Since its inception in 1987, The Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF, pronounced "sylph") Program has been a bold experiment and an ongoing work-in-progress based upon the legacy of the late Ryoichi Sasakawa.

　

 His legacy was a boundless vision, an immeasurably strong commitment to making the world a better place for all, and a fundamental trust in people irrespective of their origins, beliefs, and occupations. And based on this legacy, two decades ago Ryoichi Sasakawa's son, Yohei, launched an innovative scheme-the SYLFF Program.

　

 The core of the SYLFF Program is the presentation by The Nippon Foundation of endowments of US$ one million each to selected institutions of higher learning. As of December 31, 2006, 69 universities and consortia (a total of 88 institutions) in 45 countries have received SYLFF endowments (see pages 6-7). These institutions have agreed to invest their SYLFF endowments in safe financial instruments, to retain a portion of the earnings as capital to help assure growth of the fund over the long-term and as a hedge against inflation, and to use the disposable income to provide fellowships to outstanding students pursuing master's or doctoral degrees in the social sciences, humanities, and performing arts. Each endowed institution establishes a SYLFF steering committee that is responsible for managing that institution's SYLFF endowment and administering its SYLFF Fellowship programs. Recipients of SYLFF Fellowships are referred to as SYLFF fellows and remain so for life.

 Surrounding the scheme's core is an evolving array of follow-up programs and activities that are designed to promote networking and collaboration among the more than 9,000 SYLFF fellows and SYLFF-endowed institutions throughout the world (see page 11).

 Responsibility for the administration, development, and implementation of the SYLFF Program is borne by The Tokyo Foundation's Scholarship Division, which is guided by a six-member International Advisory Committee (see page 30).

　

 Since the program's inception 20 years ago, the concept and implementation of an institution-based, fellowship-focused, worldwide endowment scheme has otherwise been rare. And this program is particularly unusual because each receiving institution invests and manages their respective SYLFF endowments according to the foundation's guidelines. The SYLFF endowment is a permanent fund that assures a source of fellow-ships in perpetuity.

 The SYLFF Program is also considered to be a bold initiative because the endowed institutions decide on the academic disciplines or themes-within the social sciences, humanities and performing arts-of their respective SYLFF Fellowship programs. Examples of theme-based fellowship programs include "Pluralisms, Conflict Resolution and Democratic Governance" (Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia) and "Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Socio-economic, Political and Cultural Dimensions of Human Development" (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India).

 In addition, SYLFF-endowed universities are charged with the responsibility of selecting not only the "best and brightest" students pursuing master's and doctoral degrees, and those whose study and research are related to the objective(s) and scope of the individual university's fellowship programs, but, equally important, identifying individuals who have leadership potential and a commitment to improving the human condition through their professional and personal lives. Moreover, these selected universities are accountable for functioning in equitable and transparent ways.

 The SYLFF Program is also a bold initiative because it brings together young people and institutions of higher learning in countries that dominate scholarship and communications and those that do not. In other words, the SYLFF network reflects the complexities of the world knowledge system-complexities that reflect interplay between East and West, North and South; between industrialized, emerging, and nonindustrialized nations; and between nations at varying levels of political and economic stability.

 Another important aspect of this initiative is the active engagement of SYLFF fellows in reviewing existing follow-up programs and proposing new initiatives that help fulfill the vision and mission of the SYLFF Program (see page 5). Beginning in 2003, elected SYLFF fellows organized themselves, first as the Provisional SYLFF Fellows Council and then, beginning in 2005, as the SYLFF Fellows Council. This nine-member council also plays an important role in working with the 24 institution-based associations of SYLFF fellows (see pages 14-15). In less than four years, the council and local associations have demonstrated the strengths and benefits of engaging fellows in a participatory approach to network-building and collaboration.

 SYLFF Fellowship and follow-up programs are also reviewed and assessed at biennial meetings of SYLFF Program administrators (the rectors, vice presidents, deans, and program directors who serve as members and chairpersons of SYLFF management and steering committees), who also share their expertise and views in regard to local, national, regional, and global trends and issues in higher education and the relevance there-of for the SYLFF Program.

　

 First, SYLFF-endowed institutions continually review and assess their respective fellowship programs and their promotion of follow-up programs and activities. Also, there are mechanisms that enable SYLFF management and steering committees to present proposals to revise the scope of their fellowship programs so as to better meet student and institutional needs and priorities.

 Second, through the local associations and SYLFF Fellows Council, SYLFF fellows are actively involved in a range of activities relating to their academic and professional pursuits and to their commitment to enhancing local, national, regional, and global communities. The manifestations of their ideas include scholarly seminars and conferences, workshops involving the stakeholders in fellows' research, charity concerts to raise funds for the disadvantaged, working with local communities regarding waste management, and providing recreation for leprosy patients.

 Third, SYLFF institutions identify mutual interests, plan joint programs and projects, obtain funding from external sources, and implement multi-institutional, transnational education and research initiatives. As a result, the SYLFF network of institutions is increasingly serving as a springboard for a growing number of initiatives, including exchanges of students and faculty, development of courses and curricula, and implementation of joint- and dual-degree programs.

　

　

 Last, since 1994, SYLFF follow-up programs have been developed, implemented, assessed, and redesigned to meet the needs and priorities of SYLFF fellows and institutions (see the Chronology of the SYLFF Program, pages 26-27). At present, SYLFF follow-up support for SYLFF fellows is provided in three categories:

　

 The fundamental challenge is to sustain the development of the program in order to fulfill the SYLFF vision and mission. For SYLFF fellows this means "...exercising [their] leadership in local, national, regional and international affairs, in public as well as in private endeavors" throughout their lives and thereby "...contribute to peace and the well-being of humankind". SYLFF fellows are typically kept busy by a full schedule of scholarly, professional and personal pursuits. However, creating knowledge and expertise, engaging and mobilizing people, and affecting positive change for the common good are, no doubt, attributes of both SYLFF and individual pursuits.

 Moreover, to create knowledge and expertise is no longer a matter of only local or national concern; it can be an international endeavor. SYLFF fellows have the opportunity to become active players in global connectivities that characterize outstanding scholarship and innovation. Therefore, one challenge facing SYLFF fellows is whether they will not only access, but will contribute to, the global SYLFF network.

 The engagement and mobilization of people is one crucial facet of leadership. Accordingly, graduate students are selected as SYLFF fellows in part because they have leadership potential. Thus, another challenge is whether SYLFF fellows will, in fact, actualize and continually hone their potential leadership skills.

 Of course, contributing to positive change for the common good is more often easier said than done. Accordingly, a third challenge facing SYLFF fellows is to take time from their busy lives to remember and to act upon Ryoichi Sasakawa's vision of working together to make the world a better place for all.

 There is every reason to be hopeful. SYLFF fellows are indeed contributing to the betterment of society through their professional and personal endeavors. Moreover, they are actively involved in meeting current and future challenges through their participation in SYLFF-institution-based associations, the SYLFF Fellows Council, regional forums, and a variety of programs and activities. Their actions demonstrate that the potential of the SYLFF network is grounded in the wealth of diversity of SYLFF fellows and their strong commitment to leading and participating in positive change for the benefit of all humankind.