Future Generations University is committed to empowering local people by giving them a voice and visibility. This is exactly what alumnus Vincent Abura is doing in his job at Gulu University in Uganda.
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Our History
Future Generations first began tackling humanity’s toughest challenges in 1992: understanding how to create community-driven change that is both sustainable and scalable. Recognizing traditional approaches to community development were not working, UNICEF launched a task force and enlisted Future Generations to study this question around-the-world. Future Generations was founded to promote the newly synthesized method for community-based sustainable development.
After a decade of successful demonstrations of the methodology advancing health, peacebuilding, conservation, education, and livelihoods across India, Afghanistan, China, Peru and other nations, Future Generations formed a new global learning community to extend this method at scale. A separate graduate school was established in 2006, which today advances research, learning, and action in 42 countries as Future Generations University (Formerly Future Generations Graduate School). The original civil society organization, Future Generations Inc., continues to serve as a connector and resource hub between country programs and the university’s growing alumni in the Future Generations Global Network.
As this learning organization evolved into a University with new research initiatives and a wider reach, so did its innovative approach to global education. What sets all Future Generations programs apart is how they transform the community into the classroom. Life-useful learning is delivered over long distances through a combination of online coursework, peer learning, and community-based projects. The University offers a range of learning opportunities, including online resources, customized training, certificate programs, and a Master of Arts in Applied Community Development. This degree program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the USA’s oldest and largest higher education accrediting body.
Michael Stranahan – Aspen, CO
Engaged for four decades with making education useful, after his education at Harvard, Mike, started as a teacher of mathematics then continued as host on Aspen Public Radio as well as to mentor children in pottery.
Chris Cluett – Seattle, WA
A distinguished sociologist of people and transportation, Chris had a long career with the Battelle Memorial Institute. Continuing from his Peace Corps, then USAID assignments in Nepal in the 1960s, Chris has remained active with Nepal.
Isaac Bekalo – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Born in Ethiopia, and from that pursuing deep grounding in solving the challenges of rural life. Isaac trained in the Philippines in Organizational Development. Isaac is currently President of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction.
Brenda Gourley
(U.K) Former Vice-Chancellor,
Open University (U.K); Former Vice-Chancellor,
University of Natal (South Africa)
David Hales
(U.S.A.) Former President, College of the Atlantic; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Government
Kul C. Gautam
(Nepal) Former Assistant Secretary General United Nations; Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Coordinator of the 1990 World Summit for Children
George Rupp
(U.S.A.) Former President,
Columbia University and Rice University; former President,
International Rescue Committee
Patricia Rosenfield
(U.S.A.) Senior Fellow,
Rockefeller Archives Center; formerly, Chair,
Carnegie Scholars Program
Susan Stroud
(U.S.A.) Executive Director, Innovations in Civic Participation; cofounder the Talloires Network (a network of universities committed to education on civic engagement and social responsibility); Founding Director of AmeriCorps
Deepak Gopalakrishna (Chair) – Washington, DC
An experienced analyst of social systems and their interactions with financing frameworks, Deepak has worked in both business development and academia.
Ruben Puentes – Punta del Este, Uruguay
Starting his career as a potato farmer in Uruguay, then a decade with Texas A&M University, Ruben spent two decades in leadership of The Rockefeller Foundation, leaving as Associate Vice President for Knowledge Management.
Harry Teague – Basalt, CO
Harry graduated from Dartmouth College in 1966, and has lived in Colorado since receiving his Masters in Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture in 1972. As principal of Harry Teague Architects, his work has been published internationally, and has received numerous local, state and national design awards, and has lectured and taught throughout the country.
Chido Madiwa – Mutare, Zimbabwe
An alumna of Future Generations University, Chido is dedicated to increasing women’s involvement in development and economic empowerment programs. As of 2018, she holds a seat in Parliament for the Mutasa North Constituency seat in Manicaland Province.
Edmund Cain – Los Angeles, CA
Oversees all domestic and international grant programming at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Formally Director of The Carter Center’s Global Development Initiative, which facilitated national development strategies in post-conflict countries.
Kent Spellman – Fairmont, WV
Coming to West Virginia for public service, Kent moved across the linkage between for-profit and not-for-profit. He spent two decades developing the West Virginia Community Development HUB to gather help for West Virginia communities.
Daniel C. Taylor – Franklin, WV
Growing up in India, Dan’l moved to West Virginia in the 1970s, co-founding The Mountain Institute, then national parks around Mt Everest, and from this West Virginia base he has launched the global family of Future Generations organizations. See: www.danielctaylor.org
Jim Brasher – New York City, NY
Jim possesses more than 35 years experience of leadership in fundraising and innovation. He founded the Global Philanthropists Circle with the Synergos Institution in 2000. He is also the Principal and Founder of Development Council, a personal advisory service for organizational leaders, families, and institutions.
Anthony Flaccavento – Abingdon, VA
Owner of SCALE, Inc, a private firm providing consulting services focused on designing, educating, planning and implementing sustainable economic development in communities around the nation.
Our Shared Future
For the first time in human history, every country of the world has signed on to the same set of goals: the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In these, governments, many corporations, and donor agencies have shared targets to address our immense global challenges. Future Generations focuses on empowering communities around the world to better engage these structures of support from the bottom-up using the SEED-SCALE method.
Education is the great equalizer. Communities don’t need to wait for policy or leadership change to deliver needed services; learning can open the door to new skills that help communities use what they already have to advance a shared vision for the future. Students at Future Generations steer their learning journey according to local priorities so they can advance their personal goals alongside their professional work and community well-being.
Future Generations University is dedicated to opening this life-changing opportunity up to more community leaders in the coming years by:
- Enhancing the Master’s degree, keeping costs low and increasing flexibility to grow enrollment
- Expanding Non-Formal Education offerings with new certificate and training programs customized for partner organizations
- Developing online learning resources and programs that open access to the SEED-SCALE method among new audiences around-the-world
- Advancing community-grounded research to promote site-specific innovations in health, education, economic development, climate change and ecosystem monitoring, and more
- Establishing Sustainable Development Learning Centers at sites of strength across our Global Network to extend learning and innovation for local sustainable development impact