Online Only: TUJ dean retires for the sea
Kirk Patterson, the outgoing dean of Temple University Japan, plans to sail around the world.
Christopher Wink
Issue date: 12/4/07 Section: News
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Kirk Patterson wants to sail the world.
The current dean of Temple University Japan, who announced his retirement at a campus-wide meeting on Aug. 27, is looking beyond his departure at the end of this month.
It was a dream of his from a very early age, but it wasn't until 15 years ago that he realized he might be blessed with the opportunity to make it a reality.
"I'll spend two years in Victoria preparing," said the native Canadian over the telephone from Tokyo. "Getting the boat ready, getting my body ready."
Perhaps, it won't be unlike his five-year career as the top man for Temple in Japan
TUJ was in fiscal ruin 2001, prior to Patterson's appointment as dean in January 2002. The branch campus had lost money for 10 consecutive years.
"TUJ's reputation was very bad when I came," Patterson, 54, said. "A lot of foreign universities were closing, so no one would trust them."
So Patterson was brought from the corporate world, having held leadership positions in large communications and public relations firms before being chosen to fill the campus's top position. After reorganizing the school's mission and welcoming encouraged commitment from Main Campus, Patterson has overseen TUJ's transition to a successful, profitable part of a growing Temple community.
After years of swirling rumors about the impending closure of TUJ, attitudes have largely changed.
Temple President Ann Weaver Hart's trip to East Asia last month, which prominently featured TUJ's 25th anniversary celebration, was an important reminder of that.
"When you've been in office for a long, long time and - I would hope - are happy with what you see as the future of the institution you've devoted so much of your life to," Hart said, "you can feel comfortable stepping down knowing that you feel like the institution is in good hands."
"President Hart is wonderful in her commitment to global education," said Patterson, who speaks and reads Japanese.
The current dean of Temple University Japan, who announced his retirement at a campus-wide meeting on Aug. 27, is looking beyond his departure at the end of this month.
It was a dream of his from a very early age, but it wasn't until 15 years ago that he realized he might be blessed with the opportunity to make it a reality.
"I'll spend two years in Victoria preparing," said the native Canadian over the telephone from Tokyo. "Getting the boat ready, getting my body ready."
Perhaps, it won't be unlike his five-year career as the top man for Temple in Japan
TUJ was in fiscal ruin 2001, prior to Patterson's appointment as dean in January 2002. The branch campus had lost money for 10 consecutive years.
"TUJ's reputation was very bad when I came," Patterson, 54, said. "A lot of foreign universities were closing, so no one would trust them."
So Patterson was brought from the corporate world, having held leadership positions in large communications and public relations firms before being chosen to fill the campus's top position. After reorganizing the school's mission and welcoming encouraged commitment from Main Campus, Patterson has overseen TUJ's transition to a successful, profitable part of a growing Temple community.
After years of swirling rumors about the impending closure of TUJ, attitudes have largely changed.
Temple President Ann Weaver Hart's trip to East Asia last month, which prominently featured TUJ's 25th anniversary celebration, was an important reminder of that.
"When you've been in office for a long, long time and - I would hope - are happy with what you see as the future of the institution you've devoted so much of your life to," Hart said, "you can feel comfortable stepping down knowing that you feel like the institution is in good hands."
"President Hart is wonderful in her commitment to global education," said Patterson, who speaks and reads Japanese.
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