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,...

In his article Online Education: The Future of UTS, Cabot Peterson (UTS’92) helped us to understand the power of e-learning and mobile technology. “Other age-old traditions are being challenged. Does learning still take place sitting at a desk, whether in the classroom or at home? Statistics now show that as much as 70% of distance learning – regardless of age – takes place on hand-held devices. In fact, for some inexplicable reason, users spend more time on hand-held devices.” Lisa Ames, a trainer for Canvas (the online learning platform that UTS is using)...

Exploring the vision and mission of Alumni Relations, the value of a UTS education and the possibilities that come with a UTS degree enter into the conversation. Also considered is the importance of friendships that are made during one’s time at UTS, and how alumni and alumnae stay in touch after graduation. The February 7 UTS News article: The Top 5 Qualities of a Successful Faith-Based Social Entrepreneur, gave us food for thought. Robin was reminded of the concept of the entrepreneur as it was introduced to him in his undergraduate Economics degree. One definition tells us that an...

TS administrators often attend Association of Theological Schools (ATS) events. Experience shows that it is important for UTS to stay current with the conversations which are part of the theological landscape in North America. UTS has affiliate status with ATS. Robin James Graham, UTS Director of Advancement and Communication When I recently heard Reverend Dr. Paula Williams, former CEO of one of the largest churchplanting organizations in the country, discuss the qualities church-plants should look for in a pastor, I was struck that the qualities were a near mirror image of what...

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 Towards a Hyo Jeong Philosophy of...

As a child growing up in Romania under communist rule, Kati Vigh-Brisebois could never have imagined in her wildest dreams that she would someday be a citizen of the U.S. Originally from the famed area of Transylvania, Kati was born and raised in Romania, but her ancestors hailed from Hungary and her native language was Hungarian. Her parents divorced when she was only five, leaving her mother to raise her and her older brother. As a child, she clearly remembers the impact of communist policies on everyday life; empty shelves in the grocery stores, bribing butchers at the market for...

In early October 2017, Dr. Christine Hempowicz (UTS’86) was elected as the first woman to hold the position of Vice-Chair on the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) Board of Trustees. Her appointment took place on the same day Canadian-born Rev. Franco Famularo (UTS’94) was elected as Chairman of the Board, filling the position previously held by Dr. Michael Balcomb, now Continental Chairman of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification/Europe (FFWPU/Europe). Dr. Hempowicz and her husband, Rev. Krystof “Chris” Hempowicz (UTS’84),- both...

UTS administrators often attend Association of Theological Schools (ATS) events. Experience shows that it is important for UTS to stay current with the conversations which are part of the theological landscape in North America. UTS has affiliate status with ATS. UTS introduced distance education in the late 1990s. Since 2011, UTS has offered a large number of online courses, both for graduate credits and continuing education units. UTS launched UTS-Online using the Popular CANVAS LMS plattform in the Fall 2017 and is gearing up for two more Online courses, currently open for...