Leadership Program in South America

January 2010 was an important month for the Department of Leadership & Educational Administration, with many of the faculty in either Peru or Brazil working on satellite programs primarily aimed at local church leaders.

The Leadership graduate program in Peru, started by the department in 2006 in collaboration with Universidad Peruana Union (UPEU), graduated five new PhDs in January following six dissertation defenses and nine portfolio presentations. The

program has also graduated five MA students. School of Education (SED) faculty members Sylvia Gonzalez, Eduardo Gonzalez and Tevni Grajales, and SED dean, Jim Jeffery, spent several weeks in Peru to facilitate the defenses and presentations. Jeffrey reports that the program was a great success. He says, “As the president of UPEU stated at one meeting, Andrews and the Leadership program have changed the way the Peruvian Union conducts church leadership. I’m very happy that these collective efforts resulted in a significant paradigm shift in how church leadership is done.”

While the program in Peru enjoyed the results of many years of hard work, Leadership faculty Erich Baumgartner, Robson Marinho, and chair Shirley Freed were busy starting a new MA Leadership program in Brazil. Housed at Brazil Adventist University (UNASP) on the Engenheiro Coelho campus, about 100 miles from São Paulo, the program has 51 students and is serviced by nine faculty, including three from the Andrews campus, three previous graduates of the Andrews Leadership program, and three UNASP professors. The three program graduates, all natives of Brazil, are Josmar Arrais, vice president for Franklin-Covey Brasil, José Miguel, vice president of academics at UNASP, and José Alaby, a professor at the University of Santo Amaro (UNISA). Freed says, “These international programs provide a unique opportunity for the department to serve the world church while at the same time renewing our programs. Working in a different culture requires the faculty to adapt to the culture and expectations of the local people without compromising the integrity of the program—which is always a positive thing.”

Taken from the Campus Connection, January 2010, Issue #28