The United Board will expand its Asian Campus Ministry program to better respond to the changing roles and expectations of college and university chaplains, with the support of a $50,000 grant from Trinity Church Wall Street. The Asian Academy for Campus Ministry will develop leadership skills through an immersive training program; share best practices through study visits and an open online platform; facilitate innovative project development through small grants; and lay the foundation for a sustainable, Asia-wide network of campus chaplains. The program will be conducted in partnership with Asian higher education institutions that are committed to campus ministry and whole person education.

“The United Board and Trinity Church Wall Street recognize that campus chaplains are being called to respond to an ever-changing set of needs,” United Board President Nancy E. Chapman said. “Greater religious and cultural diversity on campus, increasing student requests for mental health services, the stress associated with conflict and post-conflict situations, and other challenges – all of these point to the need for supporting chaplains through leadership development, skills training, and peer networks.” The Asian Academy for Campus Ministry reflects the United Board’s strategy of building strong institutional leaders and leadership cultures, as it highlights the specific role that campus ministry can play in supporting holistic human development on Asian campuses.

Trinity Church Wall Street, an Episcopal parish in New York City, seeks to serve and heal the world by building neighborhoods that live Gospel truths, generations of faithful leaders, and sustainable communities. It is guided by core values of faith, integrity, inclusiveness, compassion, social justice, and stewardship.

Founded in 1922, the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia works with more than 80 institutions across Asia to respond to the diverse challenges and opportunities facing faculty and institutional leaders in higher education, especially where the needs are great. It supports institutions that offer multidisciplinary education and that nurture a spirit of compassion, equity, reconciliation, social responsibility, and mutual respect among religious and cultural traditions.

Currently in the planning stages, the United Board anticipates launching the first components of the Asian Academy for Campus Ministry in 2022. For more information on this and our campus ministry programs, contact Maher Spurgeon at mspurgeon@unitedboard.org.