Calling for Nomination of United Board Fellows 2026-2027
The United Board Fellows Program is designed to answer the needs of leadership development for mid-career faculty and administrators from primarily Christian colleges and universities in Asia. Through this program, the United Board develops dynamic leaders committed to the advancement of whole person education and building strong and resilient academic institutions. Since 2002, over 372 Fellows from 86 institutions in 14 countries/regions of Asia have been selected for this program, and many have played important leadership roles in their home institutions and beyond.
The United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia is pleased to invite applications for its 2026-2027 United Board Fellows Program.
“Navigating the Future: Transforming Christian Higher Education in Asia through Innovation, Collaboration, and Leadership."
This theme highlights the importance of creative and groundbreaking approaches to address the challenges and opportunities faced by higher education institutions in Asia. It emphasizes the need for educators and leaders to develop innovative strategies and leadership skills that are rooted in the philosophy of Whole Person Education, that will shape the future of their institutions while staying grounded in their longstanding mission and values.
Key aspects of the theme include:
- Exploring emerging trends in higher education and their adaptative implications for Christian Higher Education Institutions in Asia.
- Developing strategies to enhance the quality of teaching and research in the face of rapid technological advancements.
- Fostering regional and global collaborations to address common challenges and promote knowledge exchange.
- Encouraging interdisciplinary approaches and integrating Christian values in addressing contemporary issues.
- Strengthening leadership capacities to navigate necessary changes and promote continuous improvement within institutions.
- Nurturing best practices in leadership development and institutional management to ensure sustainable growth and continuous improvement.
- Integrating Christian values and principles into higher education to promote ethical leadership and social responsibility.
Focusing on the innovative aspect of addressing challenges in higher education institutions while incorporating Christian values in their activities, this theme is supported by three main strands - leadership, innovation, and collaboration, and encourages fellows to critically think about the future of higher education in Asia and develop strategies to address emerging global challenges and sustainability issues.
This one-year experience features a unique higher education leadership development experience, with three main components - an intensive week-long summer leadership institute; a one-to-four-month Asia placement or a one-to-two-week study trip in Asia; and a final one-week seminar. In addition, bimonthly webinars will allow the cohort to better connect and learn from others.
The United Board is now accepting nominations for 2026-2027 fellows, with a submission deadline of November 25, 2025.
Fellows Sharing
The programme was, in one word, fantastic! The Leadership Institute provided me with valuable learning materials and an ideal platform for me to share and seek answers to challenges posed by my new roles. I was supported by the wonderful sharing, teaching and tutoring of the invited speakers and my peer fellows, which provided sort of safety net to me in such a time of need. Most importantly, the Institute helped me to reflect on my work and myself to rediscover what I can do and need to do in the next phase of my life.
Dr. Jun Pan
Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
The idea of leadership training in professional development is powerful and can be of great service in raising the consciousness of academic administrators at my institution towards a more service-orientated mindset that aims to progress toward values rather than achieve personal or strictly profit-oriented advancement for the university. I was intrigued by this accessible and inclusive concept of whole person education, and I see opportunities to further develop it in the cultural environment of Korea/Yonsei University.
Dr. Laavanyan Michael Ratnapalan
Yonsei University, South Korea
The Fellowship program has been very fruitful for me. I have expanded my internationalization efforts for my home institution. I have forged several memoranda of agreement and understanding for transcultural exchange. I was able to raise funds for our technological advancement from our alumni.
Dr. Alibogha Salex Espinosa
Central Philippine University, Philippines
This program also taught me a spiritual aspect of the whole person education, which is vital to growing in my career path and supporting our society. In many Asian universities, students are afraid of even asking questions to their teacher in classes due to some fearful environment. The United Board Fellows Program triggered me to think outside the box, bring all different actors, and help shift the paradigm.
Dr. Sayed Mohammad Nazim Uddin
Asian University for Women, Bangladesh
The most significant impact is whenever I returned from the UB program, I always shared some leadership concepts and gave exercises in such a way to the classes I taught. I aspire as well to have publication about leadership in Indonesia. This program also brought me into several new pathways of research on leadership, such as topics of female leadership and local leadership related to my research interests on culture and media studies.
Dr. Amelberga Vita Noor Prima Astuti
Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, Indonesia
The UB program has provided me with a platform for extensive learning and networking. My experiences and discussions during the program have greatly enriched my understanding of higher education. I am grateful for the opportunity.
Dr. Feng Fan
Nanjing University, China
The study trip provided me with exposure to a different educational and cultural environment. This exposure gave me an opportunity to benchmark my school against other architecture schools I visited. Overall, this experience taught me the importance of ambitious leadership and effective management in achieving excellence in education and research.
Dr. Prima Viriyavadhana
Assumption University, Thailand
The United Board Fellows program gives the fellows an opportunity to experience new cultures, practices and helps them customize those learning in home institutions. This program also helps institutions to collaborate and learn from each other.
Dr. Amalanathan Saminathan
CHRIST (Deemed to be University), India
The program has completely transformed the way I think, process and act in my professional and personal life. It was a real whole person education that I acquired through this experience.
Dr. Sridevi Venkatachalam
Lady Doak College, India
The Fellows Program offered me unforgettable lessons to ponder over where I have been, where I am, and where I am headed as a Christian leader. This one-year leadership training changed my perspective of leadership.
Dr. Yoonsun Lee
Seoul Women’s University, South Korea
The Fellows Program has widened my knowledge, enlightened me about strategic visions, and offered me new experience of leading an institution. It has been proved so fruitful to me and prepared me to take up the role as president of a university.
Dr. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan
University of Social Sciences and Humanities,
Vietnam National University, Vietnam
Something I learned at the Summer Institute has actually become one of my guiding principles. As school leaders, we do not always have control over the results, but we do have control over the conditions that will bring about success in our institutions.
Dr. Annabelle Balor
University of St. La Salle, Philippines
RELATED STORIES
Postcard from Vietnam
How Tran Thi Thanh Hue combines her roles as dean and a United Board Fellow
The 2022-23 cohort of the United Board Fellows Program comprises 32 early-career scholars from 28 colleges and universities in nine...
Read More
Guided to Lead
Joseph Ernest Mambu’s Three Moments of Doubt
The leadership seminar of the United Board Fellows Program 2022-23 held in Singapore last November did not end with the...
Read More