About College

IDEALS AND PROGRAMME

Andhra Christian College was founded with the ideal of providing for the youth of the country in general and of Guntur and other districts of Andhra Pradesh in particular the high type of Christian education. It holds to the Truism that secular training is insufficient and so to it seeks implant in its students, those truths which can raise men to a purer and nobler life and which are efficacious in the building up of character. Its sponsors trust that the men and women trained here will be filled with that spirit of service and inspired by those ideals of life which will lend them to dedicate their lives and talents to the best interest of their fellows and their country.

Andhra Christian College is a co-educational institution. Since 1926 the educational opportunities at Andhra Christian College have been opened to young women on equal terms with young men. The college endeavors to give its women students real college life and encourage their participation in all of its activities as the best means of preparing them for meeting the challenges of life which await them.

Andhra Christian college desires to cultivate in all its students men and women a knowledge and appreciation of the social amenities which make for harmonious human relationships and to create a proper regard for sound social values.

Andhra Christian College seeks to assist its students to develop the power of clear thinking based upon sound and broad knowledge, to develop an attitude of open mindedness to emphasize the practice of testing all information and conclusions and to develop creative scholarship.

Andhra Christian College desires to train and assist its students to uphold the great ideals of the human race, and to respect the dignity of man and the sacredness of human personality.

Andhra Christian College believes that the years of intellectual discipline should create in its students a sense of civic responsibility and encourage them to accept that responsibility as the natural compliment of the privileges they have enjoyed.

HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION

Andhra Christian College had its beginnings in the first Anglo – Vernacular school, which was already established in district collector’s compound and handed over in 1842 to Fr. Heyer who came to Guntur and established the American Evangelical Lutheran Mission in the same year. This school was supported by subscriptions from English friends of Missionary education then living in Guntur. Owing to financial and other difficulties due to civil war in America, the school was closed in 1863. And it was reopened in the year 1873, when it was re – organized by Dr. L.L. Uhl. From this time the school increased in number, service and influence. In September 1885, with Dr. L.B. Wolf as the Principal, the school was affiliated to the Madras University as a Second Grade College, known as the American Evangelical Lutheran Mission (A.E.L.M.) College. Through the efforts of Dr. Uhl and by the generous gifts of Mr. Arthur Watt and other friends in the United States, funds were secured with which the Watt’s Memorial Building was built. This building was first occupied in 1893.In 1907 Dr. Wolf retired from service in India and Dr. Uhl again assumed charge continuing as Principal until 1913 when he was succeeded by Dr. J. Roy Strock. In 1915 Dr. Uhl was appointed as Principal emeritus and in 1916 on Dr. Strock’s going on furlough, Rev. G.A. Ripely became the Principal and continued until Dr. Strock’s return to the College in 1919.In April 1922, Dr. Strock, at the invitation of the Church Missionary Society, assumed the Principalship of Noble College. Masulipatnam, and Dr. Victor Me. Cauley acted as Principal for the College until January 1923, when Dr. H.H. Sipes took charge Dr. Sipes served until January 1927 when Dr. Strock returned to the College.In 1925 in response to the invitation of Andhra Christian Council representing all the Christian Missions working in the Telugu area the U.L.C. Mission undertook the development of United Christian College for Andhra Pradesh. The Mission authorities under the leadership of Rev. J.Roy Strock, D.D. inaugurated a campaign in America for the raising of three hundred thousand dollars for the development of the College. The campaign was successful and practically the full amount required was secured. In March 1926 the College was affiliated to the Madras University as First Grade College offering courses in Mathematics, Philosophy and History for the B.A. Degree.

The Andhra University Act came into force in April 1926 and the first B.A. Class was admitted to the College in the following July. This development inaugurated a new era in the life of the institution which in the years following rapidly won outstanding place among the colleges of the university.

In January 1928 by an action of the Mission Council the name of the institution was changed from the A.E.L.M. College to Andhra Christian College.

Upon Dr. Strock’s going on furlough in January 1937, Dr. Sipes was appointed as the Principal. B.Sc. Courses in Mathematics and Physics were introduced in 1934 and negotiations were opened with Madras Government for the Old District Munsiffs Court site of 7 acres to provide additional land for College purpose.

In 1937 the District Muniffs Court site was purchased. In December 1938 upon the resignation of Dr. Strock, Mr. V Ch. John, M.A. LT. was appointed as Principal of the College. He assumed charge on January, 1,1939 and continued to serve until his retirement in June 1941 when he was succeeded by Dr. Sipes.

During the years 1938-41 the college carried out an extensive building programme under the supervision of the Rev. John Flnefrock, D.D. of the Mission Building Department. Heyer and Wolf Halls were erected at a cost of Rs. 40,000 to provide modern hostel accommodations for 300 students with the Luther League ndministration. Building providing additional class-rooms, offices nnd general room, a new Assembly Hall to seat 1,200 people were built and occupied from July, 1948. In January 1944, Dr. Sipes proceeded on furlough and Rev. C.H. Swavely served as Principal iinlil the return of Dr. Sipes in November 1945. Dr Sipes continued Principal till September 1948.

Rev. C.H. Swavely was acting Principal from September 1948 to April 1950.

Dr. T.S. Paulus was appointed as Principal and assumed charge from May 1, 1950 and sewed till his retirement in July 1962. Rev. C.H. Swavely became Bursar from May 1950 and left on furlough in November, 1955. Miss. Lilith Schawab assumed charge as Bursar of the College from November 1952 to June 1954. Rev. C.H. Swavely assumed charge as Bursar of the College on his return from furlough in July, 1954, until his retirement in April 1960.

During these years the college progressed in physical size and accommodation under the initiative of Dr. T.S. Paulus Principal and Mr. C.N. Devadanam, Bursar. The Strock Hall, the Recreation Hall, N.C.C. Building and the new Chemistry Laboratory, have been added to the College plant in recent years. This additional accommodation has ushered in a new progressive era in the life of the College.

Dr. J.B. Willams was appointed as Principal from July 16 1962 and served till his retirement in June 1965.

Mr. J. Paulus was appointed as Principal in June 1965 and served the institution till his retirement in July 1968.

Dr. M.G. Thomas was appointed as Principal on 1-7-68 and served the institution till his retirement on 11-8-72.

Dr. N. Issac assumed charge as Principal on 12-8-72 and served the College till his retirement on 30-6-76.

Dr. C. Devadanam assumed charge as Principal on 1-7-76 and served the College till his retirement on 15-6-82.

Dr. P. Prabhudas assumed charge as Principal from the afternoon of 15-6-1982 and as correspondent from 1-7-1982 and served the college till his retirement on 14-10-86.

Dr. G. Samuel assumed charge as Principal from 15-10-86 and served the college till his retirement on 8-9-87.

Dr. B. Jyothi Raju assumed charge as Principal from 8th afternoon Sept. 1987 and served upto 13-8-1992.

Mr. B. Chandra Paul assumed charge as principal from 14-8-1992 and served upto 1998.

Com. K.M.D.M. Mohan, Special officer assumed charge as Principal in 1998 and served upto 1999.

The A.E.L. Church management was restored in Oct. 1999.

Mr. R.R.S. Sundar Das was appointed as Principal in 1999 and served upto 2001.

Dr. R Andrew assumed charge as Principal from 2001 and served upto 2003.

Mrs. D.M. Sujata assumed charge as Principal in 2003 and served upto 2004.

Mrs. R. Sulochana Devi assumed charge as Principal in 2004 and served upto 2005.

Mrs. D.M. Sujata assumed charge as Principal in 2005 and served upto 2006

Mrs. K.E. Manorama Bai assumed charge as Principal on 1-2-2006  and served upto 30-6-2013.

Mr,K.E.Sasi Kiran assumed charge as Principal on 1-7-2013 and served upto 31-3-2014.

 Dr.P.Mutyam assumed charge as Principal on 1-4-2014 and served upto 31-1-2017.

Mr.M.Emmanuel Sree Vijaya Raj assumed charge as Principal on 1-2-2017 and continuing in service till today.

A.C. Evening College :

With a view to cater to the needs of the increasing number of employees in this fast developing town of Guntur, the management of the Andhra Christian College has started Evening College from July 1967. The Evening College offers B.A., B.Com. and B.L. Courses. The B.L course was seperated from Eve. college and established as seperate college in 1982 known as A.C. College of Law in the annex building.

Post Graduate Course:

The University granted affiliation to start M.A. in History and M.A. in Politics in the year 1971 and with the introduction of M.A. in History during the academic year 1971-72, the College was upgraded to the status of a Post Graduate Institution This begins an era of fulfillment of our long cherished desire to develop the college into a full fledged Post Graduate institution. Now it is offering along with M.A. History, M.A English (1994) and M.Sc Zoology (1998) and M.Sc. Chemistry (2006)

Bursars & Correspondents :

Dr. J.B. Williams assumed charged as the Bursar from April 1960 to 31-3-1961.

Mr. C.N. Devadanam assumed charge as the Bursar from 1-4-1961.

Rev. H.H.C. Kleiner assumed charge as Bursar from 17-10-53.

Mr. J. Paulus assumed charge as the Bursar from March 1967 until April 1968.

Dr. M.G. Thomas was appointed as Bursar from 1-5-1968.

Mr. K. Raja Rao B.A.L.L.B. was Bursar from 11-11-71 to 31-8-76.

Dr. N. Issac, M.A., Ph.D was Bursar from Sep. 1.1976 to 30-6-78.

Mr. G.L. Benny, M.A., M.A. (Michigan), was Bursar from July 1 1978 to 30th June 1980.

Mr. RJ. Sam Raj, M.Com. M.B.A assumed charge as Bursar from 1-7-1980

Mr. RJ. Nelson assumed charge of Bursar from 1-7-1982. Rev. Dr.J. Simon B.Com, B.D. assumed charge of Bursar from 1-7-83.

Dr. R Prabhudas,M.Sc., Ph.D. (Temple Univ. U.S.A) assumed charge of Correspondent from 15-10-86.

Dr. B. Jyothi Raju assumed charge as Correspondent from 1988.

Mr. K. Purushottham the Regional Joint Director of Higher Education (RJDHE), Guntur took charge as Special officer of the College on 1-9-1989 and was succeeded by Dr. M. M. Rahaman, M.A., Ph.D., who was appointed and assumed charge as full-time Special Officer from 16-7-1992. and served till his retirement on 31-1-96, After Dr. Rahaman Mr. K.V. Raju assumed charge as Special Officer and then the RJDHE of Guntur continued to act as the Special Officer until the management of AELC was restored in Oct’ 1999.

After restoration of the management Rev. Dr. G. Emmanuel, M.A., B.D., the President of AEL Church assumed charge as Correspondent from 1999 and served upto 2000, and Mr. K.J. Frederick, B.A., B.L., was appointed as Bursar.

Mr. M. Raja Kishore served as Correspondent during 2000 – 2001

Dr. R Andrew, M.A., M.Phil, Ph.D., Principal of the college exercised the powers of Correspondent till his retirement as Principal in April 2003.

Rev. Ch. Victor Moses M. A., B.D., M.Th., President of AEL Church assumed charge as Correspondent from 2003, and Mr. R Jaya Raj, M.Com., B.L., was appointed as Bursar.

Dr. B.J.B. Krupadanam, M.A., M.A. (U.S.A), Ph.D., assumed charge as Correspondent from June 2005 to 2007

Rev. Dr. V.E. Christopher, President AELC assumed charge as Correspondent on.July 2007 to  2011.

Mrs.M.P.E.Sukanya Rani assumed charge as Correspondent from July 2011 to till to date.

Affiliation:

Andhra Christian College is affiliated to the Acharya Nagarjuna University in Arts and Science to the B.A. (Pass) Standard, in Science to the B.Sc., (Pass) Standard and in Commerce to the B.Com. Standard History to M.A. standard from 1971, English to M.A standards from 1994 Zoology to M.Sc standards from 1998.

Management :

The management of the institution is vested in the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church which is an incorporated body registered under the Societies. Act, a College Board of 20 members elected and ex-officio liaises with the authorities of the Acharya Nagarjuna University to which the college is affiliated and various co-operative bodies of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church exersises general administrative control over the work and policies of the institution.

Authority in academic matters is vested with the Staff Council which consists of the Principal, the Vice-Principal, the Bursar, the Deans, and other staff members.

The Principal is ex-officio Chairman of the staff council and the Secretary is elected from among the members of the staff.

Grounds and Buildings :

The College is situated in the centre of Guntur, a town of nearly 7,00,000 inhabitants and the headquarter of the Guntur District. The college grounds comprise an area of 35 acres with a large frontage on the main thoroughfare of the town. The academic buildings include the Watt’s Memorial Building, the Luther League Administrative Building, the Natural Science Block, the Assembly Hall, the New Chemistry building, the Swavely Library Building, annex building and Mr. Y.V.Rao PG. Block. Besides these buildings there are two Recreation Halls.

The J.D. Seelam Seminar Hall is a new addition to the infrastructure

Watt’s Memorial Building:

The Arthur G. Watt’s Memorial Building was the first College building to be erected and was built in 1892-93. It is a two storey Stone structure surmounted by a high tower which is one of the well known landmarks of the community and from which a splendid view of the town and surrounding country can be obtained. At present it is occupied entirely by the Physics and Mathematics Departments-Besides eleven Science lecture rooms, it provides seperate laboratories for Intermediate, and B.Sc., courses in Physics together with the necessary balance and storage rooms. The Laboratories are supplied with gas, water and electricity and other equipment in accordance with the requirements stipulated by the University.

Administrative Building:

The Administrative Building which is the gift of the Luther League is a two storey stone building and was erected in 1940-41. Funds for the erection of this building were contributed by members of the Luther League of America, the young People’s Organization of the United Lutheran Church in America. It thus represents a real bond of friendship between the youth of America and the students of India. The building contains the administrative offices, and a waiting room.

Physical Expansion:

We are happy to announce that with shifting of the L.M.P School, adjacent to our College, to new Lutheran College of Education, in 1976 the buildings of the former have been handed over to the College. This took care of our long felt need for physical expansion for the present infrastructure. We hereby record our grateful appreciation to the office of our church for this generous ‘lift.

Andhra Christian College

Andhra Christian College is a prestigious Christian Minority Higher Educational Institution established in 1885 by the American Lutheran Missionaries and is managed by Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, Guntur. Andhra Pradesh, South India. The Missionaries started this College with a view to cater to the educational needs of poor people as well as Christians and the community as a whole. Recently the college has celebrated its Quasi Qui Centennial Celebrations.

The Motto of the college “YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE” is taken from the Gospel according to St. John 8:32.

The ‘Logo’ of the college is a “Lotus flower with a lighted candle in the center”. It symbolizes charity, purity, simplicity and above all truth fullness. The lighted candle symbolizes dissemination of knowledge to dispel darkness of ignorance.

The aim of Andhra Christian College has been to provide for the youth of the country, highest type of Christian Education. The College offers educational opportunities to women on par with men, encouraging their participation in all its activities, to prepare them to meet the challenges of life. The college enjoys rich Christian heritage and aspires to develop among its students, open mindedness, a keen sense of responsibility and respect for the sacredness of human personality.

From Vernacular School, the college has grown into Post-Graduate level offering different courses. The college offers 4 courses in Intermediate, 6 courses in B.A, 4 courses in B.Sc, B.Com. General course and 4 courses at Post-Graduation level.

The college is gearing up to meet new challenges in the field of Education and Career Guidance. Four University Grants Commission (U.GC) sponsored Career Oriented Programs are offered by the college free of cost for Degree students. They are

(i)   A course in Breeding of Ornamental   Fish – Offered by the Department of Zoology,

(ii)   A course in Taxation and Tally (Accounting Package) – Offered by the Department of Commerce,

(iii)   A course in Water Quality Analysis-Offered by the Department of Chemistry.

The college has qualified and efficient faculty members. The college has excellent Library facilities consisting of 56, 000 books. The college has a beautiful Cafeteria for the needs of staff and students in particular. The college maintains 3 attached Hostels for Boys and Girls.

Apart from regular Undergraduate, Graduate and Post-graduate courses, the students will be involved in Sports and Games, National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), National Green Corps (NGC) and other Co-Curricular and Extra-Curricular activities.

A day in the college starts with prayer at 9.20 a.m. The Religious Activities Department conducts Moral and Bible Classes on every Tuesday. General Assembly takes place on Wednesday. II Shift (Afternoon) class work for part-time working people starts at 12.45 p.m. On every Saturday the college works in single session from 8:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.


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