The History
of the Center
In early 2006, a team came together to develop a center committed to transformational global urban leadership. The team represented key people from global educational initiatives at both the undergraduate and graduate level with some level of involvement in faith-based initiatives. The team recognized the growing need for leaders from around the world to be exposed to "hands-on" leadership learning strategies for an uban and globalized context.
Jon Sharpe, in his role as Academic Dean and Professor of Global Urban Studies at Bakke Graduate University, wanted to build on the field-experience-model they had incorporated so successfully while educating international doctoral students. Casey Cerretani, an entrepreneurial technical consultant, Fred Choy, a cultural interpreter, Ward Tannenberg, an author and lecturer, and Wayne Clugston, an entrepreneurial educator (serving as a consultant to the Center) formed the initial Center Team. This team, aware of the global leadership vacuum, determined that significant international field experiences should be available to emerging and existing leaders whether or not they were enrolled in an academic program.
The Center Team also noted that educational institutions throughout the world would need to expand their educational practice to incorporate field experiences within the largest cities of the world if they hope to keep pace with the complexities of globalization.
The educational process utilized in a Learning Community for academic credit and for non-credit incorporates learning alongside experienced practitioners who are already bringing about meaningful change within their urban communities. People who care for their city are in business, education, government, media, medicine, not-for-profit, church, and other faith-based initiatives. The field experience/learning community serves as a city laboratory and participants are required to do on-site observation, review upon reflection, and finally application to their primary work context. CGUL definesTransformational leadership as leadership bringing radical positive change to people, places, and systems. In 2006, Sharpe co-authored a book, Street Signs: A new look at urban ministry, with Raymond J. Bakke, where signs of hope within urban areas became the primary milepost for examining transforming change within a city. The book is autobiographical as both authors traveled from rural to urban involvement.
In January 2007, the Center was launched to connect and cultivate leaders who will bring positive change to the cities of the world, using the Learning Community model with a built-in global field experience as the primary tool to strengthen leaders. Now, the Center provides Learning Communities for Mid-Career and Post Career people, business, education, faith-based organizations, affinity groups.
