One of the goals of the Centre is to undertake and promote research related to the theory or practice of some aspect of transformational education. With this in mind, the Centre invites graduate level students who are members of the CATE Centre to apply for “scholar” status in the Centre. The scholar status is for a set period of time usually extending from admission to a research degree program until the project is completed and the degree awarded. In all cases the status will not extend beyond 5 years for a master’s level degree and 7 years for a doctoral degree.
Chrischona (Gibson) Sodji graduated from Cairn University in 2020 with an MS in Educational Leadership and Administration. Her research investigated the nature of international best practice for schools which seek to provide national students with a transformational Christian education experience. It was an action research project which foreshadowed a commitment her husband and she would make to establish a school modeled on the findings of her research.
Her interest in the subject began as a child of missionaries serving in Europe. She first attended a local Austrian school and then later the Vienna Christian School, which a team of educators from Black Forest Academy, led by Mr. Dick Derksen (also a CATE member) had established to serve the global mission community.
David Durance is the current President of TeachBeyond and leader of several other educational organizations committed to providing transformational education services on a global platform. He was the Regional Director of Asia for TeachBeyond for five years before his appointment to the senior position in TeachBeyond.
He holds an Economics degree (With Distinction) from the University of Regina in Canada and an MBA (BGS Honor Society) from the University of Massachusetts (Amhurst). He is currently enrolled at Trinity International University in its PhD leadership program. His research interests are transformation steward leadership, organizational change, and the embracing of organizational mission-vision-values across cultures.