Paul Kuo has been appointed by the Temple University Board of Trustees in Philadelphia to serve as the chairperson of the Board of Overseers* of Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ). The appointment, effective November 3, 2021, comes as the Japan campus prepares to celebrate four decades of operation in Tokyo next year. TUJ is the largest and longest-running branch campus of a foreign university in Japan. It educates nearly 1,500 undergraduate students as well as students in its masters, doctorate, and non-degree programs.
Kuo is currently the CEO of Edinburgh Enterprise and has been a member of the TUJ board since 2019. He will succeed Midori Kaneko who served as the chair of the board for 12 years. The 13-member board, which operates as an advisory body for TUJ, is composed of a group of external experts who support the university’s academic and administrative affairs.
“We are extremely pleased that Paul Kuo will be heading the Board of Overseers at this pivotal time when the Japan campus of Temple University has reached new heights in terms of enrollment and interest,” TUJ Dean Matthew J. Wilson said, adding TUJ strives for institutional excellence while offering a distinctive international experience in Japan. “We are confident that Paul can apply his global expertise, innovative mindset, and extensive leadership experience to assist us in meeting the needs of today’s students for tomorrow’s workplace.”
“At the same time, we want to thank Midori Kaneko for her contributions to the university over the last 12 years. Midori has been an invaluable resource to our institution and inspiration to TUJ students as she concurrently served in senior leadership positions at Amazon Japan, GE Japan, and Citigroup Japan.” Kaneko will continue to support TUJ as a member of the board.
Kuo is a veteran financier who also has taken several executive roles at financial institutions, including Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs. He has also served in many roles in the financial industry in Japan, such as a board member of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Financial Exchange. Kuo has been a member of various government panels related to Japan’s financial sector reforms. Kuo graduated from Tufts University in 1984, where he received a bachelor of arts in economics. He received his MBA from Columbia Graduate School of Business in 1986.
“I look forward to working with the entire TUJ community as we build upon the university’s incredible momentum in recent years,” Kuo said. “As we celebrate TUJ’s 40th anniversary in 2022, I am honored to be part of a new leadership team focused on the next 40 years. TUJ can play a critical role in adding to the diversity in Japan’s educational system and is uniquely positioned to develop global citizens.”
TUJ’s Board of Overseers* is an advisory institution that brings together leading experts from outside the university to provide both academic and administrative support to TUJ. The Board of Overseers was established and authorized by the president of Temple University and the Board of Trustees in February 2011. The Board of Overseers also acts as an intermediary for organizations and individuals outside the university to enjoy a truly global education at TUJ.
Temple University is a public, comprehensive university located in Philadelphia, USA, with approximately 38,000 students and eight campuses including one in Japan. Times Higher Education ranks Temple University as one of the top 350 universities around the world. TUJ allows undergraduate and graduate students in Japan to complete their degrees from Temple University USA at an affordable tuition rate, without having to travel to the United States. Since its founding in 1982, TUJ has excelled in building bridges across cultures and advancing the globalization of higher education. With the support of the Board of Overseers, TUJ will continue to elevate learners to think globally, pursue their educational and career goals, and encourage a multicultural, cooperative, innovative and entrepreneurial mindset.
*Board of Overseers: An advisory body common to U.S. universities, different from the “Board of Trustees” defined in Japan’s Private School Law.