Methodist educators focus on shaping future leaders
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Outgoing president Rukudzo Murapa addresses the
International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges and
Universities July 10 in Rosario, Argentina.
UMNS photos courtesy of Tibaldo Fotografias.
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A UMNS Report
By Linda Green*
August 14, 2008
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The governing board oversees the association of 700 Methodist and Methodist-related institutions
worldwide.
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Methodist leaders in higher education used global education and
communication as the foundation for their 2008 worldwide gathering in
Argentina to collaborate on ways to develop future Christian leaders for
the church and the world.
More than 200 academics attended the July 10-13 meeting of the
International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges and
Universities at the Latin American Educational Center in Rosario. The
17-year-old association has a worldwide membership of 700 Methodist and
Methodist-related institutions.
"As Methodist educators, we aspire to shape the future of our
young women and men so that they can significantly impact local,
national and global developments in a positive way," said Rukudzo
Murapa, the association's outgoing president.
The association was established in 1991 in Brazil and has since held
conferences in England, Northern Ireland and Australia. The resulting
relationships have produced cooperative activities including distance
education networks and exchanges of students, faculty and staff.
The 2008 gathering highlighted the newly launched distance
education program between Africa University in Zimbabwe and Methodist
University in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as well as the United Methodist
Conference Education Center in Maputo, Mozambique.
Participants explored ways to develop competent, spiritually mature
and ethical graduates to face critical global challenges such as
sustaining the environment.
"As this conference has clearly illustrated, we have an
astonishing opportunity if we work together in the solidarity of our
association," said Ted Brown, who was elected to a three-year term as
president of the organization.
"But with this opportunity we must also acknowledge an enormous responsibility," said Brown, president of Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn. "If
you think about it, our institutions are arguably the most important
assets that our churches possess in this modern age. In terms of today's
culture, especially youth culture—the church of the future—our schools,
colleges and universities represent the most relevant and compelling of
the church's ministries."
Participants applauded the United Methodist denominational
focus on four critical areas for the immediate future, noting that
education is key to effectively addressing leadership development,
congregational renewal and growth, engaging in ministry with the poor
and stamping out killer diseases by improving global health.
"What we are seeing is a craving for leadership that is widespread," said the Rev. Jerome King del
Pino, top executive at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education
and Ministry. "The mission of IAMSCU is even more imperative these times
than in history."
Murapa, who retired in 2007 as vice chancellor of Africa
University, said good leadership plays a critical role in the growth of
the church, as well as in academic and educational institutions. The
United Methodist General Conference has created a Global Education Fund
for Leadership Development, and IAMSCU "is an important vehicle through
which to bring about that new, committed and enlightened leadership," he
said.
New officers
In addition to Brown, the association elected other officers
for the 2008-2010 term: Vice president, Bradley Fenner, principal of
Westminster School, Adelaide, South Australia; and secretary-treasurer,
Ken Bedell, associate chief executive for the Division of Higher
Education, United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
New executive committee members are: Masayuki Ida, professor of
the Graduate School of International Management, Aoyama Gakuin
University, Japan; and Claudia Lombardo, president of ALAIME, the
organization of Methodist educational institutions in Latin America, and
a professor at Universidad del Centro Educativo Latino Americano in
Rosario.
New board members are: Leslie Garner, president of Cornell
College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and past president of the National
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; Socorro Brito de
Anda, principal of Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas; Sergei
Nikolaev, director of Russia United Methodist Theological Seminary,
Moscow; and Myron McCoy, president, Saint Paul School of Theology,
Kansas City, Mo.
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Evelyn Warren, a consultant to United Methodist Communications, contributed to this article.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related Articles
Methodist educators meet in Rosario (PDF)
Education must adapt to globalization, Methodist academics say
Resources
International Association of Methodist-related Schools, Colleges, and Universities
IAMSCU 2008 Conference
United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Global Methodist Education Fund | 
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