Dr. Nord and a villager in Nipson.
MAF missionary Wally Wiley, Dr. Sheldon Nord, Zacharuis Giay, and Dr. Yanuarius Resubun, MSP in Papua.
Administrators continue to advance Corban’s reach globally In January a team of Corban administrators traveled to the easternmost island in Indonesia and returned with newly formed relationships. The primary goal of the trip was to meet with government officials of Papua, Indonesia about continuing to sponsor and send students to Corban. The University has enrolled 25 students at its Salem campus since 2010. However, the journey was much more for Presidentelect Sheldon C. Nord, Ph.D., who traveled with his wife Jamie, Provost Matt Lucas, D.A. and Dean of Global Initiatives Janine Allen, Ed.D. During the trip, Nord stopped in Toraja, on the island of Sulawesi, and spoke
about holistic Christian higher education to approximately 250 educators and pastors. In Papua, the Corban team met with government officials and leaders from Mission Aviation Fellowship to learn more about that organization’s ongoing support for missionaries in Indonesia and their work to educate children. Pilots with MAF took the team to a village where 14 missionaries were killed and eaten by cannibals during an uprising during the 1970s. “It was life changing to see God’s work through missionaries who refused to be deterred,” Nord said. “The villagers became Christians and gave up their old ways. Today MAF missionaries are
providing a free education for several children from that village.” The trip proved to be invaluable to Corban’s ongoing commitment to education throughout the world. A dialogue is now taking place with Papuan officials about sending students exclusively to Corban for their first year of college to give them a solid foundation in Bible, theology and English before they move into schools with advanced science and engineering programs. The trip to Toraja and Papua opened Nord’s eyes even further to the need for better education in Indonesia and how the partnership, between Corban University and the Teachers College at Universitas Pelita Harapan, is making a tangible difference in that nation. Additionally, he hopes to build on the relationship established with Mission Aviation Fellowship that can possibly open doors for Corban students and faculty to serve in both long and shortterm missions in Papua. “It’s all about Matthew 28 and the Great Commission,” Nord said. “All of these partnerships and relationships we continue to build are working together to bring education and the gospel to Indonesia.”
Guests were given a Nipson tour. 26