The International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU) held the meeting of its Board of Directors in a hybrid format, including in-person and online participation. The meeting took place in the context of the Joint Conference of the Africa Association of Methodist Institutions of Higher Education (AAMIHE) and the Africa Association of United Methodist Theological Institutions (AUMTI) was held on October 13-15, 2025. The two associations focused on the theme “Pan-African collaborative Partnerships for Sustainable Development of Higher Education Institutions,” building on previous conferences held in Kinshasa (DRC) in 2023, Luanda (Angola) in 2019, Johannesburg (South Africa) in 2018, Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) in 2017, and Maputo (Mozambique) in 2016, as well as previous conferences in Nairobi (Kenya).
The IAMSCU President, Adriana Murriello, and Vice-President, Christopher Stephens, were able to attend the events in person as well as the IAMSCU Executive Secretary and various members of the IAMSCU Board of Directors, including Andrew Gordon Bornw, Rowanne Marie, Roland Fernandes, Jamisse Taimo, Luther Felder, and other guests.
One of the highlights of the IAMSCU Board of Directors meeting was the opportunity to dedicate time to discussions about the future of the association and the plans to hold a conference in Africa in the near future, in partnership with the African associations. Currently, AAMIHE includes 22 institutions in 12 African countries while AAUMTI brings together 30 theological institutions in 14 countries. The joint conference brought together about 80 people representing these institutions and this offered a glimpse of the possibilities for IAMSCU to engage more intentionally with institutions in Africa, such as Africa University (Zimbabwe), Kenya Methodist University (Kenya), Katanga Methodist University (DRC), Methodist University of Angola (Angola), Wesley College (Tanzania), United Methodist University (Sierra Leone), Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary (South Africa), and United Methodist University (Mozambique), among many others. There are also many theological institutions such as Banyam Theological Seminary (Nigeria), Gbarnga School of Theology (Liberia), Methodist Institute of Theology Bishop Emílio de Carvalho (Angola), the School of Theology of the Université E. Lumumba in Wembo-Nyama (DRC), and the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Africa University (Zimbabwe). Roland Fernandes gave the keynote speech in which he challenged the associations to work together to address ongoing challenged to Methodist education in Africa and shared about new opportunities being created by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) and the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), which are focusing on Africa. Adriana Murriello was also a prominent speaker and presented some possible ways to increase partnerships between IAMSCU and institutions in Africa.
Continuing with an emphasis on primary and secondary institutions of Methodist education, members of the IAMSCU Board of Directors were also able to visit St. Stithians, a leading Methodist school in Johannesburg, with a large campus and 2,700 students. The school already partners with Kingswood School, in England, and is interested in expanding its cooperation with other Methodist-related institutions in other parts of the world. With this visit and many other contacts during the joint conference, members of the IAMSCU Board of Directors identified many prospective partners to help host a conference in Africa and celebrate the growing number of Methodist-related students, institutions, and communities on the continent.
IAMSCU will be publicizing some of the decisions and plans for future activities, including the work expanding the activities of a Network on Indigenous Education, continuing work of the Network on Human Rights, and revamping the program involving a Network on Environmental Education. IAMSCU will also share new developments in the work of its three Strategic Committees which are moving forward with initiatives on reaffirming the Wesleyan Heritage in Education, new Institutional Collaborations, and plans for Financial Sustainability. For more information on IAMSCU, please visit the association’s website: www.iamscu.org