The recent news release by Nazarene Communications Network summarized recent meetings in which I participated. Click here for the full NCN news article.

Korea Nazarene University hosted the second gathering of the Global Consortium of Nazarene Seminaries and Graduates Schools (Nov 1 -3).  Meeting in the newly-dedicated Owen International Centre at KNU, the consortium members explored ways of working collaboratively for the development and delivery of graduate-level theological education around the world.

This meeting of the consortium had, as a particular focus, issues of accreditation and transfer and the effect of ‘The Bologna Process’ on Nazarene higher education.  It also explored collaboration in academic programmes, in human resources, and in physical and technological resources.

This consortium meeting initiated four specific projects: to establish protocols for credit exchange and recognition; to deliver a series of shared research seminars through video-conferencing;  to facilitate student and faculty exchange; and to develop an on-line bibliography of key theological resources.

The consortium was conceived by the Board of General Superintendents and facilitated by Nazarene Theological Seminary.  Dr. Ron Benefiel and Dr. Jerry Lambert secured funding from the Henry Luce Foundation for the project which has brought together eight graduate institutions from across the globe: NTS (Kansas City); ANU (Kenya); NTC (Australia); NTC (Manchester); APNTS (Philippines); BNC (Brazil); KNU (Korea); and SENDAS (Costa Rica). Its first meeting was in Manchester, England, in 2009, and it will meet again in Kenya in 2012.  Between these face-to-face sessions, the deans of institutions have continued to meet via video-conferencing.  The video-conferencing infrastructure is itself an initiative of the consortium, linking partner schools.

Dr Lebron Fairbanks, IBOE Commissioner, commented, “These meetings have brought us close together as institutions as we have worked together on shared projects.  We have become close friends, sharing our successes and our frustrations. This initiative underlines the remarkable strength of the Church of the Nazarene in education!  Global in scope, yet working as family, with institutions giving time and resources for the good of colleagues across the globe.  Working not as competitors, but as partners.”

LeBron Fairbanks
November 15, 2010