Brazilian partnership agreement highlights meeting

A partnership agreement between Brazilian educational institutions and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry will further the Board’s ability to “engage effectively in its global work of developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world through the Methodist international connection and network,” said the Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, GBHEM general secretary.

Under the agreement, signed Thursday between GBHEM and the General Council of the Methodist Institutions of Education (COGEIME), the council will function as the regional operating vehicle of the Methodist Global Education Fund for Leadership Development (MGEFLD). This is the first of five regional vehicles planned under the initiative.

Bishop Marcus Matthews, president of GBHEM’s Board of Directors, said the partnership is the culmination of “twenty-four years of hard work” and represents a significant step in furthering the global education work of The United Methodist Church.

Bishop Luis Vergilio, vice president of the College of Bishops of the Methodist Church in Brazil, said the agreement represents the understanding of the church that education promotes human life, stewardship of nature, and justice.

“This agreement, by means of the higher education in Brazil, will reach the whole of Latin America,” Vergilio said.

Under the agreement, COGEIME will provide technical assistance and support to 120 Methodist educational institutions that enroll 95,000 students in Latin America.

“The present economic crisis impacts every corner of the world. This is the time for us to work together, as partners, not only to overcome current difficulties, but also to advance the development of principled Christian leaders around the world,” Del Pino said.

Under the agreement, GBHEM and the MGEFLD will:

• provide technical expertise in developing an institutional network among Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America;
• provide technical expertise in improving and strengthening institutional health and viability;
• assist COGEIME in increasing institutional effectiveness of those Methodist educational institutions in Latin American through developing quality governance, administration, academic programs and faculty, student recruitment and retention, marketing, and physical facilities;
• assist COGEIME in exploring and cultivating possible funding sources to support Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America and its network;
• assist COGEIME to facilitate the needs of Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America with Methodist-related educational institutions in the other four regions for faculty, staff, and student exchanges, research and program cooperation, and other initiatives;
• assist COGEIME to implement the institutional self-assessment tool developed by the International Association of Methodist-related Schools, Colleges and Universities (IAMSCU) as a way to establish institutional quality standards.

COGEIME agrees to:

• serve as the anchor agency of the Methodist educational network in Latin America and function as the regional vehicle for the MGEFLD;
• develop collaborative support relationships among Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America;
• design, implement, and administer as network of Methodist education to minimize operational costs and maximize efficiency and effectiveness. That should include technical assistance, professional development, and scholarship support.
• gather and maintain institutional profiles of Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America;
• develop annual operating income and expenditure budgets;
• interpret and promote Methodist-related educational institutions in Latin America;
• create a corporate branding of Methodist-related educational institutions and develop marketing strategies appropriate in Latin America;
• explore and secure funds from external sources in Latin America;
• evaluate periodically performance of the MGEFLD regional office functions.

On Wednesday, members of COCEIME met with GBHEM officials and Bishop Neil Irons and Dr. Vivian Bull, a GBHEM consultant, to discuss Methodist higher education in Brazil, as well as the role of the Methodist Church in higher education in that country.

The Rev. Prof. Luis de Souza Cardoso, executive director of COGEIME, told the group that while public education is the right of all citizens of Brazil, many families simply cannot afford for their children to access education. “Many have to work,” he said.

Bishop Stanley Moraes said that Brazil today is “very urban” and 80 percent of those not attending school are in the cities.

To learn more about the Methodist Global Education Fund for Leadership Development or to donate online, visit www.gbhem.org/mgef.

Full text of the agreement (PDF).

Brown is associate editor and writer in the Office of Interpretation, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.