The Department of Theology and Religion is offering two qualifications

• a Postgraduate Diploma in Faith-Based Leadership and Management and
• a Master of Faith-Based Leadership and Management

Describing the qualifications as "much-needed" the Salvation Army Principal Adviser, Dr Greg Coyle says the University needs to be congratulation on the innovation.

He says it will help the Salvation Army and many other faith-based organisations in career development for their staff.

NZ Council of Christian Social Services Policy Adviser Paul Barber says he believes the new programmes will make a significant contribution to building capability in leadership and management in the faith-based social services.

"The social services of the six member churches in NZCCSS employ nearly 12,000 people and 16,000 volunteers. These new programmes look ideal for people working in such organisations as well as other similar religious and community-based services," he says.

Offered in conjunction with the Otago Business School's Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme, the postgraduate diploma will consist of four MBA courses and three Theology courses.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Tony Ballantyne believes the courses will have wide appeal.

He says the University's programme has a long history of providing top-quality content for students and he expects no different from these programmes.

"It is very pleasing to be in a position where Theology at Otago can draw upon the outstanding expertise of its teaching staff and their relationships with communities of faith to expand its offerings to meet clearly identified needs in the sector", says Ballantyne.

The programmes will all be available via the University's distance learning programme, and can be taken part-time.

Sources

• Supplied
• Image: University of Otago

The government wants the 29 universities to transfer knowledge between them and the institutions they have been assigned to, not only on the academic front, but also with regard to administration and management.

Elisabeth Rukmini, Vice Rector for Collaboration, Research & Strategic Planning at Atma Jaya Catholic University, said the university regarded the task as an honour, which showed the government recognized the school as one of the best in Indonesia.

She said Atma Jaya was to take under its wing four Catholic and Protestant colleges in East Nusa Tenggara province where the quality of education remains a big issue.

"Our task is to help raise their standards," Rukmini told ucanews.com.

"We will also invite lecturers from East Nusa Tenggara universities to learn directly from us," she said.

Soegijapranata Catholic University has been handed the task of mentoring five institutions regarded as third tier schools.

"The government has assigned us five universities in Medan, North Sumatra, two of which are Catholic and the other three Protestant," said Agustinus Luwi Handoko, a lecturer at Soegijapranata.

"Workshops will help improve their administration, management and accreditation process and we will also invite their lecturers to see how we do things at this university," he added.

Franciscan Father Vincentius Darmian Mbula, an educational expert and chairman of National Council of Catholic Universities, welcomed the initiative.

He said many universities — including Catholic ones — are struggling to provide excellence.

"I hope this programme can improve Catholic colleges in Indonesia so that they can provide more graduates with excellent capabilities," he said.

Source

• ucanews.com
• Image: dealstreetasia.com

The services provided by Good Shepherd College (GSC) and The Catholic Institute (TCI) are to be brought together under one governance structure.

This will strengthen capacity for excellence in theological and religious studies, academic formation for seminarians through a high standard Bachelor's degree, together with research and public engagement.

An Establishment Board, led by Sir Brian Roche, will guide the process of moving toward a single entity.

Sir Brian is a former chief executive of PWC New Zealand and New Zealand Post.

He has held a number of public sector roles and led the bid for New Zealand to stage the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Sir Brian was involved in the consultation with stakeholders as part of the review and brings a wide breadth of organisational and leadership gifts.

In the meantime, the TCI Council and GSC Senate will remain in place, providing oversight of each entity and ensuring the continuation of quality teaching, advocacy, research, curriculum development, and academic formation of seminarians.

President of the NZCBC, Bishop Patrick Dunn, commented that "the role of Catholic Tertiary education is vital for the mission of the Church in the world and offers tremendous benefit to the wider New Zealand public."

It is anticipated that the new entity will be in place by 2019 with confirmation on the timeline for changes taking place as the Establishment Board begins work in the early New Year.

Source

Supplied: Amanda Gregan New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference

Image: NZ Post

They were presented by the World Indigenous Nations University (WINU).

For the people of Otaki, of particular interest was their own whanau member, Oriwia Raureti (Ngati Raukawa).

She is currently the Executive Director of Operations at Te Wananga.

Oriwia has shown a passionate commitment to Maori people and education.

She follows a line of teachers from her late mother and sister. Oriwia is a leader in promoting te reo Maori and Maori excellence in research and education.

She is committed to her Catholic Church, her wider Community and to sports. Oriwia is a leader in Maori management.

The other recipients were Wiremu Kaa, Patricia Grace

Wiremu Kaa (Ngati Porou) was recognised because of his contribution as a native Maori speaker and his teaching and influence on Maori studies.

He was instrumental in the establishment of kohanga reo.

Patricia Grace (Ngati Toa) was recognised because of her literary accomplishments and her writing around Maori themes.

She was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters.

The awarding of the doctorates recognise a special contribution to community and education by various indigenous people in the world.

The graduation took place before family and friends and some indigenous people from around the world, from Alaska to Australia and the Pacific.

Te Wananga o Raukawa is a Maori University or 'wananga' situated at Otaki. Formally established in 1981 it caters for about 1300 students both on line and with actual presence at the University.

A coalition of three local Iwi (Ngati Toa, Te Ati Awa and Ngati Raukawa) te Wananga o Raukawa has as its basic aim excellence in higher education delivered with respect for traditional Maori learning.

While embracing use of te reo Maori and development of the student's home marae and tradition, the university utilises contemporary educational content.

Among Te Wananga o Raukawa's current students are Marist priests Peter Healy and Phil Cody.

While their focus is on development of te reo Maori (Maori language), the wider purpose is the privilege of living alongside Maori and sharing their life journey.

Peter and Phil live in a community at Otaki in partnership with Maori at Pukekaraka Marae, Otaki.

They are preserving the link the Church has with Maori through the Marist family from the beginning of the Catholic Church history in Wellington.

WINU is a world network for Indigenous higher education. It is founded upon and operating within the sovereignty of indigenous peoples.

Through its networking and the leadership of the accredited WINHEC member institutions and associated Alliances it offers co-joint undergraduate and post graduate programmes.

These programmes incorporate both western and cultural knowledge.

Source

• Supplied
• winhec.org
• wananga.com

Theology. Philosophy.

I know you think I'm kidding.

Who does that? Can you even get a job doing that?

Good questions. Here's your answers: Not enough women. And, yes, though I can't promise you'll make millions.

Who needs all those big ideas anyway?

You do. Those nearest and dearest to you. Those you have yet to meet. Those in your parish. Your friends. Your country. Your politicians. Everybody needs something of these big ideas.

From a distance, theology and philosophy sound like the sort of thing for fat, pipe-smoking, balding, old white guys. Hardly.

From Action to Contemplation

Frankly, as someone who started out managing stockpiles of fuel, car parts, medicines and nutrition supplies in the desert of South Sudan and the jungle of Congo, I have found my way from that bustly, hustly, grunty, daily work to another kind of work. An intellectual work.

I am captured, arrested, by what I have found.

And I need to tell you, if you are a young woman contemplating your path into the future and you were thinking of studying anything in the realm of social sciences, politics, economics, languages, humanities, literature, history or you simply are attracted to turning over ideas and teasing out their implications for real life…do yourself a favour, consider theology and philosophy.

Not just any theology or philosophy, but a Catholic education. And even if you have some doubts about your academic ability, take a leap of faith, you might surprise yourself.

Trust me, you won't regret it. Continue reading

• Lucy O'Donoghue comes from Auckland and lives in Bangkok, Thailand with her ‘lads' - an Irish American husband, a baby boy, and a rambunctious dog.