The day began a bit later than I had feared. The Bishop prevailed on Susheila to let me sleep in a bit since I had flown all night. So instead of 8am I was able to start at 9am. In part he wanted to find time with her last night to discuss issues he wanted to talk with me about later. That deference to one another and care about consensus bespeaks respect and community. Perhaps also, he wanted to be briefed a bit about things first, since while he is titular head, Susheila and Mrinalini clearly run things. The high place for women in leadership in this country and this church/college is plain. The respect for the school leadership is also seen in the reaction of students coming out of doors as I walked by with one of the other of these women, or as we entered a room. In good British school style, students (even if studying, or in a class lecture) rise together when we walked in. 
Coming out doors and seeing us, they would stop dead in their tracks and acknowledge the principal or secretary. It is a good thing to show respect….we could benefit if we showed more in our culture. I certainly felt graciously welcomed with undeserved respect. Good breakfast at the Nilgris Nest hotel, and the driver James (honest!) was there at 9. Mrinalini was waiting as I arrived for chapel. 
The day was warming up….especially near the back wall where chairs for the respected leaders were seated. I think the sun had heated the wall outside and it was re-radiating inside. Susheila was urged b her students to move forward and sit under a ceiling fan. She invited me to…..but I declined….probably a male thing! ;-0 They show a great deal of honor to their leaders and by proxy to me. In the halls students coming out of classes would see the Secretary or Principal and immediately stop in their tracks, and acknowledge them with a bowed head. Entering a class even in session, the professor would stop, and all students would rise without prompting. Man those British sure had SOME things right! We could use a bit more respect in the US! 
I visited the computer lab (70 stations…all neat and up to date)
and the fashion center (with 50 basic machines and 70 advanced commercial sewing machines…
it was amazing…..Coimbatore is a textile center). It was fun to see the bright eager kids doing digital media group projects around computers. The samples of beadwork and counted crossstitch with back sides as neat as the front….THAT takes skill. 
They kindly gave me some samples…and the dress designs and saris were beautiful. I visited the painting studio and was shown a large number of sample works from students and the professor who gave me the tour. They had obviously gone to great lengths to prepare for me and welcome me, I visited the Social Work Department….they offer an MSW!...and even shared birthday cake with one of the profs. We saw the library….total of 30,000 volumes, and eventually followed our noses to the Catering and Hotel department. The kitchen lab was impressive with dozens of commercial ranges, and a lineup of proud young men with chefs hats! 
We went to enter the dining room “lab” from the kitchen but were re-routed….which made sense when we entered properly. I was greeted by 3 beautiful young ladies….giving me flowers again! (The airport 2 dozen roses have been in my room!). These I asked to be set in a vase for our meal. So with 6-8 tuxedoed men waiters, 
6 of us were dined in style! 
After lunch, I might have preferred to SLEEP, but I was given formal powerpoint presentations from each department after a welcoming PPT from Mrinalinil.
They have welcomed me royally. What impressed me most was the degree to which each department is deeply and significantly involved in extra-curricular projects with orphans, leper colonies, catastrophe aid, and on and on. This college surely DOES combine good academics and outreach both. I think the International Forum should showcase some of these schools I am visiting….we in the US could learn a lot! And doing this would address an issue I have heard elsewhere but most clearly here….that membership in CCCU has not done much for them until now. They have hopes! I even got to see (and bring with me) 4 video productions. Then we began what would be the key session…with Susheila, Mrinalini, and Peter the CFO for the College and Diocese. Mid way the Bishop called to say his lunch time meeting had delayed him so could we come to his office. We had a great session with him….they had all talked last night so they had a list of ideas. I felt warmly accepted and my visit was appreciated. Unlike some of the other schools I’ve visited they really don’t have the problem of finding qualified Christian staff, nor do they really need accreditation. But BASIC INFORMATION about the other CCCU schools (eg. A web site with a standardized set of data on a separate page for each member would allow them to contact these partners for specific needs. I think this is essential and doable…esp if we find grant money. There are now FOUR parts of what I think should be an International CCCU web site linked to the already very good CCCU site. 1. A set of pages with a standard format for each of the 160 members/affiliates…including location, enrollment, programs, and other pieces I’m collecting, 2. A set of Peer pages so that peers at any member/affiliate can easily contact their peers at any other place. CCCU HAS a paper directory but this would be better and easier…and could be linked the pages in #1, 3. A set of pages listing retired faculty and faculty intending sabbaticals, along with their areas of specialty so that our international affiliates can more easily identify potential visiting profs for anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 years! Now it is so haphazard and this would be EASY…the retiree pages is especially needed! 4. A set of pages listing “Academic SWAT teams” of 3-5 experts in a wide range of areas….pedagogy, admin, recruiting, governance, fund raising. These could be consulted both “online” and as needed “onsite.”
The Bishop proudly showed me the chapel he had built on the diocesan premises….beautiful….with ideas from around the world…..the cross on top,
visible from ALL angles, on a major busy street in this city was great
…..as was the altar, and stained glass. 
As Bishop Dorai said farewell he embraced me in a way that made me feel I had made a new friend. What a blessing to be in our business, what a blessing to meet such good people.
Coming out doors and seeing us, they would stop dead in their tracks and acknowledge the principal or secretary. It is a good thing to show respect….we could benefit if we showed more in our culture. I certainly felt graciously welcomed with undeserved respect. Good breakfast at the Nilgris Nest hotel, and the driver James (honest!) was there at 9. Mrinalini was waiting as I arrived for chapel. 
The day was warming up….especially near the back wall where chairs for the respected leaders were seated. I think the sun had heated the wall outside and it was re-radiating inside. Susheila was urged b her students to move forward and sit under a ceiling fan. She invited me to…..but I declined….probably a male thing! ;-0 They show a great deal of honor to their leaders and by proxy to me. In the halls students coming out of classes would see the Secretary or Principal and immediately stop in their tracks, and acknowledge them with a bowed head. Entering a class even in session, the professor would stop, and all students would rise without prompting. Man those British sure had SOME things right! We could use a bit more respect in the US! 
I visited the computer lab (70 stations…all neat and up to date)
and the fashion center (with 50 basic machines and 70 advanced commercial sewing machines…
it was amazing…..Coimbatore is a textile center). It was fun to see the bright eager kids doing digital media group projects around computers. The samples of beadwork and counted crossstitch with back sides as neat as the front….THAT takes skill. 
They kindly gave me some samples…and the dress designs and saris were beautiful. I visited the painting studio and was shown a large number of sample works from students and the professor who gave me the tour. They had obviously gone to great lengths to prepare for me and welcome me, I visited the Social Work Department….they offer an MSW!...and even shared birthday cake with one of the profs. We saw the library….total of 30,000 volumes, and eventually followed our noses to the Catering and Hotel department. The kitchen lab was impressive with dozens of commercial ranges, and a lineup of proud young men with chefs hats! 
We went to enter the dining room “lab” from the kitchen but were re-routed….which made sense when we entered properly. I was greeted by 3 beautiful young ladies….giving me flowers again! (The airport 2 dozen roses have been in my room!). These I asked to be set in a vase for our meal. So with 6-8 tuxedoed men waiters, 
6 of us were dined in style! 
After lunch, I might have preferred to SLEEP, but I was given formal powerpoint presentations from each department after a welcoming PPT from Mrinalinil.
They have welcomed me royally. What impressed me most was the degree to which each department is deeply and significantly involved in extra-curricular projects with orphans, leper colonies, catastrophe aid, and on and on. This college surely DOES combine good academics and outreach both. I think the International Forum should showcase some of these schools I am visiting….we in the US could learn a lot! And doing this would address an issue I have heard elsewhere but most clearly here….that membership in CCCU has not done much for them until now. They have hopes! I even got to see (and bring with me) 4 video productions. Then we began what would be the key session…with Susheila, Mrinalini, and Peter the CFO for the College and Diocese. Mid way the Bishop called to say his lunch time meeting had delayed him so could we come to his office. We had a great session with him….they had all talked last night so they had a list of ideas. I felt warmly accepted and my visit was appreciated. Unlike some of the other schools I’ve visited they really don’t have the problem of finding qualified Christian staff, nor do they really need accreditation. But BASIC INFORMATION about the other CCCU schools (eg. A web site with a standardized set of data on a separate page for each member would allow them to contact these partners for specific needs. I think this is essential and doable…esp if we find grant money. There are now FOUR parts of what I think should be an International CCCU web site linked to the already very good CCCU site. 1. A set of pages with a standard format for each of the 160 members/affiliates…including location, enrollment, programs, and other pieces I’m collecting, 2. A set of Peer pages so that peers at any member/affiliate can easily contact their peers at any other place. CCCU HAS a paper directory but this would be better and easier…and could be linked the pages in #1, 3. A set of pages listing retired faculty and faculty intending sabbaticals, along with their areas of specialty so that our international affiliates can more easily identify potential visiting profs for anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 years! Now it is so haphazard and this would be EASY…the retiree pages is especially needed! 4. A set of pages listing “Academic SWAT teams” of 3-5 experts in a wide range of areas….pedagogy, admin, recruiting, governance, fund raising. These could be consulted both “online” and as needed “onsite.”The Bishop proudly showed me the chapel he had built on the diocesan premises….beautiful….with ideas from around the world…..the cross on top,
visible from ALL angles, on a major busy street in this city was great
…..as was the altar, and stained glass. 
As Bishop Dorai said farewell he embraced me in a way that made me feel I had made a new friend. What a blessing to be in our business, what a blessing to meet such good people.
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