The American College in Madurai

The American College

Madurai
Motto	Purificatus non consumptus (Latin)
Motto in English	Purified, Not Consumed.
Type	Autonomous
Established	1881
Academic affiliation	MKU
Principal	Dr. M. Davamani Christober
Location	Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India 9°55′44″N 78°07′55″E / 9.929°N 78.132°E / 9.929; 78.132
Campus	Goripalayam, Madurai and Satellite Campus at Chathirapatti.
Sports	Football, hockey, cricket
Website	www.americancollege.edu.in

The American College, often referred to as American College, is one of the oldest colleges present in India. It is in Madurai, Tamil Nadu state, south of India. It was founded in 1881 by American Christian missionaries. The red-brick buildings, in the Saracenic style, blend with the natural surroundings constructed by British architect Henry Irwin. The college was visited by eminent people including Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore who delivered a series of lectures on education in 1919.

The object of the college is to give the students a liberal Christian education and to train them in the service of God. The college maintains a low faculty-student ratio. A major innovation is the choice-based credit system (CBCS). It is hoped that this will make education student-centered.

“In the present educational system the personal element is being very much neglected. Our present teachers are only connecting links between books of reference and the pupil’s note books... So, now we have an education system in our country which is so very costly and laborious, which means so much of waste of energy and yet does not produce the maximum result.” —Rabindranath Tagore at The American College, Main Hall

Founded as a missionary in 1841 by the American Mission, the American College became a collegiate department in 1881. It was started initially as Pasumalai College in 1881, under the initiatives of Rev. George T. Washburn, the first principal. He hails from the Great Washburn clan. The college was shifted to its present location during the period of Rev. W.M. Zumbro, its second principal, who had his formal education at University of Michigan, University of Columbia and Yale University, made a proposal in 1903 to the missionary in the United States to shift the college from Pasumalai to Madurai. With more than 130 years of history, the college is remembered for its pioneering role in the cause of college autonomy.