Vice Chancellor opens doors to new partnerships during U.S. Visit

Table of Contents

• The visit begins
• Vice Chancellor at Millersville
• Meeting with UCU Partners board
• At Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston, MA
• Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
• Preaching in Boston, Massachusetts
• Meeting with Bishop of ADNE
• UCU’s commitment to international collaboration

The visit begins

Uganda Christian University (UCU) continues to expand its reach beyond the African continent, thanks to the recent visit of the Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Professor Aaron Mushengyezi, to the United States.

During the visit courtesy of the Uganda Partners NGO, Prof. Mushengyezi, accompanied by his wife, Maama Patience, held meetings with various educational institutions to establish collaborative academic and research partnerships. The discussions were fruitful, and several U.S. colleges and universities agreed to collaborate with UCU on staff and student exchange, study abroad programs, and research initiatives.

Vice Chancellor at Millersville

Millersville University in Millersville, Pennsylvania, was one of the institutions that agreed to work with UCU. President Daniel A. Wubah and staff of the International Office met with Prof. Mushengyezi and agreed to host UCU staff on scholarly visits and send students to UCU on study abroad programs. Wheaton College in Chicago, Illinois, pledged to provide mentorship training for UCU staff and tutors in the UCU Writing Centre.

Meeting with UCU Partners board

The visit was not limited to educational institutions only. The Vice Chancellor also attended the annual Board meeting of the UCU Partners in Ambridge, Pennsylvania (9^th to 11^th February 2023), where he thanked the Partners Board and friends of UCU for their continuous support of various projects at the university, the most recent being the UCU School of Medicine and School of Dentistry. Partners, founded by UCU’s first Vice Chancellor, Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, pledged continued support to UCU. Noll and his wife, Peggy, hosted Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi to a dinner at their home in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

At Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston, MA

In Boston, Massachusetts, the VC’s team visited the Campus for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME) at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, where they discussed possibilities of staff exchange in theological education and African diaspora studies with the Dean of CUME, Rev. Dr. Virginia Ward. The Seminary has trained former UCU staff such as Rev. Amos Kimera, who pastors St. Peters Anglican Church of Uganda in Boston.  Gordon Conwell sends study-abroad students to UCU as well, and the Seminary is willing to host UCU theological staff and students for scholarly visits. Dr. Ward promised to visit UCU for further engagements. 

Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

In addition to visits to universities and Colleges, the Vice Chancellor attended the Presidents’ Annual Conference of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in Washington D.C. from 1^st to 3^rd February 2023. UCU is an international affiliate member of the CCCU. He held meetings with the CCCU President, Dr. Shirley Hoogstra, and Presidents of other universities and colleges that send study-abroad students to UCU.

Preaching in Boston, Massachusetts

The VC also visited Truro Anglican Church and Church of the Epiphany in Fairfax, Virginia. Both churches pledged support to various projects and scholarships at UCU through UCU Partners. Prof. Mushengyezi preached at St. Peters Anglican Church of Uganda in Boston where Rev. Kimera, his wife, Florence, and the Parishioners (who are mostly Ugandans), received the team warmly and pledged support to UCU programmes.

Meeting with Bishop of ADNE

At the end of his visit, Prof. Mushengyezi and his wife paid a courtesy call to the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of New England (ADNE), the Rt. Rev. Andrew Williams. He pledged to host UCU theology students and scholars to deepen their skills and experience in cross-cultural ministry in his Diocese.

UCU’s commitment to international collaboration

The Vice Chancellor’s American visit highlights UCU’s commitment to international collaboration and partnership building. The university is keen to foster relations with like-minded institutions to create opportunities for staff and student development and to advance research and scholarship in various fields.

As UCU continues to expand its network of partners worldwide, it remains committed to providing a world-class education that is rooted in Christian values and principles.