Boston's Colleges and Universities: An International Center
By Jay Rogers
10/91
Oiver Wendell Holmes once called the city of Boston: "The thinking center of the continent, and therefore of the planet." Boston's title "the hub of the universe" has been applied many times. When you look at the area's colleges and universities, it is easy to see why.
The legacy of education in America began in Boston in 1636 with the founding of Harvard College, the nation's first institution of higher learning. Today there are more than 50 colleges and universities in the area. Being the largest urban center in New England, Greater Boston claims more than half the region's 117 colleges. Intellectual pursuits permeate the city. About 200,000 students return to the hub each September; the undergraduate culture makes up about one-quarter of the population.
Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - both located on the Charles River in Cambridge - are world class institutions. Many other prestigious schools also inhabit the area, including such well known music schools as Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. In addition, the city boasts an impressive array of art, medical, law, and business schools. Nowhere else in America is there such a mixture.
Vast libraries, including Harvard's Widener Library - the largest in the world, and abundant bookstores hold the promise of locating virtually any book; cultural events and visiting speakers fill the calendar; art galleries, theaters and music recitals are open to the public daily. A recent Boston Globe survey asked students at six universities if they considered New England to be the "academic center of America." Seventy percent of American students and 79 percent of international students said "yes."
Many of New England's colleges grew out of the powerful Christian influence of the first three centuries. Harvard was sponsored by the Congregational Church; Boston College was founded by the Jesuits; Amherst, Brown, Dartmouth, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Williams and Yale were all founded as Christian institutions for the purpose of training ministers, missionaries and teachers.
International Population Growing Rapidly
The schools of New England draw students and faculty from all corners of the globe. It is an international community in every sense of the word. Boston has the highest concentration of international students of any city in America. Currently there are at least 20,000 internationals studying in Massachusetts and close to 40,000 internationals attending school in New England.
Many foreign students come to Boston because it has a large international community. In Boston, they can travel anywhere in the city within minutes on a subway trolley and experience the many events and places of interest the city has to offer.
Boston, with its cosmopolitan flavor, is arguably the most "Old World" and European city in the United States. Yet at the same time it offers the richest New World heritage, the ideas of freedom and democracy being germinated right in the heart of the city during its first two centuries. The influx of immigrants in the last century brought it most of its European culture. Currently there is an influx of Asian and Hispanic influence. The international student population only adds to this potpourri. The brightest minds of many nations are being nurtured right here.
One of the main reasons for growth is that area schools are trying to make up for the large number of students who have not been born. The entire U.S. is on a downward demographic trend in the college-age-population. The Northeast has been the hardest hit; the college-age-population in Massachusetts has dropped 30 percent in the last seven years. In order to keep admission standards high, colleges are forced to make up these numbers with students from overseas.
The region has traditionally attracted its international student population from Western Europe, but now the Asian population is on the upswing. Ten percent of Boston University's freshman class are internationals, with the largest contingent coming from Asia.
With the shortage of American college age students, the region will remain a growth area for internationals at least for the next five years.
Up one level
Back to document index
The Real Jesus: Who is the Real Jesus? Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archaeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the "historical Jesus" -- a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin. Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archaeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regretably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.
|
This presentation explodes the myths of these critics and the movies, books and television programs that have popularized their views.
Presented in ten parts -- perfect for individual, family and classroom study -- viewers will be challenged to go deeper in their knowledge of Christ in order to be able to defend their faith and present the truth to a skeptical modern world – that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of history -- "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). He is the real Jesus. Speakers include: George Grant, Ted Baehr, Stephen Mansfield, Raymond Ortlund, Phil Kayser, David Lutzweiler, Jay Grimstead, J.P. Holding, and Eric Holmberg. Ten parts, over two hours of instruction! Running Time: 130 minutes
|
| The Beast of Revelation: IDENTIFIED
Who is the dreaded beast of Revelation? Now at last, a plausible candidate for this personification of evil incarnate has been identified (or re-identified). Ken Gentry's insightful analysis of scripture and history is likely to revolutionize your understanding of the book of Revelation -- and even more importantly -- amplify and energize your entire Christian worldview! Historical footage and other graphics are used to illustrate the lecture Dr. Gentry presented at the 1999 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is followed by a one-hour question and answer session addressing the key concerns and objections typically raised in response to his position. This presentation also features an introduction that touches on not only the confusion and controversy surrounding this issue -- but just why it may well be one of the most significant issues facing the Church today. Ideal for group meetings, personal Bible study -- for anyone who wants to understand the historical context of John's famous letter "... to the seven churches which are in Asia." (Revelation 1:4) |
(Available in DVD only) $17.95 ORDER NOW!
|
INCLUDES A FREE Sixteen Christian leaders and scholars answer some of the most common questions and misperceptions related to this volatile issue: Download the free |
Perfect for group instruction as well as personal
Bible study. Speakers include: George Grant, Howard Phillips,
R.C. Sproul Jr., Ken Gentry, Gary DeMar, Jay Grimstead, R.J. Rushdoony,
Steven Schlissel, Andrew Sandlin, Eric Holmberg, and more!
Ten parts, over four hours of instruction! Watch over 60 streaming videos from God's Law and Society at:
Price reduced! |
| Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism
Over four hours of instruction! Just what is “Calvinism?” Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology? This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer. |
$19.95 ORDER NOW!
|
|
The Forerunner Forum is the discussion group for this web site. The purpose of the group is to engage in discussion about the articles on-line. If you want to discuss any article or video on this web site, visit The Forerunner Forum. |
| VIDEOS | WORDS | BLOG | DISCUSSION | WHAT'S NEW | ABOUT US | FEEDBACK | SEARCH | DONATE | JAY'S BIO | HOME |
For more information, contact:
| The Forerunner jrogers@forerunner.com |
|
P.O. Box 362173 Melbourne, FL 32936-2173 |
