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(United Board staff in front of the wall of welcomes at the office in Chiang Mai, Thailand) | |
As 2026 begins, I’m encouraged by the momentum across our network—especially the way colleagues are turning ideas into operating initiatives that strengthen students, institutions, and communities. In this issue of the United Board e-newsletter, you’ll find stories of faculty, leaders, and partners who are advancing whole person education with creativity, courage, and care.
We begin in Chiang Mai, where the inaugural program “Seeds of Change: Initiating Social Entrepreneurship in Higher Education” convened educators and social innovators at Payap University. Through conversation and field visits, participants explored how universities can move beyond the classroom to accompany communities at the margins—and to form students who meet social challenges with creativity, courage, and compassion. We are now in Phase II, where participating institutions will submit proposals to the United Board to implement entrepreneurship programs appropriate to their own contexts.
From Thailand, we travel to Cambodia, where Dr. Phon Sophal—following his participation in February’s Whole Person Education Academy (WPEA)—is integrating whole person education more deeply into the curriculum, student formation, and institutional life of Saint Paul Institute. His efforts show how any college, regardless of size or location, can make a profound impact when mission, leadership, and daily practice are aligned.
You will also find highlights from recent programs, including WPEA 2026 in Manila, our new Strategic Resource Development Workshops in India, and an alumni webinar on reimagining student assessment in the age of artificial intelligence. Together, these initiatives reflect our commitment to accompany institutions as they navigate significant change in the higher education sector—strengthening leadership, advancing financial sustainability, and equipping faculty to help students flourish. This issue also features alumni reunions and institutional visits, from Manila to Shenzhen, underscoring the importance of relationships and sustained partnership in our collective work.
We also pause to remember with gratitude the life of Dr. Budi Widianarko, whose quiet integrity, deep faith, and generous leadership enriched our Board and wider community in countless ways. He believed that each of us is both a teacher and a farmer—called to share knowledge and help things grow. His legacy continues to inspire us as we cultivate and nurture communities across Asia.
Finally, I am pleased to share that our new regional office in Chiang Mai, Thailand—located on the beautiful Mae Khao Campus of Payap University—is nearing completion. Our staff are already beginning to settle into the new space, and the office will strengthen our presence and responsiveness across the region. We look forward to sharing more about this new chapter in the months ahead.
In this spirit of growth, we warmly welcome new colleagues joining the United Board in Chiang Mai and Hong Kong. Their experience and dedication will help us serve our institutions with even greater attentiveness and care.
Together, the stories in this issue testify to the resilience, imagination, and hope that characterize Christian higher education in Asia today. Thank you for walking with us as we form whole person educators and leaders. I invite you to read on, share with others what resonates with you, and continue partnering with us as we plant seeds across our expanding network, and witness together their taking roots and bearing fruits in campuses and their communities.
With gratitude and hope,
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Pareena Gupta Lawrence
President
United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia
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From Inspiration to Action:
Sowing the Seed of Change in Chiang Mai
| Dr. Sandra Joseph has spent her academic career in the belief that universities belong not only in classrooms and laboratories but also in the villages, streets, and communities beyond their walls. Trained in social work, with a master’s and PhD in the same field, she believes higher education finds its deepest meaning when rigorous study meets lived experience and when students confront real stories of struggle, resilience, and change. “You cannot just shut yourself inside a university like in an ivory tower and then talk about development, change, and human dignity,” she reflected. Read more |
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Recent Discovery, Swift Action:
Dr. Phon Sophal’s Leadership Journey in Whole Person Education
| Prompt action, immediate change, and palpable impact: these mark both Dr. Phon Sophal’s leadership and the fast-evolving story of Saint Paul Institute (SPI), Cambodia’s only Catholic higher education institution and a new partner in the United Board’s network. Read more |
Whole Person Education Academy 2026, Ateneo Teacher Center | This United Board program continued to advance holistic, future-ready education across Asia in the last few months, through programs that sowed the seeds of social entrepreneurship and reimagined assessment in the AI era. There were also initiatives that deepened whole person education and strengthened strategic resource development for long-term institutional sustainability. Read more |
United Board delegation welcomed on CUHK Shenzhen campus | Over the last few months, the United Board has been renewing and deepening relationships with partners and alumni through reunions and campus visits across Asia. From Manila, Philippines to Shenzhen, China, these encounters are strengthening shared commitments to whole person education, women’s leadership, and innovative, values-based collaboration in higher education. Read more |
Remembering Dr. Budi Widianarko (1962-2026) | |
The United Board community continues to mourn the passing of Dr. Budi Widianarko, a beloved trustee, colleague, and friend, who died suddenly of a heart attack on February 7, 2026, at the age of 63.
An environmental scientist and senior leader in Indonesian higher education, Dr. Widianarko joined the United Board Board of Trustees in 2020 and served with quiet distinction on its Program Committee, Finance and Administration Committee, and several task forces.
United Board trustees remember him as a person of deep integrity, whose wise questions, gentle humor, and global perspective helped the Board discern “a better path” in complex discussions. Within the United Board offices, staff saw in him a humble servant-leader, deeply rooted in his Catholic faith and committed to whole person education and bridge-building across cultures and contexts.
Beyond the United Board, Dr. Widianarko served as Executive Director of Yayasan Sandjojo and as professor and former rector of Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang, Indonesia, where he was widely respected as a teacher, mentor, and administrator.
In a December 2025 interview in Horizons, he shared a conviction that now reads like a legacy to our community: “Everyone has two professions—teacher and farmer—because whenever we share knowledge or help something grow, we are contributing to the flourishing of our communities and our world.”
Dr. Pareena Gupta Lawrence, President of the United Board, said, “As a quiet, gentle, and resolute leader, he had a remarkable way of bringing out the best in each of us. I count it a profound privilege that our paths crossed, even though our time together was far too short.”
The United Board community will remember Dr. Widianarko in prayer for “a life well lived” and for the many ways he has enriched our work in Christian higher education in Asia.
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Dr. David Johns, Senior Consultant
Dr. David Johns’s work focuses on leadership development, regional engagement, and cross-cultural program design, with particular involvement in the Institute for Advanced Study in Asian Cultures and Theologies (IASACT), the Asian Academy for Campus Ministry (AACM), and the United Board Fellows Program.
A theologian whose work centers on ethics, culture, and interfaith issues, he approaches leadership formation through theological reflection, moral discernment, and whole person education, drawing on extensive international experience that includes long-term teaching and scholarly work in Latin America and a sustained commitment to intercultural and multifaith engagement. Prior to joining the United Board, David served as a faculty member, senior academic officer, and college president.
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Dr. Marcia B. France, Senior Consultant
A passionate advocate for whole person education, Dr. Marcia B. France’s work focuses on advancing women’s leadership, environmental sustainability, and climate change initiatives. She brings over 30 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member and administrator, most recently serving as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Fulbright University Vietnam. Previously, she was the inaugural Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies and the Language and Culture Center at Duke Kunshan University, where she helped launch and implement an interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum for a global student body representing 70 countries.
Before moving to Asia, Dr. France was the John T. Herwick, M.D. Professor of Chemistry at Washington and Lee University, where she also served as Associate Dean of the College and Associate Provost, and she holds degrees in chemistry from MIT (SB), Yale University (MS), and Caltech (PhD).
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Mr. Phannawat Charoensiri, Office Manager, Chiang Mai Office
Mr. Phannawat Charoensiri is a dedicated office and operations professional with over 20 years of experience supporting international nonprofit organizations across Thailand and the Asia region. At the Chiang Mai office, he oversees daily operations, local human resources, and administrative compliance to ensure seamless support for the regional team. Throughout his career, he has developed strong expertise in managing complex office environments and streamlining operational workflows, including leadership roles as HR Manager at Manao Software and Regional HR & Administration Manager at HelpAge International (Asia & Pacific Regional Development Center).
With an academic background in public administration, Mr. Charoensiri is committed to contributing his operational expertise to mission-driven institutions and is honored to support the United Board’s work across the region.
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Ms. Rosemary Cheung, Administrative Assistant, Hong Kong Office
Ms. Rosemary Cheung brings over 30 years of experience from Chung Chi College of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she was responsible for accounting tasks and staff quarters administration. She holds an Associate Degree in Public Administration and Management from the City University of Hong Kong and will provide essential administrative support to the Hong Kong office.
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