Pan Am Fund Delegation Visit Liberty University Sunday, August 30 – Monday, August 31, 2026 Welcome to Liberty University. We are honored to host the Pan Am Fund delegation and look forward to sharing Liberty University's mission, student support initiatives, and vision for global engagement. Important Visitor Information Visitor Parking Pass (Monday) Guests who will have a vehicle on campus should register for a complimentary visitor parking pass before arrival: Parking Registration: Liberty University Visitor Parking Campus Map Guests may use Liberty University's interactive campus map to locate meeting locations and parking areas: Interactive Campus Map: View Liberty University's Campus Map Sunday, August 30, 2026 6:00 PM | Welcome Dinner Shakers Restaurant 4201 Candler's Mountain Road Lynchburg, VA 24502 Attendees Pan Am Fund Delegation - Pan Am Fund Delegation Members - Dr. Bill Wegert, Pan Am Fund Board Member Liberty University Hosts - Greg Dowell, Vice President, LU|ONE - Dr. Kenny Warren, Executive Director, International Student Center - Dr. Ester Warren, Office of Disability Accommodation Support (ODAS) Purpose An opportunity for the Pan Am Fund delegation and Liberty University representatives to become acquainted, discuss shared interests in student success and global engagement, and preview the following day's campus visit. Monday, August 31, 2026 9:00 AM | International Student Center Tour Location: C. Daniel Kim International Student Center Arthur S. DeMoss Hall, Room 2232 Host: Dr. Kenny Warren Discussion Topics - International student enrollment and demographics - Student advising and immigration support - International student engagement initiatives - Global partnerships and outreach - Vision and future opportunities for international education at Liberty University 9:30 AM | Office of Disability Accommodation Support (ODAS)

Greetings Members, This weekend the Institute will be on campus at Liberty University at the gracious invitation of Todd to attend a dinner for his non-profit, the Pan-American College Fund. This is a fantastic opportunity for the Institute to do some networking and spread awareness about the support we offer to doctoral candidates. Therefore, we will not have an office hour this weekend. However, starting next week will begin offering two office hours each week (mid-week and weekend) since the fall semester will soon begin. Of course, feel free to schedule a one-on-one session if you need to meet with me. -Ryan

Greetings Members, Brenda and I are doing some really cool behind-the-scenes research on the history of doctoral education and current trends. The result of this research will inform the Collegium's curriculum and also serve as the basis for some articles the Institute plans to publish in the coming months. We've identified three overarching eras, that I thought I share with everyone, to give some food for thought. The Medieval Era: The doctorate served as proof of mastery of an accepted body of knowledge and permitted a person to teach at a university. The university at this time was also quite uncodified and function essentially like a mini-nation where professors were often paid in rights to brew beer or cultivate land. The Humboldtian Era: The doctorate became a means of generating new knowledge. The doctoral candidate was expected to both undergo a personal transformation and edification in addition to becoming an independent scholar. It was the reforms of Humboldt that transformed the university in a public institution rather than an exclusive guild of masters. The Knowledge Economy Era: This characterizes generally the era we are in now. The doctorate and research more generally is now treated as an economic tool and the university is much more concerned with participating in this economy, focusing on employability and societal impact. The downside to this Knowledge Economy Era is that the formative aspect of doctorate education is often overlooked. The doctoral candidate is increasingly seen as both a consumer of a product (i.e., a credential) and a product of the university which can then participate as an agent in the market. We are uncovering some very interesting trends and findings in the literature on the nature of higher education that we are really excited to synthesize into curriculum content and formal reports/articles. Check out our latest post on LinkedIn in which I expound on these eras in a bit more detail. Let me know your thoughts!

Hello everyone, Unfortunately I'm going to have to cancel the office hour today. Please feel free to schedule a one-on-one or I can reschedule for tomorrow. I'm flexible. My apologies

Hello members! How's it going? Office hours for this week have been posted in the calendar as follows: Saturday 6:00 PM EST Please let us know if you intend to attend and what you would like to discuss. As usual, everyone is welcome. Have a great week!