New York –International Women’s Day was on 8 March, with the theme: Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives. “Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is the unfinished business of our time, and the greatest human rights challenge in our world.” UN Secretary-General, António Guterres. Then came the sixty-second session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 12 to 23 March 2018. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited...

BARRYTOWN – One of the most satisfying experiences a college administrator can have is helping students to find ways to successfully accomplish their degree program. The cost of tuition is often a burden for students, so any assistance they receive is welcomed. This concern motivated the Alumni Relations office at the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) to begin the Divinity Scholarship Fund in 2017 to help some of our students fulfill their financial responsibilities. Foreign students do not qualify for student loans from the US government, and UTS tuition fees, though...

How does one solve the problem of racism and discrimination when, in the American society, people from all colors have their own varying degrees of discriminatory attitudes? Lawyer Joseph Makhandal Champagne Jr. (video profile), former mayor of the Borough of South Toms River, New Jersey, said that an enlightened and multi-culturally fair education may be able to erase discriminatory attitudes and racism in the U.S. “It’s the adults who can’t ‘get it.’ We have to learn to live as a human family or perish as fools. Love one another –  that will lead to...

In reading Cabot Peterson’s article on Alice Fleisher, what caught my attention was the term “legacy mission.” She’s now on target to complete what she calls her “legacy mission,” the final chapter in a life that began when, as a young girl, she determined her purpose in life was “to come into perfect harmony with God and, further, to help guide others to reach that same goal (Bodhisattva mission).” Many of us may be thinking about our legacy; thinking in terms of our life’s legacy and leaving a legacy. In my research into leaving a legacy I discovered an enjoyable article: five...

About the “Seven Continents” Series This series explores the global reach of UTS through its remarkable alumni around the globe. UTS alumni are evangelists for their faith, pastors in established communities, care-givers for the old, and the sick, teachers in schools, colleges and universities, and inter-faith practitioners in dialogue with others around the world. Actually our alumni are present in 65 countries on seven continents. There are seven continents, but as far as we know there are no alumni currently working in Antarctica. The other six continents are: Asia,...

A Dream Continues… Alice Fleisher (UTS’77) is celebrating her “golden anniversary” as a member of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU). Alice has been a member for 50 years. Alice Fleisher (UTS’77) with her husband, Gary. Back in the fall of 1968 Alice accepted an invitation to dinner from a classmate while attending San Francisco State University. This seemingly small act became the catalyst for a life-changing experience that continues to this day as Alice pursues her dream of pioneering the development of Unification concepts in the realm of...

The Journal of Unification Studies is a forum for committed engagement with Unification theology and practice, published annually by the Unification Theological Seminary. Its articles address concerns of the theological community and the professional ministry, as well as contemporary social, cultural, political, scientific and economic issues, from a Unificationist perspective. In addition, the Journal promotes dialogue and understanding by presenting papers from diverse viewpoints that engage Unification theology and practice. In his article, Providential History...

Nothing in life is guaranteed, but for some people the challenges can be extremely dramatic and happen at a tender age. Sergio Alcubilla experienced tragedy as a child, but despite many challenges, his journey has also been filled with blessings and faith. Born in the city of Iloilo on Panay Island in the Philippines, Sergio came from a lineage of military men. His paternal grandfather served in WWII and Sergio remembers him as a patriotic nationalist and the family patriarch who always invited the extended family over for big meals. Sergio’s father, for whom he was named, was also a...

About the “Seven Continents” Series This series explores the global reach of UTS through its remarkable alumni around the globe. UTS alumni are evangelists for their faith, pastors in established communities, care-givers for the old, and the sick, teachers in schools, colleges and universities, and inter-faith practitioners in dialogue with others around the world. Actually our alumni are present in 65 countries on seven continents. There are seven continents, but as far as we know there are no alumni currently working in Antarctica. The other six continents are: Asia,...