International Students at Meadville Lombard

September 20, 2011

Meadville Lombard welcomed four students from around the globe during our summer intensive courses in July, through intentional effort by the school, donors and the International Resources office of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA).

Mahesh Upadhyaya (pictured at right lower left while Dr. Anthony Pinn lectures in African American Humanism) began his term as a student in our Master of Arts in Religion degree program. He is attending Meadville Lombard through scholarship opportunities from the school and grants from the UUA. Mahesh is a social justice worker in Gujurat, India. Meadville Lombard's TouchPoint Theological Education allows Mahesh to pursue the degree by attending our intensive courses in July and in January. He took all three classes offered in Chicago this summer: African American Humanism, Pragmatism and Theology, and Religious Education for a Changing World. He will join us again in January, when most of our student population returns for intensive classes, including other international students from Canada and Norway.

"I was a bit apprehensive before the courses regarding its practical relevance to the world of social justice work," said Mahesh. "I usually associate academicians with intellectual arrogance! But it was like a breath of fresh air to meet the faculty who challenged our thoughts and sharpened our thinking. It was about discussion and discovery, the focus was constantly on: What theories make sense? How does it relate to my experience? What insights were emerging as the classes went on?"

Also enrolled in all three classes were Eriko Kanao and Kaoru Saito (pictured left), brought to Chicago through a gift by Martha Atherton to encourage international students to take classes at Meadville Lombard. Eriko and Kaoru are students of Rissho Kosei-kai in Japan, and they audited the three courses. Through donations such as the one by Mrs. Atherton and another by Mr. H. deForest Ralph (providing an opportunity for the Balazs scholar to take classes here), Meadville Lombard is able to broaden the learning opportunities for our students.

"One of the classic arguments for diversity in learning contexts is that when out-of-the-ordinary voices are involved in the conversation, the core assumptions of every discussion shift," said Dr. Mark Hicks, Angus MacLean Professor of Religious Education. "Our international students and guests played that role magnificently this summer. Especially in small group work, Meadville Lombard students were required to re-think their assumptions about language, context, goals, values, and, generally, what it means to be welcoming of 'otherness.'  Our last day of class was a highly emotional experience, in large part, because students had spent 40 hours building an intentional, global learning community wherein every voice mattered.  It was extraordinary - and gratifying - to watch the magic happen." 

Left to Right: ML staffer Eric Biddy, MDiv student Nell Newton, MAR student Mahesh Upadhyaya, the Rev. Mark Kiyimba and Faculty Dr. Michale Hogue teaching his Pragmatism and Theology course.

Also auditing courses this summer was the Rev. Mark Kiyimba, visiting the States from Uganda. The UUA helped bring the Rev. Kiyimba to Chicago by paying his fees and expenses. He audited the African American Humanism course as well as Dr. Michael Hogue's class. "Since the class was a course on Pragmatic Theology, usually thought of as a uniquely American intellectual tradition, the international perspectives were especially enriching," said Dr. Hogue. "In addition to bringing Japanese, Indian, and Ugandan cultural lenses, the students also drew from diverse faith traditions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism as well as Christianity and Unitarian Universalism. It was an ideal mix of traditions and cultures through which to explore pragmatism as a resource for global public theology."

The Rev. Eric Cherry, the Director of International Resources with the UUA was instrumental in bringing both Mr. Upadhyaya and the Rev. Kiyimba to Meadville Lombard. "Both benefitted in all the typical ways that learners do from Meadville Lombard's excellent classes.  But, by participating in the intensives they also became members of unique learning community and formed relationships that will impact their ministries and the ministries of their colleagues -- forever.  The positive benefits of these multicultural relationships of mutual influence and collegiality are beyond measure and will promote strong congregational and community ministries in the US and around the globe."

This is an initiative that is important to the mission of the school and to our faith tradition, said the Rev. Dr. Lee Barker, President of Meadville Lombard. "If Unitarian Universalism is to thrive in the new age, it will require ministers who are able to lead across boundaries of race, ethnicity, religion and nation.  Creating multicultural classrooms, complete with students from around the globe, is one of the many ways Meadville Lombard prepares students for leadership in the 21st century."