On November 13, 2023, Dr. Cynthia Cherrey, the President & CEO of the International Leadership Association (ILA), the world’s largest organization supporting leadership research and development, visited the Global Education Center. In collaboration with the university’s Center for Higher Education Studies, the Global Education Center organized an event centered around Dr. Cherrey, focusing on leadership development and involving faculty and students from the “Leadership Development Program” (LDP)”.
Dr. Cherrey, who has held her current position since 2015, has previously served in key roles at institutions such as Princeton University, Tulane University, and the University of Southern California, including positions as a faculty member and Vice President of Student Affairs.
On the day of the event, Dr. Cherrey delivered a lecture, followed by a dynamic question-and-answer session with faculty and students from across the university. Dr. Cherrey also had a discussion with Director Goto Masayuki of the Global Education Center, and the intersection of leadership education (in Japanese) and data science was discussed as well.
Subsequently, a three-hour Action Learning workshop took place until the evening. Led by Professor Mikinari Higano, the program director of the Leadership Development Program (LDP), who recently received the Annual Excellent Coach Award Runner-Up from the World Institute for Action Learning (WIAL) in October of the same year. The workshop, conducted in English, involved groups of 5-7 participants discussing, through questions and answers, the redefinition of the problem one of them brought in. Students trained in the LDP course (“Development of Others’ Leadership”) served as coaches. Enthusiastic participation came from international students who had not yet taken the LDP course, representing various faculties and some staff members from the student affair. After the workshop, discussions and questions continued for a while.
In the evening, the venue shifted to a cooking party where Waseda faculty and students prepared French and Italian cuisine for Dr. Cherrey. This cooking experience provided a familiar setting for demonstrating leadership, as cooking is often considered a platform for such displays.
Dr. Cherrey’s visit to Japan was prompted by the increasing establishment of experiential leadership programs at universities nationwide since around 2016. In tandem with the growth of ILA members in Japan, her visit aimed to further promote international exchange, with Waseda University serving as a focal point in the nationwide dissemination effort. The visit is expected to contribute to the advancement of even greater international exchange opportunities.
