From the President

Summer greetings from the United Board!

This is my first message as President of the United Board to the readers of this electronic bulletin. I am delighted to join the United Board team and share the highlights from some of our recent programs and happenings.

First and foremost, our year-long celebrations of the United Board Centennial concluded with a flourish at a gala dinner held in Hong Kong in June. Many friends and representatives from our network institutions, some travelling from afar, joined us in the festivities, celebrated our milestone, and are enthusiastic about working with us as we confidently stride into our second century of service.

Summer is rarely an idle time at the United Board, particularly now that many of our programs have resumed in-person operation after the pandemic. In June, I travelled to Davao, Philippines, to attend the Asian Academy of Campus Ministry, which brought together many ministry and counseling professionals to prepare them for their new and extended roles in a multi-faith context.

Seeing a United Board program up close and in action was powerful.

My next stop was Singapore, where two cohorts of our signature Fellows Program joined us for their capstone event at a multi-day seminar hosted by Singapore Management University. It was a delight to meet these promising academics and administrators who are prepared to embrace greater responsibilities and take on new leadership opportunities in service to their home institutions. 

Back in Hong Kong, I had the privilege to attend another signature United Board program—the Institute for Advanced Studies in Asian Cultures and Theology (IASACT)—and met with the participants who are early-career researchers engaged in their interdisciplinary scholarly endeavors. I could visibly see their excitement, camaraderie, and gratitude for this opportunity. 

In mid-July, I travelled to Delhi and Bangalore in India to meet with our consultants and visit the United Board supported Christ University Higher Education Leadership Institute. This Institute, in collaboration with Christ (Deemed to be University), is the first of its kind to address emerging leadership development needs in India and in South Asia. The first leadership program will be rolled out this year.

From the end of July, I have travelled to the US to visit some of our long-term friends, donors and trustees in New York City and California.

You will read more about some of these events in the following pages. Enjoy the photos of the merry mingling and the smiling faces. I hope this greeting from all of us at the United Board will bring you joy.

On a more somber note, I wanted to share the passing of an old United Board friend and trustee, Dr. Preman Niles. Dr. Niles will be deeply missed by all those that knew him or were indirectly influenced by him. Details of the funeral service can be found in the obituary at the end of this bulletin.

With very best wishes,

Pareena Gupta Lawrence



President

A Fun-filled Finale

The celebrations of the United Board's Centennial reached its finale on 16 June in Hong Kong. In the Grand Ballroom of YMCA, United Board trustees and staff welcomed over 130 friends, partners, donors, university presidents and leaders from the religious and higher education sectors of Hong Kong and other Asian countries and regions. New friends met and old ones reconnected, all in joyous celebration of this special milestone of the United Board's century of service to Christian higher education in Asia.

In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Christian Murck, Chair of the Board, said: "We enter our second century with a renewed period of optimism and a determined sense that we're facing a very dynamic environment together with partners, who are equally committed to the values that we espouse and work with us to try to define and improve our programs as we go forward."

The evening also saw the inauguration of the new President of the United Board, Dr. Pareena Lawrence. In her speech, Dr. Lawrence said: "I have held many positions in my career. None speaks to the breadth of impact, hope and the opportunity to help transform lives and communities than this: to serve as the President of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia.

"I want to pledge to you that together we will cherish and uphold the legacy of the United Board in sowing the seeds of change for the next generation. With a deep sense of responsibility, I am ready to begin."

Hosts and guests also enjoyed the joint performance of the United Board Centennial Anthem, Cherished Moments, by the Chung Chi College Choir and the Petra Christian University Choir. The mood of the evening was further heightened by a member of the Petra Theatre singing a song from their original musical 11 Questions, a paean to the education of the whole person through love, empathy, and sacrifice.

[See more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pBC1ER9WWh4F5RCLA]

Views from the Top

From 13 April to 15 April, 50 heads of higher education institutions from all over India participated in the Indian Christian Higher Education Leaders Summit organized by the United Board and held at Women's Christian College, Chennai.

The United Board had earlier commissioned a study on the impact of Christian higher educational institutions in India. Highlights of the results were shared and the following were identified as the challenges for Indian higher education: the quality of and access to education, outdated curriculum, faculty shortage, research and innovation, and internationalization.

Dr. Maher Spurgeon, Consultant, Director of South Asia Programs of the United Board, said, "This Summit provided opportunities for the principals to share their challenges with one another and create a network and fellowship among them." The impact of the Summit on Indian higher education will be felt for many years to come.

The grand finale to the Summit was a dinner held at Hotel Radisson Blu, Chennai to jointly celebrate the Centennial of the United Board and the anniversaries of four of the United Board's partners in India, namely, St. Christopher's College and Union Christian College which also celebrated their centenaries; and Lady Doak College and Stella Maris College which celebrated their 75th anniversary.

[See more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/EJCxNonA62eSWVgk6]

In Search of Campus Ministry 2.0

The Asian Academy of Campus Ministry was a two-week residential training (25 May—8 June 2023) conceived and sponsored by the United Board to strengthen chaplaincy care and services on campus. It also aimed to facilitate a paradigm shift of the role of campus ministry from that of a program-oriented liturgical one to an action/service and program-oriented one. Ateneo de Davao University in the Philippines, a longtime partner, hosted the Academy for 30 chaplains and campus ministry professionals hailed from 25 institutions in 10 countries and regions in Asia. 

Dr. Jeffrey Kuan, United Board Trustee, led the session titled “Theological Perspective of Campus Ministry in the Asian Context”. He introduced the current challenges faced by universities where economic improvement is the usual driving force for pursuing education today. Another Trustee Dr. Su Yon Park, in the session titled “Campus Ministers as Meaning Makers”, introduced some useful meaning-making skills such as providing a non-anxious presence, deep listening for spiritual distress, resonance through matching, attunement and ground practice through the arrangement of space or distance.

Dr. Pareena Lawrence, joining the Academy in her first outreach activity since assuming the presidency of the United Board in June, gave out certificates to the participants and resource persons. She was glad to see the participants critically looking into the changing roles of campus ministry and preparing action plans to bring back to their home institutions.



[See more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ka7Vsz9B6kjmBuZd8]

An Initiation Rite for New United Board Fellows

A joint Leadership Seminar for two cohorts of the United Board Fellows Program was held from 28 June to 6 July 2023 in Singapore, where the 2019-2020 and the 2021-2022 cohorts gathered at the Singapore Management University (SMU) for an immersive and bonding experience. Forty Fellows from the two cohorts had ample opportunities of up-close interaction and conversations with top leaders and pioneers from SMU, the National University of Singapore, and Singapore Institute of Technology, to learn about Asian university management models and their best practices. During the lectures and activities including a fun-filled cultural night, the Fellows had vibrant discussions and sharing among themselves and with the mentors and staff from the United Board.

Dr. Pareena Lawrence, President of the United Board, encouraged the Fellows at the closing ceremony: “From now on, as United Board Fellows, you will be the ambassadors of the United Board brand and the carrier of the seeds of our whole person education mission. I know that you have cherished every moment you have spent in the program, and I exhort you to charge forward on the path ahead with confidence and courage to help build a better future through the institutions and communities we serve.”

[See more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2YqJoTWy5ZsvZbdb8]

A Melting Pot of Cultures and Theologies

After a hiatus of three years due to the pandemic, the United Board was delighted to deliver the Institute for Advanced Study in Asian Cultures and Theologies (IASACT) in-person again. IASACT enables early-career researchers to come together and form a supportive learning community. It is a multi-disciplinary program where scholars from different disciplines come together and work on the same theme from different perspectives.

This year’s IASACT was held from 16 June to 13 July at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College. The month-long residential program was a melting pot of faiths, cultures, and disciplines. Academic and social activities have opened new doors to the 15 young scholars from 14 institutions in 11 countries and regions to stimulate their thoughts and enhance their research skills. Deep friendships were developed among many who spent time and shared space together enabling them to learn from one another.



[See more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hxC1QgZ89kkR4Hmy8]

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Obituary

Dr. Preman Niles (1936-2023)

We mourn the passing of Dr. Preman Niles on 3 August 2023 in London. Dr. Niles was a widely loved and respected figure in the ecumenical community and served as United Board Trustee from 2003 to 2013.

During his tenure at the United Board, Dr. Niles had devoted his time and efforts to important ideas and programs, including the Asianization of the United Board, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Asian Cultures and Theologies which has since developed into a signature program of the United Board providing a unique space for young Asian scholars for reflection, dialogue, and writing on culture, religion, and theology. He was also centrally involved in the redefinition of Christian Presence as whole person education as the core of the mission of the United Board.

Dr. Niles was a tremendous force for good in the world and would remain in the hearts of the many lives he touched and those at the United Board who had the good fortune of knowing and working with him.

Dr. Niles was survived by his three children: Damayanthi, Radhika, and Dharman.

The funeral service will be held at 2:15 pm GMT on Friday, 25 August 2023 at St. John’s United Reformed Church, Lynwood Grove, Orpington, Kent, BR6 0BG, Great Britain and live streamed under “Preman Niles Memorial” at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSxgsw7yBt0fx0MKaeDYzKA