ASSOCIATION OF PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGES

         AND UNIVERSITIES EXPANDS REACH

          When you talk to Jeff Arnold, executive director of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities (APCU), you can’t help but feel optimistic. Following the organization’s annual Presidents’ Conference, his view is that faith-based affiliations among Presbyterian schools are getting stronger and growing due to the strength of connections offered by the APCU.  The organization, which has 56 member institutions, has seen strong growth in recent years and continues to provide value for affiliated schools.
          “We’re probably as strong as ever,” Arnold said of the APCU’s health. “We’ve had a lot of enthusiasm over the past year around some of the new initiatives we’ve put in place that are beginning to pay dividends to the schools.”  Hannam University in South Korea joined the APCU this past year as the first institution outside of the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and Arnold sees this as a good indicator of how schools are benefiting from their affiliation.  “Their new president — Duk-Hoon Lee — is a graduate of Hannam,” Arnold said. “Unlike his predecessors, he decided the school should return to its Presbyterian roots and was very interested in reconnecting with the church. He has really made a great effort to bring the school back into the fold, so to speak. Part of that effort was to gain membership in the APCU.”