wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Forman Christian College comes home

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Note #7645 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Forman Christian College comes home
03149

Forman Christian College comes home

After 31 years, Pakistan returns storied school to PC(USA)

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - Forman Christian College (FCC), the crown jewel of Presbyterian
educational mission in Pakistan, is back in the hands of the Christian
community after 31 years of government control. 
	
After intensive negotiations with four different governments over nine years,
the formal papers were signed on March 18, officially returning the college
to the management of the Presbyterian Church (USA). 
	
The negotiations were led by S. David Stoner, a former executive director of
the General Assembly Council (GAC). Salim Bhatti, the PC(USA)'s property
resource coordinator in Pakistan, represented the denomination at the signing
ceremony.  
	
The college's management will be supervised by the FCC Board of Governors,
whose members are nominated by various Christian communities in Pakistan.
That board has responsibility for administrative and financial management of
the college under a memorandum of understanding approved last year by the
board and the GAC.
	
Peter Armacost, president emeritus of Eckerd College in Florida, assumed the
office of Principal of Forman Christian College on March 20. He and his wife,
Mary Linda Merriam Armacost, have been living on the college campus in Lahore
since January.
	
Armacost and the FC board of governors have been working on a management plan
for several months. Their vision "is to have Forman Christian College become
one of the leading colleges on the sub-continent and to be widely recognized
as such."  
	
Forman's longstanding mission is to prepare students for ethical and
responsible leadership in Pakistan and the wider world. It tries to turn out
people who exemplify the college motto: "By love, serve one another."
	
The tasks of campus renovation and academic rejuvenation are daunting. The
cost of restoring the beauty and functionality of campus facilities is
estimated at nearly $5 million. 
	
Stoner and Armacost said the board hopes to attract Ph.D. professors from the
western world who will come to Lahore for a semester or two - many of them
while on sabbatical leaves from their colleges or serving as Volunteers in
Mission. The college will need their help in revamping the method of
instruction on campus and developing a four-year degree program that meets
U.S. accreditation standards. 
	
The transition won't be easy. Armacost and his colleagues, including Christy
Munir, the FCC academic dean who was severely injured in an attack on the
Christian Church in Islamabad a year ago, are seeking assistance in
identifying candidates for faculty and consulting positions. They also are
soliciting financial support.
	
Armacost said the FCC community would appreciate prayers, and hopes
Presbyterian congregations will include Forman Christian College in "minute
for mission" observances during worship.  
	
Financial contributions can be sent to FC College, ECO #051819, PCUSA Central
Receiving, Box 300, Louisville, KY 40289.
	
For more information, contact Stoner by mail at PO Box 24, Craftsbury Common,
VT, 05827; by phone at 802-586-6913; by fax at 802-586-9904; or by email at
stonercc@together.net. 

Information for this story was furnished by S. David Stoner. 

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