Gerald Fry, a professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, gave an invited presentation on November 16 to a special webinar hosted by the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest university in the Philippines. Fry presented “Learning from the Indigenous and Non-Western Worlds: A New Theory H of Leadership for Educational Excellence and Human Well-Being.”

Fry discussed a new education paradigm of theory H leadership, which emphasizes holistic education for health, happiness, and harmony in the complex context of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). Fry’s presentation elaborated on this new paradigm of education and development and its implications for teacher training and innovation.

Fry drew heavily on a new book of his, Happiness Education: Holistic Learning for Sustainable Well-Being (Routledge), co-edited with Haelim Chun, a Comparative and International

Development Education alumna. The book emphasizes learning from the wisdom of antiquity and from the Indigenous and non-Western worlds. Another theme emphasized is that multilingual and intercultural competencies matter in this increasingly globalized and multicultural world. The publication, the first-ever book titled happiness education in English, will be officially launched next June in Bhutan.

Earlier this year, Fry did the keynote address, “Theory H: Call for a New Leadership Paradigm for the VUCA World,” at the 2022 APEC Education Conference. APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) is an international forum comprised of 21 major economies of the region, such as the U.S., Korea, China, Mexico, and Chile. Fry also served as the North American representative at the conference.