Two Assumption Professors Mentor ISEAB, Form Partnership During Meeting in Nairobi
From March 7 to 10, representatives of the only two Assumptionist university-level institutions in the world met in Nairobi for a work session intended to assist the newer of the two institutions, ISEAB (l’Institut Supérieur Emmanuel d’Alzon de Butembo). The main theme was the articulation and fine-tuning of a strategic development plan. Assumption, with over 100 years of experience and several such plans under its belt, offered to help its junior partner in this process. Assumption College allowed two of its expert administrators, Profs. Bart Morrison and Eric Drouart, to lead the Nairobi session to assure ISEAB’s own smooth development.
The delegation from ISEAB elaborated a set of ‘in-put,’ which the group analyzed and which will eventually lead to ‘out-put,’ namely a text that will serve as the guiding document for ISEAB over the next ten years or so. The time spent analyzing its experience allowed the ISEAB contingent to rediscover its strengths and weaknesses and to identify the external threats and opportunities that exist. Along the way, Assumption was identified by ISEAB as an opportunity that will allow it to overcome its weaknesses but also to navigate certain threats by establishing a partnership, some of the terms of which were discussed during the session.
The general chapter of 2011 granted these two institutions of higher education the status of mobilizing works of the Assumption and appealed to Assumption to share its expertise with ISEAB. Since then, the two institutions have begun to work together identifying any number of activities, programs, and means of assistance.
The ISEAB delegation was composed of three members of its leadership team, two department heads, one person in charge of community outreach via the NGO SEADI (Solidarité Emmanuel d’Alzon pour le Développement Intégral/Emmanuel d’Alzon Solidarity Outreach for Integral Human Development), and a member of the governing board of ISEAB, without forgetting the presence of Fr. Gilles Blouin who generously served as one of the translators. The ISEAB delegation wishes to extend its deepest gratitude to Assumption and the North America/Philippines Province, especially for assuming almost all of the costs of this session.