Inauguration ceremony: Fullbright Centre opens at Forman Christian College

It will offer counseling services for admissions to universities in the US.

LAHORE:

The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) on Friday opened a Fulbright Centre at the Forman Christian College (FCC).

The centre will offer advisory and counseling services, preparatory classes and prometric testing facilities for admissions to universities in the United States. The prometric testing facility at the centre, launched in partnership with the US Mission to Pakistan, will help students explore educational opportunities.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar said the foundation was a bi-national commission set up by the governments of Pakistan and the US. She said the USEFP had been in Pakistan for 63 years.

“The Fulbright theory is that war is less likely if people understand each other.” She said almost 5,000 Pakistanis and 800 Americans had visited each other’s countries through the USEFP since 1950.



Akhtar said 11 exchange programmes for students and professionals in the country were being managed by the USEFP. “The Fulbright Degree Programme in Pakistan is the largest in the world.”

She said almost 3,000 Pakistanis had travelled to the US through the USEFP programmes since 2005. “We have been fortunate to have such high numbers coming in… All our programmes are merit-based,” she added.

Akhtar said the FCC had partnered with the USEFP [a 25-year-lease agreement] to allow it to establish the facility.

“I know all of you here will agree with and understand the value of a US degree, especially in times of so much unnecessary misunderstanding between the two countries.” she said.

Named after Senator William Fulbright, the founder of the US Department of State’s scholarship programme – the Fulbright Programme – the centre is equipped with testing facilities that administer tests which are a standard pre-requisite for admissions to universities in the US.

Jim Tebbe, the FCC Rector, said the facility would offer students an opportunity to better understand the requirements of studying abroad and provide them “accurate information about their academic options.”

Recalling the time when he appeared for his GRE tests as a student in Pakistan, Tebbe said he looked forward to students having a better facility
for advisory and testing. “We are glad that the facility is housed on our campus and we believe that the universities in the US can benefit students in Pakistan,” he added.

Dr Iqbal Raza, the chair of the USEFP Board, praised the efforts of the USEFP and the FCC.

USEFP Educational Advisor Asma Bajwa told The Express Tribune that the facility would offer testing facilities for students appearing in tests including GRE, SAT, TOEFL, USMLE in addition to offering free-of-charge advising facility.

“The aim is to help students gather a better understanding of the universities,” he said.

Fulbright Outreach and Educational Advising Incharge Umair Khan said the centre could accommodate more than 200 students at a time. He said the previous facility could “hardly accommodate 30 students at a time.”

He said graduates returning from the US were also encouraged to volunteer. “Students get a better perspective when alumni share their experiences,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2014.