wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Forman Christian College in Pakistan being restored to

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ECUNET.ORG>]

Note #8850 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05425
August 18, 2005

Presbyterian college in Pakistan
is being restored to former glory

Historic Forman College has been refurbished, renewed, re-Christianized

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - Two years after Pakistan's government returned it to private
ownership, Forman Christian College - the flagship institution of
Presbyterian educational mission in Pakistan -is experiencing a robust
resurrection.

	Enrollment has grown to 3,130, including 223 Christian students, up
from just 20. There are now 65 Christians (up from four) on a faculty that
numbers 165.

	"The past year at Forman Christian College provides much evidence of
God's goodness," said Peter Armacost, a former president of Eckerd College in
Florida who went to Forman's Lahore campus two years ago to help restore the
historic college to its place among the country's finest institutions of
learning.

	Forman was the premier college in Pakistan until it was nationalized
in 1971, after an Islamic revolution toppled the country's secular
government. Over the ensuing 30 years, the college deteriorated - in its
physical plant and in the quality of education it provided.

	In the summer of 2003, when the government returned the school to the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Armacost estimated that it would take at least
$10 million to restore it to its former status.

	He and a group of other dedicated Presbyterians - "Friends of
Presbyterian Education in Pakistan," led by former General Assembly Council
Executive Director David Stoner and his wife, Jenny - have led a determined
and urgent campaign to raise the needed funds.

	More than 120 individuals and churches contributed more than $418,000
to Forman between spring 2004 and spring 2005, including major gifts (of more
than $25,000) from Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, First
Presbyterian Church in Dunedin, FL, and La Canada (CA) Presbyterian Church.

	In addition, USAID has provided a $5 million grant over five years
for faculty development and campus restoration, and the government of Punjab
Province has committed $3.3 million for campus reconstruction.

	The exteriors of all of Forman's academic buildings have been
refurbished, the student center has been modernized and expanded, and 16 new
classrooms have been built since denationalization.

	Armacost said the top priorities for the next two years are the
establishment of a new four-year Bachelor's Degree program based on the U.S.
semester system - a radical innovation in Pakistani higher education; a new
state-of-the-art classroom building with advanced information technology; and
a new science building with modern labs.

	The increasing number of Christian students and faculty are
contributing to renewed spiritual life on campus, where Bible study and
worship are routine. Leadership development and community service programs
also are becoming prominent aspects of the Forman culture.

	PC(USA) volunteers are playing a vital role in FCC's transformation,
Armacost said. During the past academic year, Carl Wheeless, 86, who taught
at Forman from 1957 to 1971, came out of retirement to teach one more class
of students. Manzur Gill, an FCC alumnus who lived in the San Francisco bay
area and worked for Intel, returned to Pakistan for the first time in more
than 30 years to take charge of alumni relations.

	Two members of Peachtree church - Cheryl Burke, an educator, and Ken
Port, a lawyer and physics teacher - also are on campus. Burke is taking part
in teacher training and aiding in the transition to the semester system; Port
is teaching physics and dealing with tax and property issues for the college,
and overseeing some of the technology upgrades. Numerous volunteers from
Peachtree have journeyed to Lahore to lend a hand.

	Elaine Markuson, an educator and administrator from Iowa City, IA,
has accepted a position as FCC's director of marketing and communications. 

	"Volunteers are guaranteed positions full of challenges, and the
chance to be partners in a truly exciting endeavor," Armacost said.

	To learn more about the rebirth of FCC, contact Dave and Jenny Stoner
by phone at (802) 586-6913, or by email at davestoner@direcway.com.

	To make a tax-deductible contribution, send a check payable to the
Presbyterian Church (USA) to: Allison Barker, Forman Christian College, 3434
Roswell Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30305. On the memo line, write: "ECO #0518169
FCC." For more information about giving opportunities, contact Allison Barker
by phone at (404) 842-2193, or by email at abarker@peachtreepres.org.

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