Wheelock College announces Dr. Alfredo Varela of Norton, as the Director of ONCAMPUS Boston, a newly established collaborative partnership with the Cambridge Education Group (CEG) based in Cambridge, England.

The partnership aligns with Wheelock's mission to improve the lives of children and families around the world and its goals to grow its international student body and expand the College’s engagement in global issues.

In the first year of the ONCAMPUS Boston program, students from around the world are enrolled at Wheelock, offering academic learning and a safe and secure college environment in which to acclimate to college life. Upon completion of the program, students will have the opportunity to progress into the second year of degree courses at Wheelock or any of the other ONCAMPUS Boston partner institutions.

“The partnership between the College and Cambridge Education Group further extends the opportunity and access to a high quality higher education experience in which we both so strongly believe. We are excited to have Dr. Varela’s leadership and expertise in this unique effort,” said Dr. Adrian K. Haugabrook, Wheelock’s Vice President for Enrollment Management and Chief Diversity Officer. ”

Varela is a native of Southern California. He earned his undergraduate degree from California State University-Northridge and his first master's degree from UC-Santa Barbara, both in anthropology. He spent a year in Ghana researching women's marketing networks before heading to Sapporo, Japan where "six months” turned into nearly eight years. Varela taught extensively in Japan's higher education system designing several innovative courses including a bilingual team-taught course entitled “Japanese Education.” 

During his stay in Japan, he also earned a second master’s degree in education from Heidelberg College.

Varela earned his Ph.D. at Stony Brook University, where he also served as assistant dean for international programs. He has worked as assistant director and regional manager for the School for International Training.

Most recently he served as dean for the Center for Global Education at Wheaton College. Varela was recognized for designing the only semester-long study-abroad program in the nation of Bhutan and starting a summer college prep program for international high school students interested in attending college in the U.S.