UCU Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Professor Aaron Mushengyezi, and Dr. Daniel A. Wubah, a Ghanaian-American and President of Millersville (Pa.) University.

Vice Chancellor widens doors to partnerships during USA Visit

Pictorial

Vice Chancellor widens doors to partnerships during USA Visit
Uganda Christian University (UCU) continues to expand its reach beyond the African continent, thanks to the late January-mid February 2023 visit of the Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Professor Aaron Mushengyezi, in the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States.

During the three-week trip sponsored by the Uganda Partners NGO, Prof. Mushengyezi, accompanied by his wife, Maama Patience, held meetings with representatives of various educational institutions to strengthen collaborative academic and research partnerships. Topics during discussions at U.S. colleges and universities included staff and student exchanges, tutoring, study abroad programs and research initiatives.

In Pennsylvania
Dr. Daniel A. Wubah, a Ghanaian-American and President of Millersville (Pa.) University, was among officials at the table at this university.  From Millersville, there was a commitment to host UCU staff on scholarly visits and send students to UCU on study abroad programs. 

UCU Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Professor Aaron Mushengyezi, and Dr. Daniel A. Wubah, a Ghanaian-American and President of Millersville (Pa.) University.
UCU Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Professor Aaron Mushengyezi, and Dr. Daniel A. Wubah, a Ghanaian-American and President of Millersville (Pa.) University.
UCU Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Professor Aaron Mushengyezi, and his wife, Patience, in center, cutting a cake at the Pennsylvania home of UCU’s  first Vice Chancellor, Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, and his wife, Peggy.
UCU Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Professor Aaron Mushengyezi, and his wife, Patience, in center, cutting a cake at the Pennsylvania home of UCU’s  first Vice Chancellor, Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, and his wife, Peggy.

The Vice Chancellor also attended (Feb. 9-11, 2023) the annual Board meeting of Partners in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. There, he thanked the Partners Board and other friends of UCU for their continuous support of various projects at the university, the most recent being for the UCU School of Medicine and School of Dentistry. Partners, founded by UCU’s first Vice Chancellor, Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, pledged continued UCU support. Noll and his wife, Peggy, hosted Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi for dinner at their home in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

Prof. Mushengezi (front, middle) poses with UCU Partners Board members in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.
Prof. Mushengezi (front, middle) poses with UCU Partners Board members in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.

 

In Illinois
Wheaton College in Chicago, ill., has sent students to UCU under the Uganda Studies Program (USP) for many years.  During the VC’s visit there, President Phil Ryken and Provost Karen Lee pledged to host UCU scholars and staff on short research and scholarly visits and to provide mentorship training for staff and tutors in the UCU Writing Centre. The VC and others on his travel team met Wheaton students who recently returned from UCU and had won a photo competition organized by study-abroad students. Several Ugandans, including UCU alum, have gone to Wheaton for graduate studies.

Prof. Mushengyezi meets with President Phil Ryken and Provost Karen An-hwei Lee at Wheaton College in Chicago.
Prof. Mushengyezi meets with President Phil Ryken and Provost Karen An-hwei Lee at Wheaton College in Illinois.

In Massachusetts
In Boston, Mass., the VC and Partners affiliates  visited the Campus for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME) at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, where they discussed possibilities of a 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.

L-R: Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi meet with Dr. Virginia Ward and some of the Faculty members including Rev. Amos Kimera (second from right)  at CUME in Boston, Massachusetts.
L-R: Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi meet with Dr. Virginia Ward and some of the Faculty members including Rev. Amos Kimera (second from right)  at CUME in Boston, Massachusetts.

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

Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi pose with the Rt. Rev. Andrew Williams, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of New England (ADNE), center, during a visit in Amesbury, MA.
Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi pose with the Rt. Rev. Andrew Williams, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of New England (ADNE), center, during a visit in Amesbury, MA.

In Washington, D.C.
In addition to visits to individual universities and colleges, the Vice Chancellor attended (Feb. 1-3, 2023) the Presidents’ Annual Conference of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in Washington D.C. UCU is an international affiliate member of the CCCU. The UCU Uganda Studies Program was among topics discussed with CCCU President, Dr. Shirley Hoogstra, and presidents of other universities and colleges that send study-abroad students to UCU. 

Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi met with Prof. Shirley V. Hoogstra, President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), in Washington D.C.
Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi met with Prof. Shirley V. Hoogstra, President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), in Washington D.C.

In Virginia
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 and pledged support to UCU programs.

Prof. Mushengyezi seated with the Epiphany Church team.
Prof. Mushengyezi seated with the Truro Church team.
Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi pose with members of Truro Church. 
Prof. and Mrs. Mushengyezi pose with members of Church of the Epiphany.

The Vice Chancellor’s American visit highlights UCU’s commitment to international collaboration and partnership building for the mutual benefit of both Uganda and the United States.  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.