Mission and Purpose

Institutional Mission

William Carey International University prepares men and women to discover and address the roots of human problems around the world.

WCIU is a specialized educational institution that uses an integrative approach to create understanding of socio-cultural aspects of international development. Its focus is the broad field of international development as understood and practiced by transnational NGOs (non-governmental organizations), most of which are faith-based. WCIU offers two degrees in this field: The M.A. and the Ph.D. in International Development.

Institutional Purpose

WCIU fulfills its purpose as an academic degree-granting institution by offering field-based mentored educational programs that assist NGO workers in discovering and addressing the roots of human problems. This approach provides for a relationally oriented learning experience for students who work toward a degree on a part-time basis while maintaining active participation in their area of cross-cultural service. Students are not required to attend classes on campus and thus their studies can be undertaken anywhere in the world. The learning experience is designed to promote the application of foundational learning.

Contrary to common understanding, the roots of human problems lie deep within cultural and social systems. WCIU seeks to equip students to understand these systems, identify the roots of pervasive problems, and effectively address their causes. Only through such development practices can lasting change be achieved.

The University approaches international development as an integrated academic field involving a number of different disciplines. Students study the historical, social, cultural, religious, educational, economic, technical, and political matrix in which NGOs work. This study leads to more effective practices for NGOs and their workers.

The University’s primary constituents are non-profit organizations, particularly those that are faith-based, working cross-culturally, and engaged in integrated development efforts. Its graduate programs are designed primarily for working adults already serving or preparing to serve with these NGOs across cultures.

Thus, WCIU’s purpose is to:

• Serve as a vehicle for researching, integrating and disseminating information on global development.
• Develop field-based educational programs that integrate theory and practice, serving as a model for other educational institutions of similar purpose and constituency both in the U.S. and abroad.
• Equip students to identify the roots of human problems that lie deep within cultural and social systems addressing the causes, not just their consequences, in order to promote lasting change as well as temporary relief.
• Address the needs of working adults already serving or preparing to serve across cultures with NGOs.

Educational Philosophy

William Carey International University operates from a distinctive understanding of international development and hence has a distinctive educational philosophy. The University focuses primarily on the integrated academic investigation of the complex interrelationships present in international development. This field of study integrates various facets of many other disciplines, ranging from anthropology to economics, from intercultural communication to biblical studies and comparative religion, and from science to organizational management—all studied in historical, cultural and sociopolitical contexts from a global perspective.

Consonant with this broad understanding of international development,

integration is a key word in WCIU’s educational philosophy:

• Integration of various academic disciplines which too often have been isolated from each other in their contribution to international development.
• Integration of the energies of numerous social institutions, which often act largely independently of each other in their developmental efforts.
• Integration of the growing body of theoretical literature joined with a strong emphasis on practical application to projects throughout the developing world.

As an expression of its intent to integrate experience with scholarship, WCIU encourages significant field experience for both faculty and students. Faculty, students and graduates are involved in training, research and teaching as well as practical projects in many areas of the developing world. Thus, WCIU’s programs are:

• Integrated , reflecting a commitment to reflective and critical thinking aimed at connecting learning with the real world of international development.
• Accessible , reflecting a commitment to delivering courses in a variety of contexts, allowing individuals to maximize their learning by finding the best fit and making learning convenient by considering students’ circumstances, interests, learning styles and study conditions.
• Mentored , reflecting a commitment to creating instructor-to-student and student-to-student collaboration, to enhancing reflective interaction with experienced professor/practitioners and to student sharing of what they have learned.
• Outcomes-based , reflecting a commitment to identifying learning outcomes and their corresponding competencies and to empowering students to learn for a lifetime in a world of social, cultural and technological change.

William Carey International University serves a well-defined constituency of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the majority of which are faith-based in the evangelical Protestant tradition, though the University itself is an educational and not a religious institution. Such voluntary organizations work across cultures internationally, primarily in developing countries. They engage in such fields as holistic community development, organizational development, disaster relief, primary health care, appropriate technology, micro-enterprise, social justice, educational and religious programs, spiritual life, literacy, language teaching, translation, publishing and other forms of social, economic and cultural development, typically working in association with local groups and community voluntary associations. WCIU seeks to improve the understanding and practice of these NGOs and their workers through research, analysis and evaluation. Its degree programs are designed primarily for working adults already serving or preparing to serve across cultures with these organizations.

Historically speaking, the impact of such voluntary organizations on international development in non-Western countries has been rivaled, if at all, only by colonial and commercial influences. It has been estimated that these nonprofit NGOs are responsible for approximately 70 per cent of the work of international development, having founded, for example, over half of the colleges and hospitals of Africa and Asia. To this day, voluntary association of all types--religions and secular, self-supporting and philanthropic--continue to exercise a disproportionate influence on the international scene.

WCIU was founded for continuing study of and training for such development so that the manifest needs of the peoples of the world might be met by culturally appropriate methods. In order to draw upon the vast resources and experience of these agencies and to serve their personnel in a research and educational capacity, the University normally accepts applicants and appoints faculty and administrators from the community of faith-based NGOs and voluntary associations in the evangelical tradition working internationally, and asks its applicants how they relate to such agencies or their constituencies and how these agencies relate to them.

Institutional Perspective

• WCIU is traditional in maintaining approved requirements for entrance into programs, in meeting standards of academic balance in the master’s and doctoral programs, and in monitoring the educational quality of the degrees it confers.
• The University addresses the needs of non-traditional students for whom residential studies are not feasible.
• The M.A. curriculum is a field-based, off-campus graduate study program that integrates the contributions of many disciplines to provide a foundational historical perspective on international development. Likewise, the Ph.D. program at WCIU is designed to be a field-based, off-campus graduate study and research degree built on a broad foundation of global studies.
• WCIU serves as a catalyst for an integrated approach to international development as a multifaceted field of study.
• The University provides for a uniquely integrated curriculum and mentored approach to education, utilizing academically qualified personnel from the voluntary organizations it serves, as well as drawing upon the faculty of like-minded educational institutions who serve WCIU as part-time adjunct faculty.
• WCIU serves the worlds of the university and of voluntary organizations with its broad foundational curriculum and flexible field-based approach, enabling those working for voluntary organizations to function in culturally appropriate ways in today’s complex, interconnected world.

Educational Objectives

WCIU’s holistic approach to international development requires that students be able to demonstrate achievement of the following educational objectives:

• Comprehension of an integrated and holistic body of knowledge related to and foundational for international development, with emphasis on cultural and social dimensions.
• Understanding of the present within the context of the past and the critical historical forces that have influenced the way groups and individuals think, feel, and act.
• Identification of one’s own awareness of other world views and values, and discernment of the ethical dimensions underlying the decisions facing NGOs involved in international development efforts.
• Listening and reading effectively, communicating clearly and persuasively, applying basic skills for communicating with peoples of other cultures, and developing insights into other patterns of thought and modes of expression.
• Reasoning carefully when assessing theories and inaugurating programs in international development, taking into consideration cultural, social, spiritual, technical, political, economic, and other relevant factors affecting holistic societal development.
• Engaging in scholarly research related to international development.
• Developing a commitment to life-long learning, reflection, and service characteristic of voluntary developmen t agencies.