On March 24, a celebration was held at the Presidio in San Francisco to celebrate the creation of the Glen S. and Sakie T. Fukushima Visiting Faculty Fellowship.
Thanks to the historic pledge of $3 million by the Fukushimas, the endowed fellowship will bring world-class faculty to Deep Springs and will enhance the college’s mission of preparing students for a life of service to humanity.
Glen Fukushima attended Deep Springs College (DS’67) before transferring to Stanford University for his A.B. He later attended Harvard University and earned his A.M. in regional studies-East Asia along with a J.D. at the Harvard Law School, plus completed coursework for a Ph.D. in political sociology.
The first fellowship appointment will happen in the 2024-25 academic year. Going forward, the fellowship will help attract first-rate academic minds to Deep Springs College in order to benefit the professional careers of visiting faculty and to enrich educational opportunities for students.
The fellowship appointments will be flexible, lasting from a few weeks up to an entire academic year, and will demonstrate the college’s ongoing dedication to attracting new and diverse academic voices to the valley.
Fukushima hopes the fellowship will “bring world-class educators and thinkers to Deep Springs who will educate, stimulate, and inspire students to serve the global community, at a time when innovative solutions are imperative to solve fundamental problems facing humanity and the environment.”
The venue for the celebration, the Presidio golf clubhouse, was elegant and had a personal connection for Fukushima since he lived on the Presidio Army base briefly as a child. The weather was gorgeous. Turnout was strong — the large room was filled with alums and parents from the Bay Area and beyond. Many current and former trustees attended, along with parents and friends of the college.
Deep Springs College President Andy Zink gave a warm introduction and then read a detailed and heartfelt tribute to Fukushima from Shintaro Yamaguchi, a student who came to Deep Springs from Tokyo in the 1990s due in no small part to encouragement from Fukushima.
Former Trustee Eric Swanson (DS’65) spoke with great sincerity about his time at Deep Springs with Fukushima and the importance of his gift to the college.
Former President Sue Darlington gave a speech about working with Fukushima to develop their shared vision of a more open, inclusive, and engaged Deep Springs.
Trustee Jeff Cowie followed with a barnburner about the critical importance of the Deep Springs mission at this blinkered moment in higher education and our culture at large.
Fukushima finished the program with reflections on the fellowship, and reiterated his $3 million commitment to Deep Springs. He also shared several themes that he hopes the student body and the college will take into consideration when awarding the fellowship. He requested that Deep Springs increase its efforts to put students, alums, and friends in touch with each other, noting the benefits to the college and its larger community.
The goodwill and friendship present at the gathering was evident, as a large portion of the attendees stuck around and schmoozed until the staff finally closed up the space.
Founded in 1917 by L.L. Nunn, a pioneering industrialist, Deep Springs College strives to prepare young adults for a life of service by exposing them to a challenging environment of intellect, work, and governance. This comprises a rigorous academic curriculum coupled with an intensive labor program on a remote cattle ranch.
The students actively participate in important decisions about how the college operates including admissions, faculty hiring, and seating the Board of Trustees. Each year, the college enrolls 13 students and all are provided full tuition, room, and board.
Glen S. Fukushima is vice chair-man of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation and senior Fellow of the Center for American Progress. He served as the deputy assistant U.S. trade representative for Japan and China and as president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan as well as a senior executive in European and American companies.
Sakie T. Fukushima earned her A.B. at Seisen College, Ed.M. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and M.B.A. at the Stan-ford Graduate School of Business. She was a consultant at Bain and Company, partner at Korn/Ferry International, CEO of Korn/Ferry Japan, and has served on the board of more than a dozen American and Japanese companies.