Professor Robin Baker CMG, Christ Church University vice-chancellor, with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Photo/CUAC

The inaugural address of an annual international lecture series honoring Dr. Rowan Williams, the 104^th Archbishop of Canterbury, will be seen live by a global audience via webcast on September 28, 2012 beginning at 14:15 BST (9:15 a.m. ET in the U.S.).  Sponsored by the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion (CUAC), the series will be launched by Dr. Williams himself, in an address considering the nature and role of Anglican institutions of higher learning.  Audiences at many of the more than 130 member institutions in the CUAC network will view the historic event live, as can members of the public, by logging onto www.canterbury.ac.uk/CUAC-Lecture2012.

The live streaming webcast can be seen on any browsing device with Flash Player capability.  Users of iPhones and iPads can go to the live streaming URL and will be offered a free downloadable app that will enable them to view the live webcast on their devices.  A full video of the Archbishop’s address will also be available for on-demand viewing immediately after the event at the same URL as the live stream.  A high definition video for on-demand viewing and download will be permanently available on the CUAC website at www.cuac.org beginning Monday, October 1^st at 12:00 noon ET (17:00 GMT).

“The Dr Rowan Williams Annual CUAC Lecture” commemorates Dr Williams’ ten years as Archbishop of Canterbury.  The choice of the Archbishop as the first lecturer is apt for several reasons: Dr. Williams serves as Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, and the inaugural lecture comprises a part of the University’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.  The Archbishop is also CUAC’s Patron, and he has long held that higher education within the context of an Anglican identity provides benefits that are both universal and particular to the local context.  In subsequent years, the annual CUAC lecture will rotate among different regions and be hosted by member colleges and universities.  The Rev’d 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.”

Bishop Henry Parsley, tenth bishop of Alabama and CUAC board member who proposed the lectureship, added, “This Annual Lecture will be a means for CUAC to strengthen the identity of Anglican universities globally.”

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 50^th 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 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% 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.