October 9, 2003

Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Satoshi Sugita to its Board of Governors. Effective October 1, 2003, Mr. Sugita takes his place as a regular member alongside the 20 other members of TUJ’s Board. Mr. Sugita’s contribution to promoting English-language education, career in journalism and public relations, and roles as an advisor and executive in the public and private sectors make him a valuable addition to the Board.

Mr. Sugita is best known for his popular daily radio program Yasashii Business Eigo (Easy Business English), which broadcast on NHK for 16 years until March 2003. He has also written many books on cross-cultural communication. Mr. Sugita sits on a number of government committees and has served as a special advisor to Japan’s Minister of Education. His career in journalism includes stints with the Asahi Evening News and the Cincinnati Post. He worked for the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, was the vice president of employee relations and communication for General Electric, and was an executive at Dentsu Burson-Marsteller. Today, he is the executive vice president and managing director (Japan & China) of PRAP Japan, a public relations consultancy.

With Mr. Sugita’s addition, the TUJ Board of Governors consists of 13 regular members and 8 supporting members. The Board advises and supports the Dean, Kirk R. Patterson, on a wide variety of topics, including curriculum development, student recruiting, regulatory issues, and fund-raising.

“We are pleased and proud that such a highly respected individual as Mr. Sugita has agreed to join the TUJ Board,” says Dean Patterson. “The Board is a very important part of our organization. Collectively and individually, its members have been a major force behind TUJ’s success over the past 21 years. With their continued support and guidance, I am confident that we will make an even greater contribution to the lives of our students and to the development of the Japanese educational system.”

In addition to Mr. Sugita’s appointment, the composition of the TUJ Board of Governors has been bolstered through the addition of four other new members over the past year. Added to the Board were Makoto Ebina, a research fellow at Mizuho Research Institute; Hisao Ikegami, a counselor of the Japan Foreign Trade Council; Richard Waller, the senior director of finance at Apple Computer Japan; and Charles Whitehead, the country officer for Citigroup in Japan. They join a distinguished group of individuals with diverse professional backgrounds who are led by Board co-chairs Ronald J. Anderson, Chairman of AIG Companies, Japan & Korea, and Koichi Danno, Research Counselor, Mitsubishi Research Institute.