A letter from Marta Bennett serving in Kenya
September 7, 2014 - Officially Accredited!
We got it! After an arduous year of working on multiple major documents, on Tuesday, August 26, 2014, several of us as representatives from International Leadership University (ILU) were officially presented with a “Letter of Interim Authority” (LIA) from Kenya’s Commission for University Education (CUE)! The ceremony took place at the Commission’s boardroom, for us along with one other university. We are now officially accredited as a degree-granting university in Kenya, under all the new laws!
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Receiving the Letter of Interim Authority - Prof. Eric Aseka (ILU Vice Chancellor is in the tan suit, withDr. Edith Gitau, one of our Board of Trustee members. On the left in the grey suit is Prof. Kaimenyi, the Cabinet Secretary for Education.
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The ILU community gathered outside the university gate, for the dedication of the gate and wall, led by Prof. Peter Kariuki (far right), Dean of Students and Community Life (and a PCEA pastor)
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Prof. David Ngaruiya and Dr. Edith Gitau cutting the ribbon on the gate and unlocking the padlock to officially open it.
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ILU staff and students dancing in through the newly opened gate
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Mr. Benedict Omolo, Chair of the ILU Governing Council, cutting the ribbon and opening the new guard house
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Mr. Omolo, Dr. Gitau, and Prof. Aseka cutting the celebration cake.
As a bit of history: ILU was formerly known as Nairobi International School of Theology (NIST), since the early 1980s, and was the first graduate school in theology to be accredited by ACTEA (Accreditation Council for Theological Education in Africa). In 1985 the Kenyan government formed a Commission to accredit higher education schools and programs in the country, and NIST was officially registered as an institution that was in operation before the Commission began its work. All was well, but things began changing. A movement began that now requires all universities to be chartered (officially accredited by the government) in order to operate in the country. Some mission-founded schools were closed down for having no Kenyan legal status. In the move toward quality higher education, standards have continued to be raised, which is a positive trend, but this has presented a great challenge for smaller institutions like ours that have prioritized the teaching and relationships due to limited resources and needy students, rather than state-of-the art facilities. The staff is small and resources are limited, but lives are being transformed and empowered. Now, to be able to continue to teach and train, all schools are required to be in compliance with all regulations.
In December 2013 a new Universities Act came into effect that did not include registered universities like ours as a recognized category. In addition, an accredited school now cannot specialize in only one field, i.e., theological institutions must branch out and become full universities. Fortunately, faith is highly valued and is publicly allowed in Kenya, so it is not necessarily a secularization of education, but it does mean expansion and development of programs. To move toward compliance with new regulations, NIST took on the name International Leadership University, which was approved in June 2012. We continue to focus on biblical and theological education, but also on leadership, governance, counseling psychology and education, all in alignment with our original vision. In all that we do integration of Christian faith with learning and practical ministries skill development form a key component.
In light of these changes, some of us at ILU were called to the Commission’s office one year ago and were informed about the legal changes coming. The staff there have actually been helpful advocates and urged us to get all the documents in as if we were a new university, presenting a “Proposal for the Establishment of a University” (some years from now it can serve as an effective doorstop—it is about 3” thick), even though we have been in existence for over 30 years. All I can say is that it has been a grueling year. We managed to get all the major documents in before the December 13,2013, deadline, when the new law went into effect, and then have been waiting on the Commission to approve the documents; we have hosted them twice for inspection of the campus and have waited for their deliberations about our purpose and qualifications of facilities, programs, staff, and resources. In the meantime we have been working hard to get program documents in as well, for each program’s accreditation, all the while trying to keep classes running and student needs met.
So—this past week we were granted the Letter of Interim Authority, which licenses a new university to operate and grant degrees. But we don’t get to slow down; in fact, we must press on even harder, since we now have four years to comply with further requirements in order to become fully chartered (i.e., fully and permanently established).
The challenge ahead looks like a Mt. Kilimanjaro (the highest mountain in Africa—19,364 ft.). But we are so grateful. Part of the Commission’s requirements was to upgrade our entrance to the Nairobi campus, which has been quite a stretch to accomplish. However, last Wednesday at our campus worship we began by officially dedicating our new wall and guardhouse and opening our new gate, and then we proceeded on into worship, singing and dancing all the way. At the end of worship we celebrated the Letter of Interim Authority, cut a cake, prayed and gave thanks. In my remarks I likened our progress to a journey to a far destination, with ridges of mountains to cross to get there. We have had some steep climbs, and then some sloping descents, up and down, but then there are those moments when we come around a ridge and find ourselves at a vista point. We are able to stop, take a look back to see how far we have come, and look up ahead with clear visibility to see the destination peak in the distance. This was such a moment—a vista point—where we can pause and marvel—and then prepare to proceed on along the path back into the woods, hills and slopes as we press on.
As I look back, I never imagined that part of my call to serving in mission would be writing major documents for a university. I love teaching, and its life blood is in interacting with students, getting to be part of what God is doing in their lives and through them, and watching them move on into strategic ministries. But this past year my role has been more behind the scenes, working on the scaffolding that enables that teaching process to actually take place. It is not glamorous, nor very inspiring. But it too is part of God’s work, so that many can grow and be equipped to go, to teach, disciple, lead, develop communities, address injustices and be salt and light in a wide variety of contexts.
ILU students come from many surrounding countries to get education that is not accessible in their home contexts, and class case studies come directly from their realities in South Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the urban centers and villages of Kenya. Writing documents is mostly just hard work, but seeing God write on the hearts of his people as a result makes it all worth it.
We, including all of you, are part of the team that makes such training possible. Heartfelt thanks for your support in prayers, finances and encouragement. “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ”—Colossians 1:28.
With gratitude to God, and for you,
Marta Bennett
Note: Your support and giving make possible the training of these many leaders, who in turn are being used by God to bring training, hope and transformation to many communities. To give financially, you may contribute through my PC(USA) mission account E200312 for individuals (see the link below) or account D506057 for congregations. Every contribution makes a difference as we partner together.
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 135
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