Agency will help develop leaders in Brazil
A partnership agreement between the United Methodist Board of Higher
Education and Ministry and the General Council of the Methodist
Institutions of Education
is signed March 19 in Nashville, Tenn. A UMNS photo by Donnie Reed. |
By Vicki Brown*
March 25, 2009 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)
Leaders of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and
Ministry are hailing a new partnership agreement between the agency and
Brazilian educational institutions as a major step in their mission of
developing leaders for the church.
The agreement will further the board’s ability to “engage effectively
in its global work of developing principled Christian leaders for the
church and the world through the Methodist international connection and
network,” said the Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, top staff executive of
the board.
Under the agreement, signed March 19 between the board and the General
Council of the Methodist Institutions of Education, the council will
function as the “regional operating vehicle” of the Methodist Global
Education Fund for Leadership Development. This is the first of five
such arrangements planned under the initiative.
Bishop Marcus Matthews, president of the board, said the partnership is
the culmination of “24 years of hard work” and represents a significant
step in furthering the global education work of The United Methodist
Church.
Bishop Luis Vergilio, vice president of the College of Bishops of the
Methodist Church in Brazil, said the agreement represents the
understanding of the church that education promotes human life,
stewardship of nature and justice.
“This agreement, by means of the higher education in Brazil, will reach the whole of Latin America,” Vergilio said.
Global focus
Under the agreement, the council will provide technical assistance
and support to 120 Methodist educational institutions that enroll
95,000 students in Latin America.
“The present economic crisis impacts every corner of the world. This is
the time for us to work together, as partners, not only to overcome
current difficulties, but also to advance the development of principled
Christian leaders around the world,” Del Pino said.
Under the agreement, the board and the fund will:
- provide technical expertise in developing an
institutional network among Methodist-related educational institutions
in Latin America;
- provide technical expertise in improving and strengthening institutional health and viability;
- assist
the council in increasing institutional effectiveness of those
Methodist educational institutions in Latin American through developing
quality governance, administration, academic programs and faculty,
student recruitment and retention, marketing and physical facilities;
- assist the council in exploring and cultivating possible
funding sources to support Methodist-related educational institutions
in Latin America and its network;
- help the council facilitate the needs of
Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America with
Methodist-related educational institutions in the other four regions
for faculty, staff, and student exchanges, research and program
cooperation, and other initiatives;
- assist the council in implementing the institutional
self-assessment tool developed by the International Association of
Methodist-related Schools, Colleges and Universities as a way to
establish institutional quality standards.
The council will:
- serve as the anchor agency of the Methodist educational
network in Latin America and function as the regional vehicle for the
Methodist Global Education Fund for Leadership Development;
- develop collaborative support relationships among Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America;
- design,
implement and administer a Methodist education network to minimize
operational costs and maximize efficiency and effectiveness. That
should include technical assistance, professional development, and
scholarship support.
- gather and maintain institutional profiles of Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America;
- develop annual operating income and expenditure budgets;
- interpret and promote Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America;
- create
a corporate branding of Methodist-related educational institutions and
develop marketing strategies appropriate in Latin America;
- explore and secure funds from external sources in Latin America;
- evaluate periodically performance of the global education fund’s regional office functions.
Access problems
On March 18, council members met with board officials and Bishop
Neil Irons and Vivian Bull, a board consultant, to discuss Methodist
higher education in Brazil, as well as the role of the Methodist Church
in higher education in that country.
The Rev. Luis de Souza Cardoso, the council’s executive director, told
the group that while public education is the right of all citizens of
Brazil, many families simply cannot afford for their children to access
education. “Many have to work,” he said.
Information about the Methodist Global Education Fund for Leadership Development is available at http://umc.gbhem.org/mgef.
*Brown is associate editor and writer in the Office of Interpretation, Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
News media contact: Linda Green or Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related Articles
Higher Ed board approves plan, cost cuts, scholarship fund
United Methodists seek to ‘turn worlds upside down’
Resources
General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Four Areas of Ministry Focus
Methodist Global Education for Leadership Development |