From Pakistan to Pineville: LCU math professor counts his blessings
While Louisiana Christian University welcomed many international students who traveled thousands of miles to attend college this semester, few traveled as far as new mathematics faculty member Dr. Ashar Ghulam.
Ghulam moved this summer from Lahore, Pakistan, his hometown of more than 13 million residents, of whom are more than 96% Muslim, to live in Pineville, a town of 15,000, and work at a Christian university.
To say his life has changed seems to be more than just a bit of an understatement.
However, Louisiana itself was not new to him or his family.
Ghulam, who was raised in a Christian family, studied at Forman Christian College University in Lahore when it was run by Government. Previously this university was run by Presbyterian missionaries. He earned his master’s from the University of the Punjab, also in Pakistan.
He spent a few years teaching mathematics in high schools. Then in 2003, martial law was declared, and the Army took over. The government had previously taken over control of the Forman Christian College University, Lahore and eliminated the role of the Christian missionaries.
“The head of the Army, he was a former student, and he helped the missionaries regain control of the Institute, and it was returned to the Presbyterian missionaries,” Ghulam said. “At that time, they were looking for faculty, and I joined there.”
He worked there from 2003-2010, when he applied for and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study at LSU. He earned his Master of Science and Ph.D. in mathematics while he was there.
Ghulam, along with his wife and three children spent several years in Baton Rouge while he was studying. It was his first time in America, he said.
“The first six months were very hard,” Ghulam said. “I was alone, but when my wife and kids arrived things got better.”
His oldest child, Isaac Ashar, was 5 then. He is now a freshman studying computer science at LCU. (It is common practice in Pakistan to give the son the most commonly used name of his father as his last name).
Ghulam said finding a church with a good fellowship was central to his happiness in his new home. It was there he met U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who was a U.S. representative at the time. Cassidy was his oldest son’s Sunday School teacher.
However, he returned to Pakistan in 2016. A condition of the Fulbright Scholarship program is that recipients must return to their home country for at least as long as their scholarship lasted.
In 2024, a position opened at LCU, and with the reference of Sen. Cassidy, and his exceptional credentials, his family made the move back to Central Louisiana.
“Dr. Ghulam was for over 20 years a professor at Forman Christian College in Lahore, Pakistan near the border with India,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Henry O. Robertson. “As a Christian committed to Jesus Christ, he worked there faithfully and was a blessing to his students. His students are working and getting higher education in different parts of the world. He has worked for the Higher Commission of Pakistan(HEC), also. He is widely published, cited dozens of times, and has been a presenter at international conferences. We welcome Dr. Ghulam and his family to the LCU family and value the stature he brings to the mathematical field here on this campus.”
Ghulam said the biggest challenge is the increased use of technology in the classroom. Student behavior is also different, but having taught in graduate school at LSU, he was accustomed to American students.
The software that Americans universities use is considered quite costly in Pakistan, he said. But he is learning and willing to learn even more new things.
On the personal side, he said he finds the food in Louisiana to be milder than he is used to eating. Even though Cajuns are known for their heat, Pakistani and Indian food has much more kick. So he said they are learning to like ‘mild’ flavors.
Isaac said the biggest difference for him is the lack of shopping here.
“In Pakistan, there are corner shops everywhere,” he said. “Overall, I like living in Pineville, it’s just much smaller than I am used to.”
But that’s just fine with them.
“I’m comfortable here,” Ghulam said. “And my son is happy here. It is God’s plan that we are here, and it was not easy to come here from our country to be here for work. We are starting a new life here, with more opportunities for our children.”
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Media Release | Oct. 5, 2024 | Pineville, Louisiana
Contact: Dr. Elizabeth B. Clarke, Director of University Communications | Elizabeth.clarke@lcuniversity.edu