Advanced Language Skills and Status are not Prerequisites for Leadership

We hope that those who study at Sophia University become global leaders who can display leadership in international society.

In Japan, global leaders are thought of as so-called “elites,” fluent in different languages and of a high status, but the rest of the world thinks of global leaders differently. To the rest of the world, a global leader is someone who leads the way in revitalizing communities and takes initiative in solving problems regardless of affiliation or position. We agree with this definition of leader that has been developed and held by international standards. 

When considering what skills a true global leader should possess, language and communication are of course important and quantitatively measurable skills. However, without other non-quantifiable skills that allow people to communicate deeply and develop trust with others, leadership is not possible. It is precisely these qualities and skills that Sophia’s education emphasizes and aims to build.

For example, in choosing a department or major, students are defining their backgrounds through interaction with a diverse group of people. When interacting with people who hold different values, conveying one’s expertise as background increases trust and provides a basis for understanding each other’s way of thinking. One of the qualities of a global leader is to understand the significance of studying a specialized field in order to be able to live in an international society.

An Open Environment and Challenging Experiences to Nurture the Leadership Qualities

Environments are incredibly important to students developing important qualities – at university, students get to deepen their understanding of liberal arts while also pursuing a specialized field of their degree. In the extreme, this structure is much the same at all universities. What is different though is the environment in which you learn. Sophia strongly recognizes the importance of its environment, and has placed great emphasis on its impact on students.

The environment that will become a base for Sophia students is a single campus where international students from 99 countries and regions gather and all faculties and both humanities and science graduate schools are co-located. This campus, which has boasted diversity in internationality and academic fields, is now developing generational and professional diversity.

The “World Exploration Club (Sekai Tankyu Bu),” where high school students conduct research activities with researchers, “Professional Studies,” where businesspeople can continue to learn, and the “Sophia Global Citizen Program,” where all can continue to engage in lifelong education.

These programs, managed by the Office of Sophia Future Design Platform (SFDP Office, established in July 2023), bring together high school students, university students, adults, and people from all walks of life to learn in accordance with their own ambitions. At the core of these programs and at the core of a global leader is interaction with a diverse range of people with different perspectives and values.

Sophia has also provided exceptional experiences to help cultivate the qualities of a leader in students. Training and learning experiences in Africa, Southeast Asia, and other regions facing various troubles, as well as at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, which strives to find solutions, are unique to Sophia. In 2019, Sophia launched a program with the Geneva Graduate Institute, allowing students the opportunity to graduate from Sophia’s undergraduate program and the destination’s graduate program in a total of five years. In 2024, Sophia will also offer an internship at the Washington headquarters of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), an international organization dedicated to the development of South America and the Caribbean.

These are tough challenges, even for students who have the benefit of being surrounded by a campus full of diversity. None of these challenges are mandatory, and we dare to leave it up to students to decide whether to take on these unique opportunities. These hard experiences, which are only accessible to students looking for growth, will cultivate their ambitions and beliefs to be leaders.

Implementing the Qualities Learned During the Undergraduate Years

We have also begun to focus on creating opportunities for students to apply the qualities they learn in society. Following a short-term intensive entrepreneurship training course Sophia held in 2023 to provide a place to put these learned qualities of leadership to use, the University will launch the “Sophia Entrepreneurship Network (tentative name)” in 2024.

As you know, entrepreneurship is not only about starting a business, but also about creatively creating value – a quality that will be necessary in all future settings. To prepare for our students’ futures in global leadership, we plan to develop domestic and international networks,  considerate of the kind of internationally applicable entrepreneurship that global leaders should possess.

Sophia University’s educational philosophy is not limited to making sure our students “master this or that subject.” It is designed to help students develop the qualities that are key to a future among an international community and on the global stage. In this era of rapid social change, the role each person plays, and the expectations placed upon them will change in accordance with the environment and where we stand within it at that moment. We hope to nurture adaptable qualities that allow students to respond and react in their own way regardless of coming external changes.