[Anglican Communion News Service] A new international lecture series in honour of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, will be launched this year by Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion (CUAC).

‘The Dr Rowan Williams Annual CUAC Lecture’ commemorates Dr Williams’ ten years as Archbishop of Canterbury. The inaugural lecture will be delivered by Dr Williams at Canterbury Christ Church University and will focus on the role of Anglican universities. This high-profile lecture by the Archbishop will be held at the University’s Augustine House, Canterbury, on Friday 28 September 2012 and will form part of its Jubilee celebrations. It will also be video linked to CUAC institutions across the world; information on how to access the video link will be released before the event.

In subsequent years, the annual CUAC lecture will rotate among different regions and be hosted by member colleges and universities.

Bishop Henry Parsley, tenth bishop of Alabama and CUAC board member who proposed the lectureship said, ‘This Annual Lecture will be a means for CUAC to strengthen the identity of Anglican universities globally.’ The Revd Canon James Callaway, CUAC’s General Secretary, noted, ‘By rotating among the regions of the CUAC chapters, this will be a global voice seeking the commonalities of Anglican higher education that take shape in such diverse cultures. Because of the Gospel, we all have common roots.’

Vice-Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, Professor Robin Baker CMG, said: ‘We are delighted and proud to host the first CUAC lecture, a series that promises to be important for the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion. We are enormously fortunate at Christ Church to have Archbishop Rowan as our Chancellor and his lecture will be a significant event for us in this, our Jubilee year.’ The lecture will be preceded by a special Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving in Canterbury Cathedral to mark the University’s fiftieth year. Staff and students will be joined by special guests, including the institution’s first cohort—the class of ’62.

CUAC is a world-wide association of over 130 institutions of higher education that were founded by and retain ties to a branch of the Anglican Communion. With institutions on all five continents, CUAC promotes cross-cultural contacts for the exchange of ideas and the joint development of educational programs among member institutions. As a network of the Anglican Communion, CUAC leverages its global presence to help the faculty and students of its member institutions become better citizens of an increasingly-diverse world. For more information, visit www.cuac.org.

Canterbury Christ Church University is a modern university with a particular strength in higher education for the public services. With nearly 20,000 students and five campuses across Kent and Medway, its courses span a wide range of academic and professional subject areas. Celebrating its Golden Jubilee in 2012, the University reflects proudly on fifty years of higher education, innovation, and accomplishment. With 94.3 per cent of its most recent UK undergraduates employed or in further study six months after completing studies, Christ Church has the third highest rate among universities in England for graduates in employment. It is the South East’s largest provider of courses for public service careers (outside of London), and is the number one choice of local people looking to study at university in Kent. For more information on the University and its Golden Jubilee year, visit www.canterbury.ac.uk/goldenjubilee.

For more information about the Archbishop of Canterbury, please visit: www.archbishopofcanterbury.org