First Person: On Being Repotted…

It is with bitter sweet emotion that I leave USC and the Rossier School of Education at the end of this fall semester. I have accepted a position as a senior faculty member in the department of higher education at Azusa Pacific University, working in the newly created Ph.D. program. APU is a Christian university with a very distinct mission and strong organizational culture. I am eager to pursue and fulfill some personal and professional goals of integrating the discipline of higher education with a purposeful faith-based worldview

In my new role I will be working to develop and improve education throughout Southeast Asia. In particular I will work with a newly established Cambodia Foundation to focus on tertiary education in the Kingdom of Cambodia, a nation whose citizens continue to recover from having suffered under the hands of its own leaders for the past 30 years. My intention is to accomplish the following over the coming years:

1. Partner with administrators at postsecondary institutions to address the challenges facing Khmer students at universities in both urban and rural communities across the country.

2. Develop joint ventures with national postsecondary institutions to offer advanced degrees in order to expand capacity for the educational leaders at universities and the central government.

3. Establish an international educational center with U.S. and Cambodian educators to serve the citizens of Cambodia.

The reason I was drawn to the field of higher education many years ago was because of the powerful impact that a system of higher education has on transforming an entire nation through the preparation and education of its future leaders, who will in turn shape and influence the country in every sphere of society. Leaving USC may be just the beginning of the next season of my life. Long term plans include leaving the United States with my family, and moving to Cambodia for a time to pursue this endeavor of building the country's higher educational system more effectively. I am excited about responding to this daunting call, and I am humbled to that the work is so much bigger than me.

A friend recently shared with me this visual image of a plant that has outgrown its pot. When this happens, it needs to be repotted into a larger pot in order for it to extend its roots and continue to grow. Similarly, I too am now being repotted to allow my roots to grow in new ways. As I contemplate finally leaving the place that I have been associated with for so many years, words do fail to adequately express how I feel. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the deep and meaningful relationships I have developed through the Rossier School of Education, as well as the countless number of heartfelt conversations I have had with faculty colleagues, friends, and especially my students over the years. I know that wherever I go, USC and the Rossier School of Education will always be my home

--Alex Jun