On May 24 (Tuesday), William Gaudelli, chair of the Department of Arts and Humanities at Teachers College, Columbia University, visited Soka University.
The Teachers College, which was established in 1887, is a graduate school of education with over 100 programs, including Education, International & Transcultural Studies, Sociology, and Humanities. Soka University founder Dr. Daisaku Ikeda delivered a lecture at the college on June 13, 1996 under the title, “Thoughts on Education for Global Citizenship.”

After his meeting with International Director Masaru Osanai, Mr. Gaudelli met with approximately 20 students, including those of the GCP (Global Citizenship Program), at a classroom in Global Square and held a discussion in English. Mr. Gaudelli said that when speaking of global citizenship education, the “journey within” is fundamentally important, such as regarding how much we think about peace in our daily lives and how much we accept diversity. He also shared that becoming a global citizen is not necessarily something extraordinary but that the essence is seen in small daily actions.
Students asked questions such as “How can we change people’s sense of disregard for other countries?” and “What do you think about the importance and significance of dialogue?” An active question & answer session was conducted.
Comments from participating students included how they felt about the importance of considering issues both within and outside the country, not with an indifferent attitude but in terms of thinking about how one can contribute and take action by cooperating with others.