Forman Christian College

Forman Christian College Profile and History

The college was initially known as the Lahore Mission College, but in 1894 the name was officially changed to Forman Christian College in honor of the founder. In the early years, degrees were awarded through the Calcutta University. College level instruction was interrupted in 1869 due to the illness of key faculty members. College classes resumed in 1886, with degrees being awarded through the U niversity of the Punjab. In 2004, FCCU became a chartered University and from 2009 onwards has awarded its own degrees. The early years of the college were marked by rapid growth in enrollment, and a constant struggle to find enough space to house the growing college. Enrollment grew from 18 students in 1886 to 130 in 1890, 311 in 1900, 426 in 1910 and 600 in 1915. Enrollment had reached 1,500 students by the time the college was nationalized in 1972. Enrollment in the University section alone stands at 3,200 students today. The campus was located in the Anarkali (Nila Gumbad) area of Lahore for many years. Four major buildings were constructed by the college on that campus by 1916, and Ewing Hall, built in 1916, is still used as a hostel by the college. In 1940 the college moved to its present spacious campus of over 100 acres on the scenic banks of Lahore Canal. FCCU has been served by a large number of distinguished educational leaders and teachers throughout its history. Dr CW Forman, Dr Sir JCR Ewing, Dr CH Rice, Dr ED Lucas, Dr SK Dutta, Dr HC Velte, Dr JH Orbison, Noble Laureate Dr Arthur Compton, Maulvi Muhammad Bakar, Dr HD Griswold, Prof JM Benade, Shamsul Ulema Maulavi Muhammad Hussain, Dr KC Chatterji, Dr P Carter Speers, Dr SL Sheets, Prof MS Bhatti, Maulana Farzand Ali, Dr RH Ewing, Dr EJ Sinclair, Dr Robert F Tebbe and Dr Carl Wheeless are among many who have impacted the lives of students and shaped the future of the college through the years. Under their leadership, the college became widely regarded as one of the very best in the entire subcontinent.