Building Global Citizens
Chapman University has a long history of attracting highly qualified international scholars as faculty members and students. It also strives to provide a broad range of opportunities that allow the Chapman community to study and teach abroad, nurturing an individual's passion to transform lives around the world in the process. The following profiles showcase some of Chapman's finest global citizens — from professors to alumni to a soldier serving in Iraq — and their truly captivating and inspiring stories.
 Africa: Investing in People
Alumna Kim Wyatt '02 gave up a dream career in Hollywood to dedicate her life to helping others, including those in a small Namibian town.
By Mary Plummer '07
When Chapman graduate student Kim Wyatt '02 returned from her first trip to Africa, her Hollywood lifestyle had lost its charm. As she pulled into work at Telepictures in Burbank, Calif., her high-paying job as an executive assistant loomed before her.
Her mind kept wandering back to the small town of Rehoboth in Namibia where she had just returned from helping the poverty-stricken, AIDS-infected population. She remembered the dirt roads and the peace and kindness of the people. The contrasting worlds were too much to bear. "Three days earlier I'd been in a place where people were running after our car because they thought they might get a ladle of soup," she said. "Pulling into a place that exudes self-righteousness, the dichotomy was just too much."
Instantly, Wyatt knew she would have to quit her job, veer away from the life she had planned and dedicate her time to her new passion — helping the people of Rehoboth.
Less than a year later, the 26-year-old is now in the process of planning her third trip to Rehoboth.
Wyatt believes in the power of change and is taking action. She has ditched her former career in TV production and is currently pursuing her teaching credential at Chapman. She also volunteers as a co-leader of African ministries through Rock Harbor, her Christian church in Costa Mesa, Calif. "I love the idea of investing in people," she said. "It takes very little to see a lot come back."
An African Epiphany
Wyatt, who grew up in Denver, graduated from Chapman with a bachelor's degree in film and television in 2002. During her undergraduate studies, she spent a semester in Greece and time working on Chapman's student-run talk show Nightcap as its first female host.
After graduating, Wyatt, who married her husband, Anthony, in 2002, was quick to find success in the highly competitive entertainment industry. She began as an associate producer for The Jerry Springer Show and then went on to work as a production associate for the film The Bachelor. In August 2004, she began her job with Telepictures, where she assisted with production of 11 different prime-time shows.
But everything changed for Wyatt in 2005 when she signed up through her church to go to Africa. The visit altered her life. "It's like seeing clearly for the first time," she said. "It was the most beautifully heartbreaking experience that I've ever had in my life."
Through working with the children in Rehoboth, many of whom can't afford the uniforms required to attend school, Wyatt experienced a transformation. "You just realize how much you have to give," she said. "Africa broke me, it just strips you of everything you are and you start to see yourself at your core."
Chapman President James L. Doti has supported Wyatt throughout her time at the university. He complimented Wyatt and her great ideas. "She seemed to have an epiphany when she had her African experience," he said. "Rarely have I met someone who got so excited about the good work that one can do when they volunteer."
Wyatt returned to Rehoboth for two weeks last November. She says each trip brings her closer to the community there and makes it more difficult to come back to Orange County. "You realize what a privilege our life is," said Wyatt. During the visits, the Rock Harbor team spends time every day focusing on three main ministries:
- The Ark is an orphanage that is home to about 40 children who have all lost a parent to AIDS — many also have AIDS themselves. Wyatt and her team spend time with the children and give them supplies that they’ve brought from America such as shoes, toys and books.
- Choose to Wait is an abstinence education program that takes a brutally honest approach to teaching kids about sex and the risks of sexually transmitted diseases. When she was there in November, 500 children pledged to abstain from sex until marriage.
- The Care and Compassion program visits Blok E, a poor neighborhood that houses many people who are HIV-positive. Team members deliver food and supplies to the people and spend time giving them support and praying with them.
Thinking Big
While Wyatt's feats abroad exemplify her strength of character, she's quick to point out that she gains more from the experience than she gives, and that her co-leaders at Rock Harbor are the ones who enable her to be so successful. "I couldn’t do any of this without them," she said. "My co-leaders are my best friends and my family."
The team has taken the desperation it has witnessed in Rehoboth and pushed forward into action. A better future comes by way of hope. "We think big," she said. "In my heart I know that there's a possibility for that place to be rid of AIDS."
Back in Orange County, Wyatt will complete her teaching credential program and then teach either high school English or elementary school. She hopes to spend her summers in Africa.
Wyatt also has big plans for Rehoboth. During her recent summer trip, which left California in late June, Wyatt expected to continue working with the three ministries and help with building projects. Wyatt is trying to help create more of a vision for the town and would like to find ways to generate more jobs. She is advocating for lasting solutions in Rehoboth and sees success there as something that will have a global impact. For Wyatt, this future is more than a possibility. She believes in a better way of life and is determined to make it a reality.
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 Czech Republic: Czech Mate
Dr. Dehning recounts his experience as a Fulbright Scholar sent to teach and learn in the Czech Republic.
By Dr. Bruce Dehning
I think many Americans are surprised when they visit the Czech Republic, and by Prague in particular. In many ways, Prague is ahead of America and Western Europe. Given that there was almost nothing new there 15 years ago, and everything has been built since then, most of the things such as shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, banks, etc., are better than the equivalent we have in the United States. Plus, the old part of the city has avoided being destroyed by war for 500 years, so you have one of the best-preserved old European cities with all of the amenities of Western Europe.
The Prague Connection
So what does it take to move your family to a country a third of the way around the world? I found that a lot of advance scouting helped, as did having three members of my family (my wife, Katerina, and my two daughters) speak the language. Everyone in my immediate family speaks Czech except me, which is one reason I decided to move to the Czech Republic.
Actually, I thought the trip would be a great experience for the entire family. While my older daughter is fluent in Czech and converses comfortably, at that time, my younger daughter understood Czech but preferred to reply in English. I knew six months in a Czech school would make her truly bilingual. This visit also would be a chance for all of us to better understand our family's heritage, as my wife's family still lives in the Czech Republic.
When I received word that I had been named a Fulbright Scholar to teach in the Czech Republic, the logistics hit me like a brick. Fortunately, our neighbors, friends and relatives pitched in and helped take care of things when we were gone. On the Czech side, we had Katerina's family to help us find an apartment to rent and a car to buy. And while we had a few hiccups along the way, overall I don't think we could have imagined such an easy transition.
Sharing Experiences
We returned home in July 2005 after spending seven months in the Czech Republic. The experience was better than we had anticipated. I did not learn to speak Czech, but I connected with the people and students in other ways beyond my wildest dreams. Now I am trying to take advantage of what I learned and share my experience. First, I proposed a change to the Argyros School of Business and Economics graduation requirements. The faculty agreed with my proposal, and now all students must have an international experience to graduate. Ideally, it would be a semester studying abroad or taking an international travel course, but for practical reasons we will also allow students to take an international-themed business course to meet the requirement.
I am also trying to set up exchanges between the faculty members at Chapman and at Tomas Bata University (TBU), where I taught in Zlin. This past May, one of my colleagues from TBU came to Chapman to work on a research project we started when I was there. We have received a European Union (EU) grant to develop a framework for measuring the performance of industry clusters. And Dr. Jack Broughton, associate professor of finance at Chapman, and I will be traveling to Zlin this October to work on the project. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a long-term collaboration between TBU and Chapman faculty.
We are also planning two additional visits from my colleagues in Prague. Dr. Alan Krautstengl, president of the Anglo-American College, will be teaching an interterm course for Chapman next year, and Dr. Karel Havlícek, director for marketing and sales strategy for the Sindat Group and a lecturer at the Institute of Finance and Administration, will be visiting next semester as a guest lecturer in several of our graduate and undergraduate courses.
As a result of my Fulbright experience, 22 Chapman students traveled this summer with Dr. Broughton and me for a three-week course to study international finance in Zlin and Prague. The students spent one week in class with TBU students, visited numerous Czech companies and the Prague Stock Exchange, and participated in social outings with their Czech counterparts.
Because I was alone in Zlin for three days each week when I was teaching there, I relied on the TBU students to keep me busy. We played basketball together on Monday nights; every Tuesday I met with a group of my students for dinner; and in my free time we socialized, went bowling, attended concerts, and went go-cart racing. I ended up connecting with the Czech students more than I ever have with my students in the United States, and that convinced me to make some changes when I got back. Now, I play basketball with Chapman students a few times a week, and I will be teaching a Freshman Foundations Course in the fall. I hope teaching the course will allow me to spend more time outside of class getting to know my students. In addition, an optional part of the course will be a 10-day trip to Prague in January 2007.
Dr. Bruce Dehning is an associate professor of accounting at Chapman's Argyros School of Business and Economics.
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India: A World of Opportunity
 Chapman has helped Shalani Lusk '07 pursue her dreams of volunteering around the world.
By Matt Miller '98
Shalani Lusk '07 is proof that Chapman's reputation for offering students unlimited opportunities isn't just talk. After listening to Dr. Ron Steiner, associate professor of political science and director of legal studies, speak about what former Chapman students had accomplished around the world, Lusk wasted no time securing an internship in India. She soon found herself spending the summer of 2005 living with her grandmother and interning at a nonprofit women's rights organization in Mumbai called Majlis, which provides free legal representation to women in the Indian court system.
Lusk said she came away with a heavy heart from her experience in India. "It makes me sad to know that women in India are suffering and I am incapable of stopping it," she said. "That feeling of helplessness drives me, as does the knowledge that women in every country, including our own, face discrimination and hardship simply on the basis of their sex. And I hope that someday I'll be able to be part of the efforts to change that."
After her summer in India, Lusk returned to Chapman and helped found the Women of Wilkinson (WOW), a co-ed group affiliated with Chapman's Wilkinson College of Letters and Sciences, which is dedicated to the advancement of women both locally and globally. Lusk currently serves as secretary for the group. She has also managed to volunteer with organizations such as the Rosa Parks Sexual Assault Crisis Center in South Central L.A. Lusk even helped organize the first annual Civil Rights Teach-In during King Week. She worked with the Martin Luther King Legacy Association's (MLKLA) Institute for Financial Literacy, developing curriculum to teach low-income families about financial management and homeownership. For her contributions, Lusk was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award by the MLKLA and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. "I've learned that, as Dr. Albert Schweitzer suggests, there are a range of places where we can invest our humanity; it only takes a bit of self-reflection and external searching to find something that you can devote yourself to," she said.
Lusk has also garnered attention for her research on wife-death cases in the Indian court system, which she has presented at two academic conferences. This came about during her internship in India, where she spent her free time going through divorce and matrimonial case books and started noticing a disturbing pattern: The majority of cases being held before India's family courts dealt with wife-death, where there was evidence that the wife could have been murdered. According to Lusk, "As I started tallying up these cases of wife-death, I noticed that one judge in particular was hearing a number of cases and had not issued a single conviction in a wife-death case. The cases blatantly involved foul play, but the judge's reasons for not convicting accused husbands, despite the seemingly infallible evidence against them, infuriated me." Lusk is now expanding her research to include analysis on other Indian judges who appear to be giving unjust favor to accused husbands.
Lusk interned in Washington, D.C., earlier this year with the International Crisis Group (ICG), where she helped with media relations, as well as conducted research on the nuclear situation in Iran and analyzed possible solutions beyond military ones with renowned analyst Karim Sadjadpour. She is currently working with Capitol Pacific Holdings in Newport Beach, Calif., as an assistant political coordinator, helping arrange events with various political leaders. When she graduates from Chapman next year with her bachelor's in legal studies and political science with an emphasis in international relations, Lusk plans to take a year off to work full time before going to law school. She eventually hopes to go into human rights law, where she can continue to work on behalf of women.
Over the years Lusk, a 2005 Truman Scholar nominee and a recent recipient of Chapman's prestigious Schweitzer Scholarship in Service award, has not only traveled abroad to India, but has spent time in China, Japan, Europe and Mexico. "Learning about other cultures is critical to just about every occupation in today’s global marketplace," said Lusk. "Studying abroad is exciting, and enriches your life and expands your thinking in ways that you would have never thought possible."
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 China: The Power of Communication
Chapman professor is dedicated to bridging the gap between the American and Chinese cultures.
By Dr. Wenshan Jia
I was born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where pandas call home, and on the tri-province border shared by Shaanxi, Sichuan and Hubei—parts of China’s heartland. Being on the border of the three provinces meant that I was exposed to three local cultures: the Qin, the Shu and the Chu, which were separate cultures and states during the Warring States period more than 2,200 years ago. This experience of being on the border also sowed the seeds for my subsequently maturing intercultural views.
Thanks to the handshake between President Nixon and then-Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in the early 1970s, which shook off the "bamboo curtain" between the United States and China, and the agreement between President Carter and the late Chinese Communist leader Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s, which waved goodbye to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, I had my first chance to learn and later teach English in my old high school.
While in college as an English major in Xi'an, China, during the 1980s, I would listen to an officially banned tape of presidential debates between George Bush Sr. and Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, as well as an officially banned tape consisting of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, a recitation of Walt Whitman's poem "Oh Captain! My Captain!" and the Bible. I even learned to write my own public speech in English and delivered it to a large audience in an English speech contest, where I won the Best Speaker Award.
Drawn by the dynamism and rigor of the American culture and society, and a strong curiosity to learn more about it on a deeper level, I came to the United States for a more advanced education in the early 1990s. And 14 years of living, studying and teaching in the states since then have instilled in me a profound level of appreciation for the American value system, the richness of American diversity, the importance of inclusion and the value of global consciousness in this emerging international society.
I have especially learned to appreciate the value of entrepreneurship in higher education since being at Chapman. During my one-and-half-decade stay in the states, I have also been awakened to my rich cultural heritage, the significance of recovering it from the past destruction from both home and abroad, the importance of preserving it, and the significance of making it understood and integrated internationally for a more peaceful world. As an important part of my profession, I teach, write and study about Chinese for Americans; I also teach, write, and study about Americans for Chinese. I believe that the tens of thousands of Boeing planes that cross the Pacific Ocean every week for business and leisure have been bridging the gap between the two cultures, and the intercultural Bering Strait continues to narrow inch by inch due to the growing power of communication.
Drawn by Chapman University's mission statement and inspired by the Chapman Plan — which was created by the visionary Board of Trustees, the administration, a group of my colleagues, a great staff, and, last but not least, a highly motivated student body—I have been tirelessly working for global education at Chapman in all areas of my work-teaching, research and services in collaboration with growing support from the community. With the sustained execution of the Chapman Plan by the new administration, I am optimistic that the university will soar to another level of prominence in terms of ethical, personalized and global citizenship education of distinction in the universal forest of higher education institutions.
Dr. Wenshan Jia is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies. He was also recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Chinese Professors of Social Sciences in the United States.
Watch an interview of Dr. Jia on CCTV International's "Face and Philosophy in Chinese Culture."
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 United Arab Emirates: Building Up Dubai
Dina Al Jaflah '00 has been on a fast track to success since graduating from Chapman, now managing one of the biggest development projects in the Middle East.
By Aaron Humphrey '05
Chapman University has grown considerably since the last time Dina Al Jaflah '00 was on campus — adding a library, interfaith center, music building, parking structures, residence halls, film studios and more — but it doesn't seem to faze the environmental science/French graduate, who is now the general manager for a development project in Dubai, the fastest-growing city in the world. When it's finished, Al Jaflah's project, Jumeirah Golf Estates, will consist of about 6,000 luxury villas nestled among four world-class, eco-friendly golf courses designed by the likes of Greg Norman and Vijay Singh. It's expected to cost about $5 billion, and is being built in the middle of what is now only desert.
That's the sort of growth common in Dubai, the most populous territory in the United Arab Emirates, which is quickly becoming a major tourist destination and center of industry. It's been estimated that nearly a third of the world's cranes are currently at work in Dubai, where laborers are toiling away 24 hours a day, seven days a week to build dozens of high-profile projects, such as man-made island resorts; the world's tallest building, Burj Tower; more than 700 skyscrapers; and the world’s largest theme/amusement park, Dubailand, which will be twice the size of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. "It's different every few months in Dubai," said Al Jaflah. "You have new roads, new buildings, a different skyline every time you pass by."
After Chapman, Al Jaflah earned a graduate degree in environmental studies from Cal State Fullerton, then returned to her native Dubai, where she was put in charge of environmental health and safety for the Dubai ports. She soon found herself being hand-selected to head up the Jumeirah Golf Estates project, and is currently one of the few women in Dubai to occupy such a position. "My project is definitely one of the biggest projects going on inland in the region," she said. "I don’t think there’s anywhere in the Middle East where they have a single development with four golf courses."
Al Jaflah feels that Chapman is just as unique, and has "a different style of education compared to other universities in the U.S." She appreciates its diversity and how its focus on personalized education makes it easy for foreign students to feel welcome and supported. "I went to one other university before coming to Chapman and that's where the culture shock really hit me," she said. There were more than 300 students per classroom, which was overwhelming for the UAE native who was used to having five students per classroom at her high school in Dubai.
But according to Al Jaflah, once she found Chapman, she felt right at home. "The professors were friendly and understanding, and the international office was very welcoming," she said. "Chapman has a classy way of dealing with things. It's not just trying to attract the maximum number of students with the minimum things that they may provide. ... Whenever I hear someone coming to study in the U.S., I always refer them to Chapman because it's a liberating experience."
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El Salvador: Emerging from the Ashes
 Dr. Jeanne Gunner overlooks the dangers of traveling to El Salvador to ensure the war-ravaged, impoverished people are not forgotten.
By Eda Obey '06
Dr. Jeanne Gunner, professor of English and comparative literature, found her Mecca on a Santa Clara University faculty immersion trip to El Salvador in 2002. Since then, she returns to El Salvador at least once a year to study and document how the people educate themselves in a country that is still suffering from a scarred past and crushing poverty. Dr. Gunner describes her need as an unending passion to understand these people and their sophisticated grasp on world politics.
El Salvador, the smallest nation in Central America, is almost as large as Massachusetts, has a population of 6.3 million, an average per-capita income of $2,050, and its 2005 reported murder rate was at 15 people per day. Nearly 17 percent, or $2.8 billion, of El Salvador's gross domestic product depends on remittance from Salvadorans living in the United States. The 2000 U.S. Census found that out of the 4 million Hispanics who live in Los Angeles County, 655,000 are El Salvadorans; their temporary protected status has been extended to September 2007 by the federal government.
Dr. Gunner has met with many grassroots groups that have emerged from the ashes of a 12-year civil war that has cost the country 75,000 lives. The U.S. sent millions of dollars to El Salvador's government in support, including $570 million in 1985 as military aid during the civil war.
When she goes to El Salvador, Dr. Gunner listens to stories from groups like the Co-Madres, illiterate, impoverished women who call for an accounting of the deaths during the war and represent their "disappeared" family members — those citizens who were murdered by the military and death squads during the civil war. "They thank you for not forgetting them and coming to hear their stories," she said.
Dr. Gunner also studies Christian co-op communities in El Salvador that support each other through communal farming and business loans. The people see themselves as trapped in poverty and seek lessons to be learned from this. They use the image of people inside a whale to represent their struggle. Just like Jonah being vomited onto the beach by a whale in the Bible, these people are trapped and must pray to be released from poverty.
This summer, Dr. Gunner traveled to El Salvador where she had plans to stay at a co-op for the war-wounded with a man named Mauricio Martinez, who joined a guerrilla movement at the age of 14, losing his right arm and a decade of his life in the war. The co-op is located outside of the country's capital, San Salvador, and consists of small adobe houses. But Dr. Gunner is not worried about her safety, and Martinez has offered his hospitality. "He is extremely generous to act as our protector," she says.
According to Dr. Gunner, the greatest danger is actually from the street gangs. Last year, 60 percent of the homicides in El Salvador were linked to gang activity. Thus, she does acknowledge the risks of visiting the country, commenting, "El Salvador has no 'nice' areas."
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 Spain: Inspiration from Abroad
A former film student recounts his unforgettable experience studying abroad at the University of Granada—learning Spanish and much more.
By Aaron Humphrey '05
Studying abroad was one of the most exciting and enriching experiences of my life, yet it was nowhere on my agenda when I started college. As a film student at Chapman University, all I wanted to do was stay in California and make movies. The highlight of my week was going to class for screenings and discussions of films my classmates and I had made. But I eventually found that many of the films were either short, low-budget copies of classic films or directly inspired by "dorm life," which doesn't always make for engaging cinema. That's when it struck me that I didn't have enough life experience to create art that wasn't just inspired by other art.
Exploring Spain
I’m not sure when the desire to study abroad first took root in my brain, but it grew each time I talked to friends who had returned from some enticing corner of the globe. It soon became such a part of me, that by the beginning of my junior year, I couldn’t imagine not spending a semester overseas. I decided to study at the University of Granada in Spain because I wanted to improve my limited Spanish-language skills, and was also fascinated by the city and its history.
All of my classes were taught in Spanish, and everything I heard on the streets was like homework—allowing me to expand on and explore my understanding of the language. While I had taken five years of Spanish in the United States, I never really learned it until I was completely immersed in a Spanish-speaking country. Although all my classes focused on Spanish language and culture, the country was more than a subject to study—it became a teacher. I spent many afternoons just walking through Granada's labyrinthine streets—from the meticulous Garcia Lorca Park, named for the city's most famous poet and martyr during the civil war; up past the cathedral where Ferdinand and Isabella are buried; through the whitewashed gypsy barrio of the Albycin; all the way to the stunning Alhambra, a giant medieval fortress and palace.
While in Spain, I also pursued my favorite American pastimes, although there were significant differences. As a film student, I am used to watching foreign films with subtitles, but it's quite a different experience trying to read the Spanish translation of an English art-house film, or struggling to follow Hollywood movies like The Incredibles because they've been dubbed into Spanish. Comic books were also much more abundant, as I seemed to find a new store in my neighborhood each month. Again, the city acted as teacher and provided me with Spider-Man comics to practice my Español.
Lessons Learned
My adopted hometown wasn’t the only place I learned from. Fortunately, the study abroad program provided field trips and weekend excursions throughout Spain, as well as visits to Portugal and England. I also traveled with friends around Italy by train, took a long autumn weekend backpacking through Spanish mountain villages, and enjoyed taking in a foggy December in Dublin, Ireland, before returning home to the U.S. I saw things I previously could have only imagined— bullfights, castles and crypts, the Mediterranean at sunset, rural farming and fishing villages, the three largest cathedrals in the world, dozens of masterpiece paintings, and pubs where hoofed pig legs hang from the ceiling.
However, it wasn't all fun and sightseeing. There was a new diet and eating schedule to adjust to: lots of eggs, fish and pork; lunch at 2:30 p.m.; dinner at 10 p.m.; and yogurt for dessert every night. My host señora always made sure I had clean clothes and three meals a day, and the study abroad program directors were always willing to help with travel plans or other problems. And my new friends, both American and Spanish, made sure I never got too homesick.
Being in a strange place is never easy, but I felt like I was growing almost every day I spent in Europe. I learned more about art, history, culture, even geography than I ever expected. After getting to know fellow students from all over the United States, especially during the election season, I also learned more about my own country than I expected. Most important, I learned Spanish, something I once didn’t think was possible. I suppose, to paraphrase the Chapman mission statement, I became a true global citizen.
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Japan: Cultivating a Long-Distance Relationship
 From teaching on World Campus Afloat in the '70s to making a recent contribution to the Leatherby Libraries, Aquin Mitsuo Yamagishi has developed an ongoing global friendship with Chapman.
By Mary A. Platt
Chapman University's Leatherby Libraries has drawn support from many estimable donors, but probably none live so far away as Aquin Mitsuo Yamagishi. The Tokyo resident is a former adjunct Chapman faculty member who, in the early 1970s, taught classes on Japanese culture aboard the World Campus Afloat ship, the S.S. Ryndam, which the university then owned. He would board the ship in Honolulu and sail with it to Japan, teaching his coursework along the way. And it was during this time that he developed a love for Chapman University which has never diminished, according to Charlene Baldwin, dean of the library, who visited Mr. Yamagishi in Japan earlier this year.
The 82-year-old academic and writer recently donated a substantial sum to the Leatherby Libraries, and in appreciation, the staff named the Aquin Mitsuo Yamagishi Reading Room in his honor. Located inside the Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives on the fourth floor, the reading room is a supervised area for accessing special collections that includes tables and chairs, a computer, a printer, and a copier.
Mr. Yamagishi even sent the library some beautiful prints illustrating the Tale of Genji, written around 1000 A.D. by Lady Murasaki and considered to be the world’s first novel. These colorful illustrations are now handsomely framed and serve as serene wall décor for the reading room. In glass cases in the room are some of Mr. Yamagishi's own writings on topics of Japanese culture in which he is expert, including the making of washi, a beautiful handmade paper used in woodblock printing, origami and other crafts. He writes beautiful haiku poetry, and some of his poems are on display in the library as well. Dean Baldwin reports that Mr. Yamagishi is collaborating with Chapman English professor Dr. Kevin O'Brien on a book about haiku, to be published by Chapman University Press.
According to Dean Baldwin, Mr. Yamagishi lives a very simple, contemplative life in a far-flung corner of Tokyo. "You take the subway to the northeast, as far as you can go, and then you get out and walk another 30 minutes, and you come to his small apartment," she says. He dresses in humble clothing, eats brown rice and speaks English with a very proper British accent, having learned the language by listening to BBC News on the radio (he doesn't own a television). "He laughs at himself for sounding so British—he has a wonderful sense of humor," Dean Baldwin says.
What prompted this distinguished gentleman to support Chapman—and, in particular, the Leatherby Libraries? Mr. Yamagishi responds: "The libraries are the core and center of university education and research. And I have always been impressed with Chapman's aim to create global citizens. By studying abroad, particularly in the developing countries, American students become aware of what their own country is all about. We can all learn much from each other."
Dean Baldwin says that Mr. Yamagishi has three more projects he would like to complete in Japan: history of oil exploration in the Osaka area (his father worked in the oil industry); a history of the Ainu (the indigenous people of Japan); and some work on Sado Island, a small island west of Japan that has its own intriguing cultural background (and is well-known today as the home of Kodo, the famed Japanese drumming ensemble).
After that, she says, Mr. Yamagishi has stated that he would like to pack his books and move to California. He dreams of someday living at Chapman—perhaps in a residence hall—and being able to talk with students and professors every day for the rest of his life. To this quiet, learned man from Japan, it seems, that would be the best of all possible futures.
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 Iraq: A Soldier's Story
Technology helps Frank Bayles stay connected as an active Chapman University College student while serving in Iraq.
By Matt Miller '98
Frank Bayles is a loving husband and father of two, a soldier currently serving in Iraq, and a dedicated student taking online classes through Chapman University College's Travis campus.
Bayles discovered Chapman while stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. After talking to fellow Chapman students who liked the university and commended its psychology program, Bayles enrolled right away. But his educational plans quickly changed when he received orders that he was being sent to Iraq two weeks before the term ended. Fortunately, his professor made it possible for Bayles to complete his senior thesis project and the class while on the other side of the world—in a war zone.
Bayles is currently stationed at Camp Sather Air Base, a temporary base at Baghdad International Airport, as a Security Forces/Combat Arms Instructor. He is scheduled to return home in about two months. Once back in the states, he plans to go straight into a master's program and work his way toward becoming a psychologist. Bayles, who turns 34 in September, started his military service in 1992 when he joined the U.S. Army as a combat medic/surgical technologist. He then rejoined with the U.S. Air Force after 9/11, when he was stationed at Travis AFB. Bayles is married to Laurel Ann Bayles-Tuff and has two children, John and Hannah.
When we learned about Bayles we immediately contacted him via e-mail in Iraq and he was kind enough to answer the following questions:
CHAPMAN MAGAZINE: Tell us about your current tour of duty.
BAYLES: I am here as a U.S. Air Force Security Forces member, military police. My duties are to ensure that the military airport terminal is protected and secure. Currently, I operate a main checkpoint at Sather, while supervising six security police members. We are responsible for integrated air base defense—we are the men and women on the "walls," protecting people and assets from the insurgents and terrorists. I am also a squad leader and supervisor for the 13 members of the 104th Fighter Wing Security Forces Squadron that I came over with from Barnes ANG base in Westfield, Mass.
CHAPMAN MAGAZINE: What's the most difficult part about taking classes while in Iraq?
BAYLES: I think the most difficult part of taking classes while here is the very same thing that makes it difficult to just be here: the heat, dust and stress of war. The heat reaches 130 degrees in the summer. Dust and sand cover everything—you, your food and your equipment. I have to be very careful with my laptop and always have a "can of air." One great thing about taking classes while here is it allows me to stay connected to my life at home. College has been a full-time thing for me and it makes up the majority of my life at home. It grounds me and helps me realize that this is all temporary and I will be home again soon.
CHAPMAN MAGAZINE: How do you manage to juggle getting your class work done while being a soldier?
BAYLES: That is more difficult because back home, college students' lives revolve around studying and school — at least mine did. Here, not so much; the missions come first. It helps to be a great multitasker and able to operate effectively with minimal sleep. The other caveat is to really want to learn, no matter what. I am doing what I want to do; I am supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and I am staying true to myself and my personal goals.
CHAPMAN MAGAZINE: How do you keep yourself motivated as a student?
BAYLES: I truly think that in order to successfully make it through times of difficulty—whether being here in Iraq or back at home on the block—one must stay focused and exact to your goal. You must be steadfast in your conviction to complete the task, mission or degree if that is where your path leads. So many times, I would start and then stop. If being in the military has taught me anything, it has taught me to stay the course, even when you think you’re not going to make it. If you let doubt into your thought process, you are doomed.
CHAPMAN MAGAZINE: Any final comments?
BAYLES: I ask that everyone put their politics and religion aside, and support the troops. We are all over here for our own reasons—the same personal reasons that many are not here. The fact is that a lot of the troops don't support or believe in the policies, and that is their right as Americans, the same as it is yours. However, we do believe in freedom and liberty for all people; it is a messy road delivering these values. And the one thing that I am sure of is that Iraq needs help and the people here are very excited that we are here helping them. I have met many people here—engineers and other professionals—who are selling rugs and trinkets because the country is so unstable. They all have horrible stories of when Saddam Hussein was in control. I thought things would be clearer once I got here and I could see for myself what is happening. It is not; they need help and, right or wrong, American soldiers are dying for the rights and freedom of the Iraqi people. Please don’t blame the troops for doing their jobs. If you’re upset, write to your members of congress.
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