Currently, Vuylsteke is fulfilling his personal mission “to be a catalyst for other people’s success,” as the president of the East-West Center, located in Honolulu. “Today our need for people with multicultural knowledge, understanding, sensitivities and practical implementing skills is just as important as ever,” said Vuylsteke, whose East-West Center promotes international relations and collaboration between the United States, Asia and the Pacific.

“I’ve been sold on the importance of multicultural education, which was strongly reinforced by IC professors Dr. Malcolm Stewart, Dr. Iver Yeager and five visiting Fulbright professors from Asia. They came from Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, India and Burma. That was remarkable exposure in the Midwest in the early 1960s,” said Vuylsteke, who has worked in seven sectors of business and has taught in five different disciplines at the university level.

He remembers his undergraduate experience as demanding, helping prepare him to meet the rigors of future professional endeavors. Vuylsteke’s first opportunity to live abroad came immediately after graduating from IC, with a Fulbright Scholarship to India. He said that IC prepared him for the life-changing opportunity, which included visits to Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan and Hawaii, solidifying his passion for working in Asia.

He was an East-West Center grantee in the 1970s, earning M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, specializing in Western and Chinese political philosophy. He has taught courses at the University of Hawaii and Chaminade University in Asian history and social, political and legal philosophy. Vuylsteke has served as president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, president of the American Chamber in Taipei, editor-in-chief of the Taiwan Review, and area studies coordinator for the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Institute in Taipei.

Throughout his time living abroad, Vuylsteke’s ties to the Hilltop have remained strong with yearly visits to his alma mater. “My three sons were able to meet many of the professors I had known ... I owe a great debt to so many of the faculty and staff at the College who made my undergraduate experience so memorable,” he said.

Fellow IC alumnus Frank Bridgewater ’72 has also found success working in Hawaii as the vice president and editor of The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The advertiser is Hawaii’s largest news gathering organization.

Terry Woody ’65 is another alumnus to maintain his connection to IC while living in Hawaii. Like Vuylsteke, he found the guidance provided by his IC professors to be valuable throughout his career as an educator.

Woody recently retired after 31 years at Punahou School, 11 as an administrator, one of the largest private independent schools in the US. Punahou has 3,700 students from kindergarten through high school. He recalls vivid memories of his friendships and the relationships he developed as a student and said that leadership and passion were the two most valuable skills he gained at IC, helping him to be an effective educator. In Hawaii, Woody also connected with another IC graduate, Dan Tuttle ’45, a fellow educator at Punahou school, who became a friend and valued colleague.

With more opportunities to explore the globe for current students, our alumni are more often settling in places that suit their interests and career aspirations throughout the world.