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Dr. Kenjiro Yamada, an international leader in church-related education, will be the keynote speaker at Martin Methodist College’s annual International Convocation.  His address, “Ken Yamada: A Personal Testimony,” will be presented at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 23^rd in the Curry Christian Life Center.

Dr. Yamada will also speak in the President’s Public Lecture Series at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, October 22^nd in the Gault Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.  This presentation, “Intercultural Communication and Understanding: Myth and Reality,” will be followed by a panel discussion.  Joining Dr. Yamada on the panel will be Paul Shew, a UMC Missionary and Chaplain at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo; Robert Terhune, an educator and UMC Missionary to Japan; and Hazel Terhune, an educator and UMC Missionary to Japan.

A life-long educator, Ken Yamada earned a B. A. in English and American Literature from Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan before coming to the United States to earn a Master’s in Library Science, an Ed. S. in Educational Technology, and a Ph. D. in Higher Education Administration from George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, Tennessee.  Much of Dr. Yamada’s professional career was spent at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church where he served as Director of Research and Development, Assistant General Secretary, Associate General Secretary, and, from 2005 until his retirement in June of 2012, as Special Assistant to the General Secretary.  In his distinguished career, Dr. Yamada also served as Secretary of the University Senate for the United Methodist Church, as well as playing key leadership roles in developing international programs and funds, Africa University, and the International Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU).

Dr. Yamada’s many contributions to international education have been recognized by organizations and institutions worldwide.  He holds several honorary doctorates from universities in the United States and Japan, as well as being recognized with outstanding educator and leadership awards from colleges and universities around the globe.  In 2006, Dr. Yamada was recognized as an “Outstanding Educator” by the Council of Independent Colleges in Washington, D. C.  In 2011, the National Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities of the United Methodist Church (NASCUMC) and IAMSCU established the “Ken Yamada Outstanding Leadership Award” in Dr. Yamada’s honor.

The full schedule for Dr. Yamada’s visit includes lectures in individual classes, a luncheon with the Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Leadership staff and students, and an evening reception at the home of the President.