The IAMSCU Board of Directors held their first meeting of the year on April 23, 2026, to celebrate the association’s 35th anniversary and discuss transition plans to prepare IAMSCU for the future. The IAMSCU President, Adriana Murriello, highlighted that this is a moment of maturity for IAMSCU, as the association envisions a future with more autonomy, increased partnerships, and greater commitment from its members. General Secretary Roland Fernandes provided an important update about recent developments in the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) and the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) which continue their alignment process and decided to provide more funding for educational initiatives worldwide. Fernandes informed IAMSCU that the agencies are fully supportive of IAMSCU’s projects and hope to continue to expand their relationship with the association, honoring its independence while also enhancing collaboration. Fernandes also informed that other agencies of the United Methodist Church will be coming together in the near future, following the successful model of the alignment between GBHEM and GBGM.
The IAMSCU Board of Directors votes during their virtual meeting
Building upon the scenario provided by the President and General Secretary, participants received the report of the IAMSCU’s Executive Secretary and approved the actions proposed by its three Strategic Committees: The committee on “Wesleyan Heritage” is now recruiting new members to continue the task of promoting IAMSCU’s vision, including in the area of chaplaincy; the committee on “Institutional Collaborations” has initiated a grants program and requested members of the IAMSCU Board of Directors to help recruit applicants and reviewers; the committee on “Finance and Sustainability” presented a comprehensive transition plan covering five years of strategies and activities, including matters related to funding, staffing, programming, and other priorities. The IAMSCU Board of Directors approved all these actions and supported ongoing initiatives promoting recruiting, grants, publications, new networks, and the planning of upcoming events, which will likely take place in Africa.