Franklin, WV
Louisville, KY
Franklin, WV
New Delhi, India
Mutare, Zimbabwe
Charleston, WV
Seattle, WA
Aspen, CO
Nick Bhatt is a medical doctor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. His businesses include nursing homes, home health services, pharmacy, senior living facilities, community centers, and a medical facility that treats substance use. His businesses are located in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee. Nick graduated from Sardar Patel University with degrees in medicine and surgery (MBBS). In addition, he has a masters degree in nursing from Excelsior University.
Francis L. Day has over four decades of experience as a nonprofit manager at the senior leadership level, primarily in higher education and fundraising. Her work focuses on moving organizations to higher level functioning by building and re-building management systems, ensuring mission-driven programmatic initiatives, and improving fundraising programs and campaigns.
Francis is a former employee of Future Generations aiding the president in developing the legal framework, writing the by-laws for, and getting approval from the WV Department of Education for the creation of Future Generations University. She has remained a friend of the organization while developing her career with other organizations.
Early career positions include CEO of the Haskell Foundation at Haskell Indian Nations University, dean of development at College of the Atlantic, and vice president at Unity College. She was an independent contractor providing fundraising and management services, worked as a remedial reading teacher, and was a science and environmental reporter. Before joining Future Generations University as president in 2023, she was chief officer for institutional advancement at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.
She is a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Daughters of the American Revolution. Fran has two adult children, and is an avid gardener , writer and reader.
Reverend James Patterson has been the Founder-President of the Partnership of African American Churches (PAAC) since 2000, a non-profit, faith-based community development collaborative in Charleston, West Virginia. He is a director on several community-based boards, including Habitat for Humanity, West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, and the American Heart Association. He is also the founder of the Saving Our Children Program. Besides his experience as a non-profit leader and community change agent, Reverend Patterson has been a pastor for more than 32 years and is an ordained Elder of the Church of Nazarene.
Patterson earned a Master of Arts degree in Applied Community Change and Conservation from Future Generations University in 2005. Additionally, he obtained his MA in Sociology from Marshall University and his BA in Sociology from WV Institute of Technology.
United States
David Hales served as President of the College of the Atlantic, Chair and President of Second Nature, the managing organization of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, and as Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He led environmental policy and sustainability programs for the US Agency for International Development. As a diplomat, he has represented the USA in numerous negotiations on climate change, urban affairs and policy, and biodiversity. He served in the Carter administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior. He was the first American to serve as Chair of the World Heritage Convention.
Owner of SCALE, Inc, a private firm providing consulting services focused on designing, educating, planning and implementing sustainable economic development in communities around the nation.
Harry graduated from Dartmouth College in 1966, and has lived in Colorado since receiving his Masters in Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture in 1972. As principal of Harry Teague Architects, his work has been published internationally, and has received numerous local, state and national design awards, and has lectured and taught throughout the country.
An alumna of Future Generations University, The Honorable Chido Madiwa has 25 years’ experience working in the civil service, culminating in a position as Director of Gender. Currently, she holds a seat in Parliament and serves as Chairperson for the Parliamentary Portfolio on Women’s Affairs and the Parliamentary Portfolio on Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as serving as a member of the Environment Committee and the Local Government Committee.
After a 30-year tenure with the United Nations serving in Malaysia, Myanmar, and Afghanistan, as well as in the position of Director of the UN Development Programme’s Emergency Response Division, Edmund Cain (USA) had overseen all domestic and international grant programming at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Growing up in India, Dan’l moved to West Virginia in the 1970s, co-founding The Mountain Institute, then national parks around Mt Everest, and from this West Virginia base he has launched the global family of Future Generations organizations. See: www.danielctaylor.org
Growing up in India, Dan’l moved to West Virginia in the 1970s, co-founding The Mountain Institute, then national parks around Mt Everest, and from this West Virginia base he has launched the global family of Future Generations organizations. See: www.danielctaylor.org
Jim possesses more than 35 years experience of leadership in fundraising and innovation. He founded the Global Philanthropists Circle with the Synergos Institution in 2000. He is also the Principal and Founder of Development Council, a personal advisory service for organizational leaders, families, and institutions.
An expert in the fields of servant leadership, education, and institutional research, Sister Georgia Christensen, FSPA (U.S.A.) has 40 years’ experience as a teacher, professor, administrator, supervisor, trainer, and evaluator in school systems across the United States and internationally in Cameroon and Zimbabwe.
Bill has an M.B.A. from Stanford Business School, M.A. in Agricultural Economics from Stanford University. He has been with DAI since 1986 bringing new models of market-led, sustainable economic development to realization all over the world. His work has spanned 50 countries.
A distinguished sociologist of people and transportation, Chris had a long career with the Battelle Memorial Institute. Continuing from his Peace Corps, then USAID assignments in Nepal in the 1960s, Chris has remained active with Nepal.
Engaged for four decades with making education useful, after his education at Harvard, Mike, started as a teacher of mathematics then continued as host on Aspen Public Radio as well as to mentor children in pottery.
(U.K) Former Vice-Chancellor,
Open University (U.K); Former Vice-Chancellor,
University of Natal (South Africa)
(U.S.A.) Former President,
Columbia University and Rice University; former President,
International Rescue Committee
(U.S.A.) Former President,
Columbia University and Rice University; former President,
International Rescue Committee
(Nepal) Former Assistant Secretary General United Nations; Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Coordinator of the 1990 World Summit for Children
Starting his career as a potato farmer in Uruguay, then a decade with Texas A&M University, Ruben spent two decades in leadership of The Rockefeller Foundation, leaving as Associate Vice President for Knowledge Management.
(U.S.A.) Senior Fellow,
Rockefeller Archives Center; formerly, Chair,
Carnegie Scholars Program
(U.S.A.) Executive Director, Innovations in Civic Participation; cofounder the Talloires Network (a network of universities committed to education on civic engagement and social responsibility); Founding Director of AmeriCorps
Dedicated to improving the learning outcomes of his students through sound policy and innovative solutions, Rajan Welukar has more than 35 years’ experience with the Indian Higher Education System, as a teacher, development leader, administrator, and policy advisor, including, currently, as Vice-Chancellor of AURO University.
A former University Trustee, Deepak has returned to the Board to serve as Chair for a second term. Deepak grew up in Hyderabad, India, was trained as a civil engineer, and is currently Vice President of a global consulting and technology services company. He has experience in non-profit research and development, with expertise in applying science and technology to today’s problems.
Ben is the Associate Director and Chief of the Training and Performance Improvement Division at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs. Dr. Lozare has more than 25 years of experience in research, teaching, and practice in international and development communication. He served as the former minister of communications for the Philippines.
Rupin is a graduate from Dartmouth College with a degree in Film Studies and Environmental Studies. He is the Managing Director of Wilderness Films for 35+ years, creating awareness on conservation issues, and is an expert on Himalayan Botany.
Future Generations University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the largest and oldest accrediting body in the United States. This quality assurance by a federally-recognized body also meets requirements necessary for the institution to receive and manage federal financial aid funds. The accreditation process also provides a periodic opportunity and incentive for the institution to review, assess, and advance the quality of its educational and financial operations
For the last 15 years, Future Generations University has been dedicated to empowering committed development practitioners by providing a new model of applied higher education. By focusing learning in the communities where these change-makers already live and work, students immediately begin advancing social change with the skills and strategies they obtain.
Future Generations University offers a two-year Master of Arts Degree in Applied Community Change. The program includes five specializations in different areas where communities have the opportunity to grow. Instruction is also offered through a range of focused certificates. Further, the University also conducts and applies research on the effectiveness of community-based approaches for achieving impact in a widening range of areas.
For the first fifteen years (Classes from 2003 through 2017), enrollment was exceedingly selective. Each class typically had 20+ students. The university is expanding now, but remains selective.
To date, the Masters Degree program has prepared students from 40 countries. Since 2003, seven classes (Class 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) have graduated. Through the 15 years an additional range of students have graduated from the certificate programs.
Our students enter as development practitioners in their own countries. The learning allows them to grow their jobs and communities. The following statistics indicate the engagement of our master’s alumni specifically.
Please check our eligibility criteria for full details. To summarize, all applicants to the master’s degree are required to: 1) work with a community throughout the two-year program; 2) have a Bachelors Degree or equivalent; 3) be proficient in the English language; and 4) have reliable internet connectivity. Applicants to the certificate programs generally are open to anyone willing to do the work.
No. In most cases, students build their learning experience around their current position or field in order to maximize their effectiveness in these areas, using their current community as a learning platform. If participating in optional residential experiences, which require travel to a host community, the student should first obtain permission from an employer. Apart from these residential options, learning will be based in students’ home communities.
Students at Future Generations University have implemented incredible work making positive changes in their home communities and workplaces around the world (Read about some of their work).
Most students come from admirable low-paying career paths in field like education, health services, rural development, and conservation driven by a passion to help others and secure a better future for their fellow community members.
This means they often have limited funds for continuing education and their community building projects, and rely on the support of generous donors. We hope you will join! When you donate to our academic programs, you are not just funding a single development project, you are opening the door for a series of community-driven efforts led by our students and each additional community leader they train in empowerment methods.
If you’d like to support the next generation of community leaders being trained by Future Generations, you can donate to a scholarship fund for current or future students. You could also work with our financial office to start a special fund for a program of your choice– perhaps you’d like to support students working in a designated field, from a specific country, or you’d like to fund a class focused on a certain area of community change. Visit our donate page for options on ways to contribute or contact us at (info@future.edu).
Our staff will be happy to supply you with additional information if you are a member of the press or simply seek answers to some more questions not addressed on this page. Please email us at graduate@future.edu and we will do our best to give you the information you would like.
You can also contact any of our offices worldwide and meet with the team there.
Future Generations first began tackling humanity’s toughest challenges in 1992: understanding how to create community-driven change that is both sustainable and scalable. Recognizing traditional approaches to community development were not working, UNICEF launched a task force and enlisted Future Generations to study this question around-the-world. Future Generations was founded to promote the newly synthesized method for community-based sustainable development.
After a decade of successful demonstrations of the methodology advancing health, peacebuilding, conservation, education, and livelihoods across India, Afghanistan, China, Peru and other nations, Future Generations formed a new global learning community to extend this method at scale. A separate graduate school was established in 2006, which today advances research, learning, and action in 42 countries as Future Generations University (Formerly Future Generations Graduate School). The original civil society organization, Future Generations Inc., continues to serve as a connector and resource hub between country programs and the university’s growing alumni in the Future Generations Global Network.
As this learning organization evolved into a University with new research initiatives and a wider reach, so did its innovative approach to global education. What sets all Future Generations programs apart is how they transform the community into the classroom. Life-useful learning is delivered over long distances through a combination of online coursework, peer learning, and community-based projects. The University offers a range of learning opportunities, including online resources, customized training, certificate programs, and a Master of Arts in Applied Community Development. This degree program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the USA’s oldest and largest higher education accrediting body.
For the first time in human history, every country of the world has signed on to the same set of goals: the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In these, governments, many corporations, and donor agencies have shared targets to address our immense global challenges. Future Generations focuses on empowering communities around the world to better engage these structures of support from the bottom-up using the SEED-SCALE method.
Education is the great equalizer. Communities don’t need to wait for policy or leadership change to deliver needed services; learning can open the door to new skills that help communities use what they already have to advance a shared vision for the future. Students at Future Generations steer their learning journey according to local priorities so they can advance their personal goals alongside their professional work and community well-being.
Future Generations University is dedicated to opening this life-changing opportunity up to more community leaders in the coming years by:
