Forman Christian College

Forman Christian College in 1930

The university was founded by Dr. Charles W. Forman who arrived to colonial India in 1847 and, two years later, settled in Lahore, British India (now in Pakistan). He was the founder of the Rang Mahal School, Lahore, which was the first Anglo-vernacular school in Punjab. The school added a college department in 1865 which later became a university in 2005 known as Forman Christian College University. It started offering an American style world class education in Pakistan. FCCU started new postgraduate courses along with MBA in 2007.[12]

Native to Lahore, Surendra Kumar Datta was a professor of history and biology from 1909-1914 and served as the principal of Forman Christian College from 1932-1942, later becoming the president of the All India Conference of Indian Christians and representing the Christian community of colonial India in the Round Table Conferences.[13][14]

One of Forman's faculty members, Prof. Arthur Compton, conducted the bulk of his research on cosmic rays at FCC University for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1927.

One of Professor Compton's former students Professor Piara Singh Gill taught at the college as lecturer in Physics between 1940 and 1947. Two alumni, Dr. Sir S. S. Bhatnagar and Dr. Bashir Ahmad, laid the foundation for scientific and industrial research in both parts of South Asia by establishing ICSIR and PCSIR respectively.

The first two Science graduates of FC College University were also the first Science graduates of the University of the Punjab (1900–1902). In this way FCCU was the first to establish, in this part of the sub-continent, Departments of Biology (1898), Greek, Latin and Hebrew Languages (1895–96), Industrial Chemistry (1917), Geography (1924), setting up the Experimental Psychology Laboratory, introducing the tutorial system (1908), appointing Deans of the Faculties introducing co-educational system (1902), and establishing an alumni Association (1896). Besides this FCCU also started Software engineering, CS, and IT in 2006.

Achievements of other Formanites, as the graduates are called, include:

• Its Principal Dr. J. C. R. Ewing was knighted for his services to humanity and education. He served as Vice Chancellor of the Punjab University for seven years.
• Formanite—alumnus and teacher of the college—Muhammad Yusuf Hashmi became the first Indian Principal of Madrasa 'Aliya in Calcutta, was recognized as an educator of distinction in British India and was titled Khan Bahadur by the British Crown. Later he was recognized in Pakistan also for his contributions to education and the Pakistan Movement.
• Principal Dr. C. H. Rice and a faculty member, Dr. Khairat M. Ibne Rasa, became Vice Chancellors of the Punjab University.
• Justice Sir Mian Abdur Rashid, who was a Formanite and also the first Chief Justice of Pakistan, administered the oath of office to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as the first Governor General.
• The English poet and scholar Alamgir Hashmi served as lecturer in English at Forman Christian College (early 1970s) and as faculty advisor to Folio.

The university has designed its four-year bachelor's degree program in accordance with the standards for accreditation in the US, and is seeking accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.[15]

• Official website
• List of alumni
• Ewing Literary Society