CMS College Kottayam

The CMS College (CMS College Kottayam) is the first Western-style college in India. Having been established in 1815, it makes it India's oldest existing college, 2 years older than the erstwhile Hindu College of Bengal.

CMS College Kottayam
MottoThy Word Is Truth
Established1815 (1815)
AffiliationMadhya Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India
Academic affiliation
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam
PrincipalDr. Varghese C Joshua.
Location
Kottayam
Websitecmscollege.ac.in

Overview

The college now has fourteen departments teaching 47 courses. There are six research centres in the college. Research work leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is conducted in the departments of Botany, Zoology, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English, and Commerce.

History
The great hall

CMS College Kottayam was founded by the Church Missionary Society of England, in 1815 when no institution existed in what was then the princely state of Travancore to teach English.

CMS College Kottayam was patronised by Col. John Munro, the East India Company Resident, and Dewan of Travancore. The Rev. Benjamin Bailey was the first principal. Apart from English, Greek and Latin were taught. The government of India welcomed the college as "a place of general education hence any demands of the state for officers to fill all the departments of public service would be met".[1]

In the early years of the Old Seminary (Orthodox Pazhaya Seminary), the curriculum included the study of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Mathematics, History, and Geography besides English, Malayalam, Sanskrit, and Syriac. In 1838, the college moved to a wooded hillock — the present site — commanding views of the distant Western Ghats. One of the oldest buildings in the campus is Room 52, or the "Grammar School", as it was originally called. A college magazine in Malayalam was started in 1864 by Principal Richard Collins, after whom the college library is named.

In 1857 the college was affiliated to Madras University soon after its incorporation, and the college began to present students for the Matriculation examination. It provided free education to all its students until 1855 when the fee of one Rupee per month per student was collected. The number of students in 1870 was 129. In 1880, Visakham Thirunal, Maharaja of Travancore, observed on a visit to the college: "Long before the state undertook the humanizing task of educating the subjects, the Christian Missionaries had raised the beacon of knowledge in the land".

In 1840, the number of students in the College was 220. In 1890, two-year classes were started, and the first batch of students, initially all men, was presented for the F.A. Examination in 1892. Female students were not admitted to the college until 1938. In 1950, Degree classes were started, and by 1960 the number of students in the college had risen to 1,250. Postgraduate classes were started in 1959. The college is now affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. In 1981, the Synod of the Church of South India transferred the management of the college to the C. S. I. Madhya Kerala Diocese.

In 1999 the college was accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council with five-star status. In 2004 the University Grants Commission accorded it the status of College with Potential for Excellence. In 2009, the CMS English department celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the introduction of a postgraduate programme.[2]

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. "Setting standards of excellence: UGC recognition has added to CMS College's list of merits". The Hindu. 4 January 2005. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  2. "CMS College English Dept PG wing golden jubilee". Express News Service. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  3. "A proud moment for CMS College: Prof. Sudarshan delights all at his alma mater". The Hindu. 5 July 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  4. Staff reporter (25 December 2010). "CMS College to organise alumni meet". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 October 2017.

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