United Board Update

A Message to Our Friends and Colleagues

(Update as of July 27, 2020)

The United Board, like the colleges and universities in its network, has been adapting its operations to meet the “new normal” of the COVID-19 environment. We are inspired by the resilience and innovation of our network institutions, as their leaders and faculty take steps to protect the health of the campus community while continuing to engage their students in intellectual, spiritual, and ethical development.

We, too, are taking new approaches to programming. Our annual Institute for Advanced Study in Asian Cultures and Theologies (IASACT) is now underway in a hybrid format. The new format combines group research and online discussion with a week-long residential symposium (to be convened in 2021 if conditions allow). We also have held two successful webinars, one focused on online teaching and learning and the other on resilient institutions and digital transformation, each attracting more than 500 participants. Plans are underway for additional online programming as we develop new ways to support the educators in our network.

We hope we will be able to resume in-person programming in 2021. In the meantime, we encourage you to periodically check our website for status updates. Our staff – whether they are working in a United Board office or from home – maintain their focus on responding to the needs of Asian educators who are committed to whole person education.

We extend our appreciation to our colleagues across Asia, as well as our many loyal supporters, who support our responses to the challenges and opportunities of this time.

Sincerely,

Nancy E. Chapman
President
United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia

Office Operations as of July 27

  • A work-from-home policy is in place for the New York office. New York staff are available by email and are routinely checking their voicemail messages. Mail and donations continue to be processed; please call 212-870-2612 with any questions.
  • Most of our Hong Kong-based staff are working from home at this time, following the guidance of the Hong Kong government, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Chung Chi College.
  • The staff of the Chennai consulting office that administers United Board programs for South Asia are working from home. They can be reached by email and voicemail.

Scheduling of Programs

  • We have postponed in-person programming until 2021. We will continue to offer webinars on topics of interest to educators in our network. To check the status of programming, please click here.
  • Videos of webinar presentations generally will be available on YouTube about one week after the online program is held. Click here to view.