Growing from strength to strength

Voorhees College celebrates 118 years of service in the field of education

Centre of learning: It has been 118 years since Voorhees College was established in Vellore.

Amid the deafening sound of horns and vehicles whizzing past on Anna Salai stands an institution that has stood the test of time for over a century. It is no ordinary feat for Voorhees College, one of the oldest institutions in this part of the State, as it celebrates its 118 years of existence.

Established in 1898, the institution was founded by the American Arcot Mission of the Reformed Church of America.

The old Arcot Academy at Ranipet and Church of Scotland Mission High School were amalgamated as Arcot Mission High School. In 1898, this was upgraded into an intermediate college and was called as Arcot Mission College.

During the later years, the college went on to be named after Ralph Voorhees, a visually challenged person, and his wife Elizabeth Rodman Voorhees, who contributed funds for the college.

In 1905, the foundation stone of the college building was laid. In fact, its two red buildings stand majestic, serving as the identity of this age-old educational institution.

While one of the buildings – Heritage Block – currently houses a number of departments including Defence Studies, Zoology, Chemistry, Physics and Economics, the other heritage building – Cobb Hall – functions as the college auditorium.

Today, the college has 3,800 students studying in 15 undergraduate and post graduate courses.

“Of the 3,800 students, 1,090 are girls. The college was started mainly to cater to the educational needs of the downtrodden and marginalised sections of the society. Today, we have grown in strength to strength educating students, particularly from rural areas. More than 50 % of our students are from rural parts,” S. Ezhil Christadoss, principal of the college, said.

Notable alumni

Former President S. Radhakrishnan was one of the distinguished alumni of the institution. Other notable alumni are: Malcolm S. Adiseshiah, founder of Madras Institute of Development Studies; T.K. Rajendran, the present Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu; G. Viswanathan, chancellor of VIT University. Many of the alumni are IAS officers. Some are serving in the army.

I. Stanley Jones, head of Tamil Department and bursar of the college, who studied B.A. Defence during 1977-1980 here, said Voorhees College had prepared thousands of students from rural background to face the world.

As the college prepares for its NAAC re-accreditation – it was granted ‘A’ grade in 2005 – autonomy was the ultimate goal, Mr. Christadoss said.