The Tokyo Foundation is happy to report updates on the following two Sylff fellows.

A research article by a Sylff fellow from Slovakia was published in a prestigious journal of foreign policy, Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2009. Mr. Ondrej Gazovic, a Ph.D. student of the faculty of Social and Economic Sciences at Comenius University in Bratislava, writes in his article that the year 2009 could be a breakthrough in terms of Slovak public diplomacy. The article presents extensive and critical reviews of the activities of public diplomacy by the government and identifies the potential areas to develop a positive perception of the country. Refer to the following website for more information about the Yearbook: http://www.sfpa.sk/en/publikacie/rocenka-zahranicnej-politiky/ (Ondrej recently married Ms. Tina Gyarfasova, who happens to be another Sylff fellow at the same university. Congratulations to both of you!) Continue reading →

From November 2 through 5, 2010, the Sylff Administrators Meeting was convened at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in Beppu, on the southern island of Japan. APU, the newest member of the Sylff community, hosted this gathering, which was attended by some 100 administrators and faculty members representing 62 (out of 69) Sylff-endowed institutions in 40 countries, as well as 11 Sylff fellows from 8 countries. The Tokyo Foundation worked closely with APU on the contents of the meeting as well as the logistic and other administrative matters.

The meeting started with a welcome speech by Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, the donor of the Sylff endowments; opening remarks by Mr. Hideki Kato, President of the Tokyo Foundation; followed by a welcoming address by Mr. Shun Korenaga, President of APU.

Over the three days, the participants were actively engaged in presentations and discussions—both plenary and in small groups—regarding such topics as “Identifying and Nurturing Outstanding Future Leaders through Effective Program Administration.” The participants were reminded of the basic roles and responsibilities for managing the Sylff program at respective institutions, and renewed their commitments to identifying and nurturing future leaders.

One session featured some of the invited Sylff fellows who are the beneficiaries of Sylff Plus programs. They each shared with participants their experiences and accomplishments achieved through the Sylff Plus support provided by the Tokyo Foundation. Other Sylff fellows served on the panel of a thematic session entitled “Global vs. Local Values: Beyond Dichotomy.” Also, a special lecture was delivered by Dr. Monte Cassim, ex-President of APU, under the title “Sound, Science, New Technology and Emerging Nations.”

APU is one of the most internationalized universities in Japan, with a special emphasis on Asia-Pacific studies. Half of the 6,000 plus students, as well as faculty members, come from abroad (over 90 countries), and both English and Japanese are the official languages on campus. This was reflected in the range of performances by APU students during the welcome reception, namely, Korean drum performance, Chinese traditional string performance, and Noh, a Japanese traditional theater performance, which were presented by students of diverse nationalities.

Among the invited Sylff fellows were four musician fellows from the Juilliard School in New York, who gave a beautiful music performance on the second evening of the Meeting. This concert was a joint event featuring the Juilliard fellows and Ms. Toshie Suzuki, an APU graduate and professional shamisen player, and her troupe. The full-house audience, including the Meeting participants, APU students, faculty, and administrators, as well as the citizens of Beppu where APU is located, was very moved by the performance from East and West.

The final morning was dedicated to a session for intellectual entertainment. This experimental endeavor was to provide an opportunity for the participants to “speak their minds and hearts” in a purely private capacity on issues that are close to their hearts, setting aside their positions and responsibilities at work. Thirteen pre-selected participants made presentations, and six others, who were chosen on the spot, commented on the presentations. They were joined by two invited speakers: Dr. Mariko Hasegawa, Professor, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, and Dr. Yoshikazu Takaya, Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University.

On November 5, the day following the end of the sessions, the participants divided into two groups for optional field trips: about half of them toured around Beppu and its vicinity and enjoyed the cultural heritage of the region, while the other half went to Tokyo for a half-day dialogue at the Tokyo Foundation with Japanese Diet members on specific policy issues, followed by a half-day sightseeing tour of Tokyo.

The Tokyo Foundation extends its sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Sylff colleagues and Sylff fellows who took the time to participate in the meeting, to APU colleagues for their dedicated work and hospitality, and the Nippon Foundation for its generous support.

The University of Malaya, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary of the Sylff program. The commemorative ceremony was held on May 31, 2010, followed by a two-day seminar entitled, "Today's Young Scholars, Tomorrow's Great Leaders."

The University of Malaya was awarded the Sylff endowment in 1990. It was the 21st member to the Sylff program, and one of the first Sylff-endowed institutions in Asia. For the past 20 years, Sylff fellowships have been awarded to 57 gifted students, not only from Malaysia, but from countries such as Iran, Kosovo, Palestine, and Afghanistan, where there are no Sylff institutions.

Sylff fellows, old and new, gathered to show their appreciation. There were Sylff alumni who came all the way from Kosovo and Japan to commemorate the event. Many of the Sylff alumni of the University of Malaya now hold teaching positions at universities, or work at government agencies. "I deeply appreciate how much the Sylff fellowship helped my study," one of the participants commented. "That's why I'm here today for the celebration."

The special guests from the Sylff community also gathered for this event. Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, Ms. Akiko Matsunobu, Executive Director of the Tokyo Foundation, and Sylff Steering Committee members from the University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia), Chiang Mai University (Thailand), and Vietnam National University came to celebrate the anniversary.

Opening remark by two Malaya Sylff fellows

Dr. Ghauth Jasmon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya, Mr. Sasakawa, and Ms. Matsunobu delivered congratulatory speeches. The multi-national, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious composition of Malaya’s Sylff fellows is representative of the "diversity” necessary to nurture future leaders who can transcend various borders and respect different values and cultures, which coincides with Sylff's mission. The huge success of the anniversary ceremony was proof of the deep commitment and leadership of the University of Malaya fellows.

In 2010, the University of Indonesia and Chiang Mai University will be also celebrating their 20th anniversary of the Sylff program. Delegates from both universities said that they were inspired by Malaya's success and will work to make their anniversary events just as successful and enjoyable.