly, HNC believe that dissemination of knowledge and embrace of human ideals makes a society progressive and inclusive. Barriers to knowledge and progress, however, still exist in the form of extreme social inequities. Higher education promoted by progressive and inclusive institutions, HNC believe, engender a just social order.
A silhouette of a blue-green mountain range with a valley in the foreground is the logo of HNC. This image is encrusted in a crest with the letters HNC embossed in the foreground. A mountain in the natural world is a perennial source of food and water and repository of eco-friendly indigenous knowledge system that is practically imparted free of cost. HNC by adopting this logo seeks to promote a knowledge system that is eco-friendly and socially relevant, particularly to the highlander North East community. The philosophy of the logo also serves as a reminder to revisit highland episteme – traditional medicine, agriculture, music, art, culture, and language, which are slowly dying out.