Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institution from its main campus in Tambaram, Chennai.

It was established originally as a school for boys in the place where Anderson Church is located. From its origins as a missionary endeavor of the Church of Scotland, MCC's alumni and professors include several civil servants, administrators, educators, business people and political leaders. It was ranked 14th among colleges in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2024.

History

Beginnings

MCC has its roots in a small school for boys established in 1835 when two chaplains of the Church of Scotland in Madras, Rev. George James Laurie and Rev. Matthew Bowie founded the St. Andrew's School on Randalls Road in Egmore, Madras. At their request, the Church of Scotland sent a missionary to India to govern it. Missionary Rev. John Anderson, set up the institution as the General Assembly's School, conducting classes in a rented house on the east side of Armenian Street in Georgetown, Madras. The headmaster and 59 boys from St. Andrew's School moved to this institution. It was named after the supreme governing body of the Church of Scotland and aimed at attracting students from the Hindu higher castes with the aim of "conveying as great as an amount of truth as possible through the channel of a good education especially of Bible truth". The college grew from the school into a wooded campus under the leadership of educationalist William Miller, who created hostels and several academic and cultural associations, which shaped MCC into a premier educational institution in South Asia.

The rapid expansion of the college and the paucity of the space necessitated moving the campus to a more spacious location. Accordingly, the college under the leadership of Rev. William Skinner (principal 1909–1921) initiated the Tambaram Project in 1919. Rev. Gordon Matthew as the town planning secretary negotiated with the government, which set aside of the former Selaiyur forest land in Tambaram."Arbours of Academia", The Hindu, by Prince Frederick, CHENNAI, 21 May 2012 While Mrs. and Prof. Edward Barnes meticulously planted rare trees and worked out the physical landscape, the Swiss architect Henry Schaetti, then based in Kodaikanal, India, designed the buildings. After 100 years in the heart of the city, the college moved to the sprawling, green campus in Tambaram on the outskirts of Madras in 1937.

On 30 January 1937, the governor of Madras, Lord John Erskine declared open the first campus buildings. The hostel gave way to three halls of residence — Selaiyur, Thomas' and Heber — active today as semi-autonomous student communities. Women students were admitted on a regular basis from 1939, and a hostel for them came up in Guindy, Madras in 1950. This too evolved into an on-campus hall of residence for women, Martin Hall, named after Agnes Martin, in 1968, Margaret Hall in 2009 and Barnes Hall in 2016.

Tambaram Conference 1938

In 1938, MCC hosted the Tambaram Conference (also called The Madras Conference or Tambaram 1938), the third World Missionary Conference which eventually created the World Council of Churches. The same buildings were used again in 1988 (Tambaram 1988) to commemorate this landmark event which focused on contemporary thought into ecumenism, Christianity's engagement with world religions and traditions. In the words of Bishop Stephen Neill, this event was "the most international gathering held up to that point in the entire history of the Christian Church." William Miller's vision in creating an educational institution that prepared the largely Hindu students to a Christward direction through education, rather than just conversion of their faith, was lauded. Lesslie Newbigin, the famous missionary and theologian who attended the 1938 conference, spoke at the 1988 event at MCC as well.

Governance and leadership The Rev. A.J. Boyd led the college for 18 years (1938–56). After Boyd, Macphail became principal, who was then succeeded by the first Indian principal of the college, Chandran Devanesan in 1962.

The college was one of the first in India to be granted Autonomy in 1978 and the first batch of Autonomous graduates passed out in 1981. The year 2006 marked the Silver Jubilee of Autonomy for Madras Christian College. The 175th year celebrations were organized in the year 2012.

Principals List of Principals from inceptionJoshua Kalapati, Ambrose Jeyasekaran T., Life and Legacy of Madras Christian College 1837-1978, Self-published by the Authors, Chennai, 2010, p.337. of the College till present, No. Years Name Academic credentials1. 1837-1855The Rev. John Anderson2. 1856-1860The Rev. John Braidwood3.1860-1862The Rev. A. N. Campbell4. 1862-1909 The Rev. William MillerM. A. (Aberdeen), L. L. D. 5. 1909-1921 The Rev. William Skinner6. 1921-1923 The Rev. Earle Monteith Macphail7. 1923-1930 The Rev. William Meston8. 1930-1938 The Rev. Alfred George Hogg9. 1938-1956 The Rev. Alexander John Boyd10. 1956-1962 The Rev. James Russel Macphail11. 1962-1973 Chandran D. S. DevanesenM. A. (Cantab.), Ph. D. (Harvard)External Research List, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, 1962, p.8.12. 1973-1978 Bennet Albert13.1978-1981 M. AbelB. A. (Andhra), M. A. (Madras), Ph. D. (California)14.1981-1989 Mithra G. AugustineB. A., M. A., Ph. D.15.1989-1994Rev. Francis SoundararajM.A., BD, Ph.D., Postdoc Fellow (Edin)16.1994-1999 M GladstoneB. Sc., M. Sc., Ph. D.17.1999-2005 Alexander MantramurtiB. A., M. A., Ph. D.18. 2005-2009 V. J. PhillipB. Sc. (Madras), M. Sc. (Madras), Ph. D. (Madras)19. 2009–2020 R. W. Alexander JesudasanB. Sc. (Madras), M. Sc. (Madras), Ph. D. (Madras),The Senate of the University of Madras D. Sc. (Madras)Chitradeepa A., World-class researcher and an able administrator, The Hindu, 27 September 2017.20. 2020–present P. Wilson B. Sc. (Madras), M. Sc. (Madras), Ph. D. (IIT Madras), PDF (Israel)

Campus The campus is known for its flora and fauna, notably deer and rare trees. The college is distinguished by a lake on campus. The campus curator maintains these natural resources and ensures that no damage is done through the unauthorized cutting of plants or grass. The first curator of the campus was Edward Barnes."Madras Miscellany", by S Muthiah, The Hindu, 16 October 2011 Several faculty members from the Department of Botany and Zoology have since served as curators of the campus. They are K.R. Venkattasubban, Giles Lal, D.E.P. Jeyasingh, P. Dayanandan, C. Livingstone, G. Ebenezer, and Manu Thomas. Selva Singh Richard from Botany Department is the current curator of MCC.

It is the second-largest scrub jungle in Asia, actively used by departments like Botany and Zoology for their practical work.

The Scrub Society at Madras Christian College, along with other departments and units on the campus, strives for the development, preservation, and protection of this campus for future generations. It was headed by C. Livingstone from inception to his superannuation in the year 2007. The college also has a College Union Society in which, all students are members.

The most recognizable building is the 'Main Building' to which the main entrance leads. It houses administrative offices and some departments as well as lecture rooms. The Miller Memorial Library is another landmark building, built in anticipation of then-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit in 1987.

Biodiversity MCC has actively supported the diversity of flora and fauna on campus. Several eminent staff from various departments have contributed to the development and the upkeep of campus diversity. Edward Barnes (Department of Chemistry), the first curator of MCC Campus (along with his wife) began this process. K.R. Venkatasubban (professor and head, Department of Botany), P. Sanjeeva Raj (retired professor and head, Department of Zoology), Gift Siromony (professor and head, Department of Statistics), Mr. Giles Lal (Department of Botany) and C. Livingstone (Department of Botany) have documented the biodiversity of the campus as well as other areas in the region.

Public spaces

Anderson Hall

MCC's largest auditorium, named after its founder Rev. John Anderson, was built in anticipation of the third World Missionary Conference which was held here in 1938. In the words of Bishop Stephen Neill, this event was "the most international gathering held up to that point in the entire history of the Christian Church." The hall also hosted evangelist Billy Graham's visit to the campus in 1956. He delivered his address in this auditorium. The hall is used for a variety of events and has hosted several notable people — the nation's highest leaders, politicians, theologians, preachers, educators, businesspeople, civil servants, etc. — and continues to be the predominant indoor public space on campus.

MCC Quadrangle The quadrangle or diamond directly in front of the main building is the largest outdoor public space, used primarily for large student gatherings, such as the shows hosted during the annual Deepwoods intercollegiate cultural festival.

Boxing Ring The Boxing Ring, in front of the Principal's Quarters, doubles as an outdoor stage with green space in the front for a sizable audience, primarily used for student gatherings.

International Guest House This modern building, designed by a Swedish architect to western standards, is situated in the midst of a densely wooded area near the athletic fields. Wild deer grazing outside the dining room is not an uncommon sight.

Cafeteria and gutters The cafeteria and gutters are the spots students congregate during breaks or free hours. The gutters are popular hangouts for intellectual conversation and often the birthplace of artistic or culturally significant initiatives by students.

Macphail's Arts Centre

The Fine Arts Centre is named after J.R. Macphail.

Sportsfields and C.A. Abraham Pavilion

The Madras Christian College campus has several sports fields and facilities, including cricket, association football, tennis, basketball (indoor and outdoor), boxing, and others. The cricket pavilion is named after the former physical director of the college, C.A. Abraham. These sports fields used by the student community, especially during the inter hall sports.Joshua Kalapati and Ambrose Jeyasekaran, Life and Legacy of Madras Christian College, 2010

Residential halls

The college has six residential halls for students - Selaiyur Hall, St. Thomas's Hall, Bishop Heber Hall, Martin Hall (earlier known as the Women's Hostel), Margaret Hall and Barnes Hall.

St. Thomas's Hall