Chennai,: Madras Christian College (MCC), Tambaram, is reworking its academic and placement strategies to keep pace with changing student expectations, emerging technologies and declining interest in conventional arts and science courses, Principal P. Wilson said, stressing the need for alumni support to strengthen core placements, curriculum innovation, research and industry-academia collaboration.
Addressing the Global Alumni Reunion of the Political Science Department in the prestigious college, Wilson said the institution was witnessing major changes in the way students viewed education, with the post-pandemic generation becoming more informed consumers and increasingly assessing the return on investment from their education.
More than 450 alumni members of the Political Science Department of Madras Christian College (MCC), along with their family members, attended the Global Alumni Meet organised by the department, celebrating its academic legacy and strengthening alumni engagement.
"The entire dispensation of education has changed after the pandemic," Wilson said, noting that students were no longer consuming knowledge in a linear manner. Their learning patterns had changed significantly, making traditional methods of classroom engagement increasingly challenging.
He said MCC had strengthened its placement efforts, with around 700 placements facilitated through the placement cell. However, the focus was now on ensuring core placements for students of every department, with alumni support playing an important role.
Wilson said conventional arts and sciences were witnessing declining interest globally, prompting MCC to restructure its curriculum. The college was moving towards computational social sciences, including data-driven approaches to Political Science. He said Political Science continued to be highly sought after, with cut-offs often exceeding 90 marks.
He also highlighted the creation of 24 clubs to promote social immersion, career development, higher education and entrepreneurship. Around 2,600 students participate in these activities annually.
Calling for greater alumni involvement, Wilson said MCC needed to develop sustainable models beyond tuition fees, particularly through CSR support and alumni contributions. He said the college was also moving from knowledge creation to value creation through patents, with 23 patents under its portfolio.
The Principal invited alumni with at least 15 years of industry experience to contribute as professors of practice, irrespective of PhD or UGC-NET qualifications, and urged them to identify meaningful ways of giving back to the department.
A former Principal and former Head of the Political Science Department recalled his experiences at MCC and described the "MCC spirit" as freedom, intellectual independence and freedom of expression. He said students and principals had taught him valuable lessons in patience, humility, discipline and integrity. He said the true tribute to MCC was not financial contribution, but the quality-of-life alumni built after leaving the institution.