CHANDRAN MEMORIAL ACADEMIC PROGRAMME CENTRE
Dr. JOSHUA RUSSELL CHANDRAN
Dr. Joshua Russell Chandran served as the Principal of the United Theological College, Bangalore, from 1954 to 1983, for nearly a third of its history. He was associated with the college from 1950 as a professor and prior to that, as a B.D. student from 1941-1945. In his retired life, after his assignment in Fiji was over, and since he had settled down in Bangalore, he was a visiting professor for a few more years. In all, his association with the college spans over half a century. Dr. Chandran also had the distinction of being the first Indian Principal of the college.. During the period of Dr.Chandran's stewardship, many facets of the growth of the college took place. Among these were the introduction of the post graduate and doctoral programme, the programmes for the laity, the enlargement of the support from different Churches, the close co-operation with the Roman Catholic theological seminaries in Bangalore, the working with the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), the Ecumenical Christian Centre (ECC), the Student Christian Movement (SCM), the YMCA and YWCA etc. The encouragement he gave to the faculty and students to be involved in the local churches helped in taking the United Theological College out of the bounds of the mission compound mentality into the world.
Dr.Chandran was the convener of the Union Negotiations Committee of the Church of South India (CSI) and represented the same at various ecumenical meetings and committees. He was the first Secretary of the Joint Council of the Church of North India, the Church of South India and the Mar Thoma Church, and the founder-president of the Christian Union of India.
His contribution to Theological education apart from the UTC, spanned institutions both in the west and the east. He was professor at the Union Theological Seminary during 1964-65, the Louiseville Theological Seminary, Kentucky, the Episcopal Theological Seminary, Cambridge, Massachusettes in 1972 and the Pacific Theological College, Suva, Fiji. He also served as the President of the Senate of Serampore College during 1968-71 and the Ecumenical Association of the Third World Theologians (EATWOT).
Dr.Chandran served the World Council of Churches (WCC) Faith and Order Commission in various capacities for over 25 years and was able to bring the Indian experience to other Churches engaged in union negotiations as well as contributing fresh and lively theological perspectives to the work of the Commission on Faith and Order as a whole.
His theological work focused, on the one hand, on how the Gospel is challengingly relevant in the social, economic and political spheres of life, and on the other, how the Christian faith speaks in the mulit-faith context of our world today. As president of the Asian Chapter of the Christian Peace Conference, based in Prague, and through his active engagement in this global movement, Dr.Chandran reflected admirably a deep commitment to his vision of the "wholeness of God's creation".
THE UNITED THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
Conceived in 1906 as an interdenominational institution to meet the growing needs of the Indian Church for men to study with a "broader outlook", the college finally started as "The United Theological College of South India and Ceylon". It was then supported by five mission boards: the United Free Church of Scotland Mission, the American Arcot Mission, the American Board, the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society and the London Missionary Society.
The first classes were held in the premises of the LMS Seminary on Mission Road, with 8 students in 1910. The present college site was purchased in 1912 and the foundation stones were laid on November 22, 1912. In 1919 the college was affiliated with Serampore for the Bachelor of Divinity Programme.
Over the years the college grew along many dimensions. From eight men students in 1910, in the year 2001 the college has as many as 91 students for the B.D course, 51 students for the M.Th.course and 13 Doctoral students. Of these, 14% in the B.D.course, 24% in the M.Th.course, and 14% in Doctoral programme are women. In addition, the college also offers B.D. programme for external lay people engaged in secular professions, the Bachelor of Religious Education and the Diploma in Religious Knowledge. It continues to offer a certificate course in Christian Service for spouses of students, a one year Diploma course in counselling, attended mainly by women, of whom the last batch had 3 Hindus and 1 Muslim. There is also provision to offer a one-year Diploma course in Development Studies.
The faculty of the college also had grown over the years. Currently there are 27 on the faculty, of whom 23 are Indians supported by the college and only 4 are from mission boards/churches abroad. In addition to the permanent faculty, the college has also benefited by a number of visiting faculty from other institutions in India and abroad. The diversity of language groups and the cultural backgrounds from where the students and faculty come and their national and International nature, along with the diversity of confessional traditions they come from, make the college truly "United".
THE PROJECT
An artist's impression of the proposed "Chandran Memorial Academic and Progamme Centre" is depicted. It is to be located not too distant from the modern library of the college, so that programmed study and research can go hand in hand. The need to have faculty available in proximity to the academic and programme facilities are also addressed by bringing the offices of the deans and the faculty inot the same structure.
It is also envisaged that both the faculty and the students go beyond the present academic life into the concerns that directly confront the Church in its mission and ministry, and hence the facilities will be used for academic studies as well as for dealing with broader issues and concerns related to life in the community. Such physical proximity of the facilities will create the atmosphere for greater involvement of the faculty and students by its very nature. Hence the idea of integrating the facilities for the Academic activities and other Programmes.
The building is therefore sectioned into three identifiable but integrated units, housing the seminar and programmes section, the lecture and discussion rooms and the faculty section.
Being located in a prominently residential area, the building is designed to be enclosed but open from within architecture, so as not to be a disturbance to the residential area or vice-versa.
The overall budget for the "Chandran Memeorial Academic and Programme Centre" is Rupees Three Crores( U,S.$ 600,000)
Of this, the cost of the building is as follows:
1. Lecture and Discussion Rooms Block Rs. 75 Lakhs (U.S.$ 150,000)
2. Seminar Block RS. 45 Lakhs (U.S.$ 90,000)
3. Faculty and Administration Block Rs. 30 Lakhs (U.S.$ 60,000)
Total for the building Rs.150 Lakhs (U.S.$ 300,000)
The cost of providing the facilities:
1. Furniture for the Lecturer Block Rs. 15 Lakhs (U.S.$ 30,000)
2. Furniture for the Seminar Block Rs. 23 Lakhs (U.S.$ 46,000)
3. Furniture for the Faculty Block Rs. 7 Lakhs (U.S.$ 14,000)
4. Audio Visual Facilities Rs. 12 Lakhs (U.S.$ 24,000)
5. Communication Facilities Rs. 6 Lakhs (U.S.$ 12,000)
6. Computerisation and DTP facilities Rs. 12 Lakhs (U.S.$ 24,000)
Total for facilities Rs. 75 Lakhs (U.S.$ 150,000)
The funds required to finance the conduct of Special Programmes to make theological education relevant to the problems of Church & Society.
For a Period of Five Years Rs. 75 Lakhs (U.S.$ 150,000)
Adding up to a Grand Total of Rs.300 Lakhs (U.S.$ 600,000)
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