From February 8-11, 2010, the first Bi-Division Residence Deans’ Workshop convened at the Mido Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.  Besides being the first Bi-Division Residence Hall Deans’ Workshop, this is the very first workshop ever conducted for residence deans in either the NSD or SSD territories.

Dr JaiRyong Lee, president of NSD, graced the workshop and gave the opening address.  He challenged all deans to give special attention to the students who have come under their care and stressed that they were not there by accident by the providence of God.  He provided the devotion just before the start of the second day workshop and once again he challenged the participants to be men and women of prayer and the Word of God.  Dr Chek Yat Phoon, NSD Education Director gave the next devotion and he said that all Adventist educators faced great challenges in this 21^st century and in order to over come these challenges, they must have new paradigms.  “Adventist education is not to be reformed but to be transformed.” This is to be accomplished by the “renewal of the mind.”  Dr Mike Lekic, SSD Education Director said that all deans and Adventist educators have a vantage place in God’s kingdom—place of ministry and a place where it is safe for his children to prepare themselves and others for the “home” made new.

The two presenters of the workshop were Dr Donald Murray, the retired dean of men of Andrews University, and his wife, Dr Susan Murray, Associate Professor of Family Studies in the Behavioral Sciences and Social Work Department of Andrews University.  Dr Don Murray had worked as residence dean in secondary and tertiary institutions for 42 years.  The team presentations inspired the deans and brought to their attention not only the significant calling of residence deanship, but challenged them to think out of the box as they minister to the needs of students who come under their care.  Residence hall deans need to have a program which is to be totally integrated into the entire curriculum of the school.  Many functions and roles of the dean were brought out and each participant caught a renewed vision of their calling to the work of residence deanship.

There was also the recommendation that each Division starts a chapter of the Adventist Student Personnel Association (ASPA) to continue on the education of residence deans and also to bring to the deans an Adventist organization for fellowship, mutual learning and support of the deans as they grow professionally and enhance the educational work of all schools within the Divisions.