Bethlehem University held a Town Hall meeting over Microsoft Teams for its employees on Thursday, 18 February 2021, to discuss the second phase of the ongoing project entitled Bethlehem University: Towards a Sustainable Future.
This second Town Hall meeting was conducted by the two consultants that the University contracted with the funding of Porticus international foundation, namely Dr. Fiona Hunter and Dr. Neil Sparnon in addition to the economist Michael O’Connell.
In his opening remarks, Vice Chancellor Brother Peter Bray said “Is there a better way we can respond to the young people who are entrusted to us? The answer is always yes.”
In the Lasallian tradition, there is always an urgency to continually look for fresh ways of thinking about education. We are constantly looking to provide an education for our students which is relevant for the world in which they live and enriching for them – that is a good education.
The project aims “to develop a mode of operation that will enable the University, over time, to deliver its vision and mission and the objectives set out in its strategic plan, effectively and sustainably. This will require Bethlehem University fundamentally to change its current approach to governance and executive management; alignment of institutional structures and units; provision and management of its academic curriculum; financial management; and human resource management.”
This comprehensive review aims not only to maintain the distinguished level of Bethlehem University, but to make it a sustainable higher education institution within a more dynamic and interactive approach.
It is worth noting that the first Town Hall meeting was held in October 2020. It is expected that the review will be completed and the implementation of recommendations will start at the beginning of the next academic year.