Senior Associate Appointed as Interim Head of United World College China

Senior Associate Dr. Barry Drake is a consummate example of the depth and breadth of expertise our 19 Associates provide. After working as a consultant to the nascent United World College China (UWCC), due to open in 2015, Barry has accepted the position as Interim Founding Head, starting in February. The budding school has also engaged Search Associates to help them fill senior administrative positions at the Bangkok Leadership Fair the first week of November.

UWCC is located in Changshu, a 3,000-year-old city nationally recognized for its cultural heritage. Close to the Yangze Delta and known for its abundant harvest, the region enjoys a mountain, seven rivers, and 3 lakes.

United World College Changsu China is a three-year pre-university college accepting students between the ages of 15 and 19. Its goal is to enroll no more than 120 students in the pre-International Baccalaureate (IB) Program and 200 students in each of the two IB Diploma years. 35% of the students will hail from diverse areas of China; the other 65% will come from more than 800 countries. Entrance is highly competitive, yet scholarships will be awarded based on need, ensuring that all countries will be represented by their students.

Since the heart of the UWCC curriculum is the International Baccalaureate Program, focused on cultural understanding and the development of genuine concern for others, it emphasizes a residential program where students share life experiences, collaborate, and cooperate.

Dr. Barry Drake is highly qualified to help develop UWCC. He brings to the table 40 years of teaching and leadership in international schools in Africa, the Middle East, South East and East Asia, along with periods of time working in United World Colleges in Wales and Hong Kong. He has agreed to oversee UWCC until Summer 2014 when a Founding Head should be in place. He explains,

“This will involve me spending 50% of my time in China for 5 months whilst continuing to run [the] Search [fair in] Hong Kong. Despite this time of the year being a lot quieter than the first half of the year, it promises some interesting months ahead for both me and my wife, Veronica.”

Barry and Search Associates are proud to support the new UWCC, a school devoted to, as their website www.uwcchina.org says,

“…uniting people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.”