Reunion and Visits

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.

Alumni Reunion in Manila

On February 3, 41 United Board alumni gathered at Trinity University of Asia in Manila for an evening of reconnection, reflection, and renewed commitment to Christian higher education. The group included six university presidents from Miriam College, Union Christian College, University of St. Louis, Ateneo de Manila University, Silliman University, and Trinity University of Asia, reflecting the depth of leadership that has emerged through United Board programs over the years.

Pareena and staff shared updates on current initiatives and new opportunities for collaboration, affirming the United Board’s long-term commitment to accompanying leaders and institutions across Asia. Alumni reflections—describing the United Board as a community that forms people for faithful and thoughtful leadership and a “soul-expanding journey”—underscored a shared desire to be “leaders who serve and servants who lead” in carrying forward whole person education in their own contexts.

Visit from Love and Grace Welfare Aid Foundation, Japan

On February 6, the United Board’s Hong Kong office welcomed Chairperson Hisae Endo and colleagues from the Love and Grace Welfare Aid Foundation to discuss their vision for the Aikei Scholarship Program in Asia. The conversation provided space to share institutional insights and recommend potential partner universities in India and the Philippines.

Visit to Assumption University, Philippines

Also on February 6, Dr. Hope Antone, Director of Faculty Development, and Ms. Trudy Loo, Assistant Vice President of Development, visited Assumption University (AU) in Makati, one of only two colleges for girls in the Philippines. The visit highlighted AU’s strong tradition of holistic education for girls from basic education through college, as well as its outreach to communities in Visayas and Mindanao.

Conversations with President Sr. Irene Torres and Dr. Ma. Margarita “Maita” Ladrido underscored shared commitments to nurturing women’s leadership in Asia’s changing higher education landscape. The visit also surfaced AU’s potential as a venue for future in-person women’s leadership and faculty development programs, opening new possibilities for collaboration.

Visit from Macquarie University, Australia

On February 25, United Board President Pareena Gupta Lawrence and the programs team hosted Professor Anthony Cahalan and Mr. Stephen Fan from Macquarie University at the Hong Kong office, continuing a partnership strengthened by the United Board’s visit to Sydney last April. Discussions focused on expanding collaborations that build on Macquarie’s history of hosting United Board scholars and fellows.

Both sides explored new initiatives for leadership and faculty development that connect institutions in Asia and Australia. The visit reinforced a mutually enriching relationship and helped set the stage for co-created programs that can serve a broader higher education community in the region.

Deepening Partnership with CUHK Shenzhen, China

Engagement with The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK SZ) has been especially active, with reciprocal visits in late January and early March. On January 28, a delegation led by Pareena Gupta Lawrence visited CUHK SZ and met with senior leaders to explore collaboration in AI and digital ethics, micro-credentials and shared courses, service-learning in Indonesia and the Philippines, and placements for United Board Fellows.

On March 10, the United Board welcomed a return delegation from CUHK SZ to Hong Kong for further discussions on grant opportunities, faculty development, AI-related curriculum design, and partnership possibilities across our network. These exchanges are consolidating a promising values-based partnership that can contribute significantly to innovative and ethical higher education in the region.