Historical Sketch

The Women's Christian College, Madras was opened in July 1915 with forty-one students. Affiliated with the University of Madras, it was among the first institutions for higher education for women in South India and was under the management of a Council representing the following missionary bodies: Church Missionary Society, Church of England Zenana Missionary Society, London Missionary Society, Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, Church of Scotland Mission, United Free Church of Scotland Mission, Arcot Assembly, American Baptist Telugu Mission, American Madura Mission, Methodist Episcopal Misison, Canadian Presbyterian Mission, American Evangelical Lutheran Mission. Miss Eleanor McDougall, formerly Classical Lecturer at Westfield College was principal for the first twenty years.

The Associate Board of the Women's Christian College, Madras was formerly known as the American Section of the Governing Board. In 1954 the Associate Board had representatives from the following boards and societies: American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Woman's American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society, Woman's Auxiliary to the National Council of the Protestant Episcopal Church, The Women's Missionary Society of the United Lutheran Church in America, Woman's Division of Christian Service of the Board of Missions and Church Extension of The Methodist Church, Department of Women's Work of the Mission Boards Reformed Church in America, The Woman's Missionary Society of the United Church of Canada, and Mount Holyoke-in-Madras.

Christa Seva Vidhyalaya was founded in 1945 as a Missionary Training Centre in the Women's Christian College, Madras. Its purpose was to provide training for Indian women graduates who were seeking to pursue leadership posistions in Christian educational, evangelistic, and medical service.