Madras Christian College (MCC) of Tambaram,Tamil Nadu: One of the oldest and prestigious colleges in India

Madras Christian College,Tambaram,nationalheraldindia

Madras Christian College (MCC), located in Tambaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is one of Asia’s oldest and most respected liberal arts and sciences colleges. Founded in 1837, MCC originated as a missionary school for boys and gradually evolved into a premier educational institution. Initially established as the General Assembly’s School by Rev. John Anderson, a missionary of the Church of Scotland, the school was created to provide quality education, especially focused on biblical teachings, to boys from high Hindu castes. It succeeded St. Andrew’s School, started in 1835 by chaplains Rev. George James Laurie and Rev. Matthew Bowie.

Late John Anderson,Missionary,Madras youtube.com/

The MCC campus in 1937 thehindu.com

The school began in a rented house on Armenian Street, Georgetown, Madras, and later transformed under the visionary leadership of William Miller into a full-fledged college with a reputation for academic excellence and character-building. Miller introduced hostels and student societies, laying the foundation for MCC’s vibrant campus culture.

Due to spatial constraints, the college moved from its Egmore location to a vast 390-acre wooded area in Tambaram in 1937. This transition was led by Principal Rev. William Skinner and executed through the Tambaram Project initiated in 1919. The government allotted land from the former Selaiyur forest. Prof. Edward Barnes and his wife landscaped the campus with rare trees, and Swiss architect Henry Schaetti designed the buildings.

In 2021 the maverick college embark  on  anew venture - opening   an innovation park in the campus. The purpose was to   encourage young minds in the area of start-ups and innovation. They get exposed the needed basic training to develop  the skill so that  they can stand on their own and make a successful  entrepreneurs.    The project include a huge building on the campus in an area of 70,000 square feet and would  provide students of different streams to exchange ideas and translate them into products. The crux of this unique  project is nation  building

Today, MCC operates as an autonomous institution affiliated with the University of Madras and was ranked 14th in India by the NIRF in 2024. Its legacy continues through distinguished alumni across fields. Among the popular  alumni  mention may be made of Prominent among them were  Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, famous Philosopher, Statesman and former President of  India and Sir. Seshayya Sastri KCSI, former Dewan of Travancore Princely state  and later of Pudukkotta Princely state. He made vast contributions i those states.

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/madras-christian-college-to-open-innovation-park

https://www.navrangindia.in/2015/12/remarkable-scottish-missionary-john.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_Christian_College