February 4, 2016
Last week I attended the Winter Meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church (NASCUMC). Service on this Board is an opportunity to reconnect with some old friends and with many higher education and church leaders who I worked closely with during my nearly 11 years as president of Wesley College.
For additional information about NASCUMC visit http://www.gbhem.org/education/nascumc.
For additional information about related UMC global education associations visit http://www.gbhem.org/preparing-global-leaders/methodist-global-education-associations.
Our relationship with the Church is important. Virginia Wesleyan College was founded by the Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church and chartered in 1961. We continually seek to strengthen the relationship between the College and the Church in order to maintain that strong historical connection that is important to our affiliated ministry. We receive direct financial support from the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church Foundation.
For additional information about the United Methodist Church Foundation visit http://www.umcfoundation.org.
I also had the opportunity to talk with Amos Nascimento, Director of Global Education and New Initiatives, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, about expanding international opportunities through the International Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church. Additional information about this program will be made available to the campus community in the coming weeks.
For additional information about the International Association of Schools and Colleges of The United Methodist Church visit http://www.gbhem.org/iamscu.
Finally, our involvement with NASCUMC appropriately connects us to the 119 schools, colleges and universities in the United States recognized by the University Senate of The United Methodist Church. The University Senate is an elected body of professionals in higher education created by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church.
NASCUMC and the University Senate exist to:
*Advance the work of education and scholarship in member institutions.
*Work cooperatively with conferences, boards and agencies of The United Methodist Church to address issues of mutual concern to the church and the academy.
*Work in partnership with the church to educate students for leadership and service to the global community.
*Foster and encourage the common good of member institutions;
*Strengthen the collegiality and camaraderie among member presidents, deans and heads of school.
In the coming months you will hear more about re-affirmation of our affiliated status with the Church. A visiting team from the University Senate will visit our campus within a year of our SACS re-affirmation to verify our compliance with the criteria for affiliated status.
We have a vibrant campus ministry under the leadership of a talented chaplain, Rev. Greg West. We are fortunate to have him as part of our campus community.
I hope you'll take time to learn about our church relatedness and support these mission driven programs.
