United Board Fellows at the Summer Institute.

A busy program year for the 2016-2017 United Board Fellows got underway during the July 10-30 Summer Institute at Boston College. This three-week session immersed the 19 Fellows in leadership training and, during more relaxing moments, gave them opportunities to exchange information with each other about the ways their respective institutions are responding to current challenges in higher education in Asia.

The leadership training lectures and exercises helped the Fellows reflect upon the regional and global trends that will shape the future of their institutions. What has been the impact of the massification, privatization, and commercialization of Asian higher education on their home institutions? How can internationalization become an impetus for enhancing the quality of research, teaching, and service to society? What skills and competencies will their students need to acquire if they are to be effective global citizens? What place does Christian higher education occupy in modern, pluralistic societies?

Fellows also visited Harvard University, Wellesley College, Gordon College, and the University of Massachusetts, Boston for an exchange of perspectives on higher education.

Fellows took initial steps to develop their case studies about managing a particular area of change or reform at their institutions. They will continue to work on their case studies, guided by online mentorship, over the course of the program year. Fellows’ short-term placements at Asian colleges and universities are scheduled to get underway in the fall.

To read short bios of the 2016-2017 Fellows, click here.