Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, named after Swami Vivekananda, was formally inaugurated on 21 June 1946 by professor, philosopher, and politician, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. It is in Mylapore, the centre of Chennai, India, on 20 acres (81,000 m2). This college is part of various educational institutions owned by Ramakrishna Mission. History The college was founded with the help of a group of philanthropists and educationists, the prime mover being M. Subbaraya Aiyar, then a prominent income tax lawyer of Madras and the founding secretary from 1947 to 1960. Aiyar co-founded two other educational institutions: Vidya Mandir in Mylapore and the Madras Institute of Technology in Chromepet. Vivekananda College began with 20 teachers and 339 students. The college then offered just four undergraduate courses. Vivekananda College was subsequently handed over to the sole control of Ramakrishna Mission and renamed Vivekananda College, a unit of Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Chennai. It offers instruction in English and admits only male students. Affiliation and accreditation The college has been re-accredited with "A+" grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2017. The college has been granted autonomous status by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi in 2004–05 to all the courses up to M. Phil degree. It is affiliated to the University of Madras and provides arts, science and commerce courses at the Bachelors, Master's and Doctoral levels. Infrastructure The college has a main block, a Math block, a Life Sciences block, a Sanskrit block, the Obul Reddy Auditorium block, an open-air theatre, a Library block with 87,000 books in the day college and 8,000 in the evening college, a sports complex and a prayer hall. The college has a turf cricket ground, tennis court and gymnasium. Computer labs have Internet facilities. Training to youth The college authorities have introduced National Cadet Corps, National Service Scheme, Youth Red Cross and Rotary Wings for students. Youth are trained in conducting night schools, laying the roads, educating slum dwellers, service to the handicapped, tree plantation, and health programmes. Academics The college runs eleven graduate and seven postgraduate programmes in the day college and eight Undergraduate and two postgraduate programmes in the evening college. Undergraduate degrees include B.Com, B.A, B.Sc, B.B.A, and B.C.A degrees in the evening college. Postgraduate degrees award M.A. and M.SC., and in addition M.S.W. in the evening college. There are research degrees awarding M. Phil or PhD. Scientific Research The departments of botany, chemistry,