Seeking excellence and the constant growth of higher education, Adventist Education is promoting an unprecedented training program for its leaders. The first module recently took place at the South American Division headquarters, bringing together 58 managers who work in the 11 university institutions throughout the continent.

The program will continue over the next few months, with online classes that will broaden the participants' skills in topics such as the philosophy of Adventist Education, strategic management, higher education in the 21st century, creative learning environments, innovation, entrepreneurship, and internationalization, among others. In addition to this theoretical content, participants will also work on a diagnosis to identify areas that can be improved in their units and, based on this, apply the strategies learned and developed throughout the course.

The English translation of the program’s name is Advanced Education in Higher Education Management and Leadership. The Portuguese precursor renders the acronym EAGLES, an intended allusion to the bird that soars high and is a symbol of excellence.

Dr. Socrates Quispe, associate director of Education for the General Conference, is leading the initiative, together with Dr. Antonio Marcos Alves, and explains that it was born out of the need for a systemic vision in the management of educational centers. "Because these are complex environments, leaders need to have high-level executive competence. Our program wants to provide tools, techniques, and experiences so that this group can achieve this high standard and apply their learning to the daily lives of institutions," says Quispe.

The content was developed in partnership with the Rectoral Board Institute, which is an international organization specializing in continuing education, especially for university leaders. The entire methodology was adapted to meet Adventist Education, addressing, in addition to the technical content, the philosophy and values behind the network. For Dr. José Prudêncio Jr., president of Amazonia Adventist College (FAAMA), who is among the participants, addressing these last topics is indispensable. "We do look at market cases because we are interested in knowing the strategies that bring growth and good brand positioning to large higher education institutions. But we also look inward, at the philosophy and values of our network, drawn from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. We will never give that up," he said.

Dr. Diego Rozendo, academic director of Paraná Adventist College (IAP), sees the program as a rich opportunity to exchange experiences. "Each unit of the Adventist Network in South America has a different profile and reality, and as leaders, we can contribute to improving the management practices of the others," he says.

Dr. María Vallejos, academic vice-president of Peruvian Union University (UPeU), spoke of her expectations for the future of the institutions: "Knowledge without practice is not significant. So we hope to bring this learning to our units, and that the result will be substantial improvements in the quality of teaching, the management of resources, and the relationship between the entire academic community."

Global Reach

Adventist Education is present on all inhabited continents. There are around 9,400 institutions, with 114,000 teachers and more than 2 million students. In the territory comprising Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, the network's 11 higher education institutions have a total of 4,400 teachers and more than 32,000 students.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.