Bangladesh Seminary Expands

Dhaka, Bangladesh….[ANN Staff] Two new buildings were dedicated at Monosapara Adventist Seminary in Bangladesh last month as part of a rebuilding plan.

The new buildings include a three-story dormitory with a capacity for 360 girls and an orphanage for 62 children.

“This is a gorgeous location and one of the nicest facilities ever built,” says Don Kirkman, an Adventist volunteer architect on the project. The institutional property sits along the India border.

“I believe that in providing Christian education for young people we are making good citizens for this country and having a bright future for the church,” says Garwin McNeilus, an Adventist philanthropist who has been involved with the project for several years.

Adventists operate 252 elementary schools, four secondary schools, and one college in this mostly Islamic country with a population of 130 million.

Adventist Colleges Abroad Educator Awarded

Los Angeles, California, United States….[Ansel Oliver/ANN] The “Study Abroad Director of the Year” award was presented to Odette Ferreira, director of the Adventist Colleges Abroad program for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America. The award, given last month, was provided by the Council on International Education Exchange.

The Exchange commended Ferreira for her paper describing re-entry back into home countries, known as reverse culture shock.

“It’s not a new idea,” Ferreira said, “but many institutions are not preparing students for re-entry into their own country.”

A speaker of six languages, Ferreira has served as ACA director for seven years after directing its regional program in France for 11 years.

Adventist Colleges Abroad is an initiative of the Adventist Church originally started in North America in the 1960s. Today ACA sponsors some 400 students in colleges outside their home country.

New Cardiac Procedure Repairs Hole in Heart Without Surgery

Takoma Park, Maryland, United States….[Robert Jepson/ANN] A new procedure designed to close a hole in the heart while avoiding open-heart surgery is now being performed at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland, United States.

The corrective procedure, performed in the catheterization laboratory, reduces the risk of stroke by covering the hole with a catheter.

“Another great benefit is that this procedure is less invasive, less expensive and requires a shorter hospital stay than open-heart surgery,” says Dr. Mark Turco, medical director of the Center for Cardiac and Vascular Research at Washington Adventist Hospital.

WAH is a Seventh-day Adventist institution that performs some 800 open-heart surgeries and more than 6,400 heart catheterizations and angioplasties each year.