Graphic by Mariko Kuroda/The Gazelle

It follows us from the very first application essay to the last graduation speech. The concept of a future global leader has become a widespread, generic presence at NYU Abu Dhabi, rivaled only by the notorious buzzword, cosmopolitanism. The global leader figure has even made an appearance in promotional material about the NYU university network. According to one brochure:

"The next generation of leaders has a global outlook, a dedication to the creation of new knowledge and an understanding that innovation is key to success. These are the students from every corner of the globe who have chosen NYU Abu Dhabi."

Still, being exposed to a concept and understanding what is actually means are two different things. To demystify the uncertainties of global leadership, we approached one of the driving forces behind NYUAD’s initial vision and the logical first step in any attempt at a definition: John Sexton.

“Our mission as a university is to prepare our students to be thoughtful, involved, effective citizens; in their lives, many of the most pressing problems will be transnational in nature,” explained Sexton. “NYUAD students, part of one of the most diverse and engaged student bodies in history, will be the leaders who can collaborate across cultural divides and address the complexities of different societies — skills that are more critical than ever to the happiness, safety and prosperity of us all.”

Mutual understanding and an openness to collaborate with people seemingly very different from us can lead global leaders to change the world. This skill is above all a personal one, not strictly tied to academics. Still, it somehow remains a present expectation in NYUAD’s curriculum and student life.

Though the concept of the future global leader may be interpreted in many different ways, it can still fall easily into a strict set of expectations.

As Associate Professor of Literature Deborah Williams noticed, there is an “easy tendency to believe that a global leader should be a corporate giant or a politician.”

Yet for Williams, global leadership can also come through small but meaningful acts of change.

“It’s coming back to your high school and teaching students that they can be novels and still change the world, for example,” she said.

Associate Professor of Social Research and Public Policy Allen Li echoed Williams’ sentiment.

“I don’t think there is any objective standard about what comes as leadership,” he said.

For Li, university professors who work with future global leaders can “help [students] develop critical thinking skills, so [they] are not a copy of other people’s ideas”.

Yet students at NYUAD might still follow a stricter, more narrowly defined interpretation of success; for some, the looming presence of global leadership can create pressure for both the individual and the student body as a whole.

In one post on the NYUAD Confessions Facebook page, an anonymous student wrote:

“The school expects so much of us, and expects us to become global leaders and do great things even in our undergrad education. Some people can’t handle that kind of pressure.”

Other students do not seem overwhelmed by the standard notion of global leadership and do not believe it creates a negative impact on the community.

Sophomore Nikolaj Ramsdal believes that future global leadership creates pressure only for those who choose to interpret it as “going to the UN or the governance of their home countries.”

“Global leadership is keeping up the peculiar interests that got us here and building on them,” he added. “We carve out our individual square of global leadership and that, I think, is a promise anyone can deliver on.”

Student Government President Farah Shammout was able to translate the concept in professional terms.

“[It’s] the reason why we study abroad, why we get internships all around the world and why we participate in conferences throughout the year,” she said. Though she acknowledges that there are pressures students may feel, she maintained that these do not prevent anyone from achieving their own idea of future success.

Incoming freshman Jakub Bartoszewski spoke about his understanding of global leadership prior to coming to NYUAD.

“The phrase global leadership initially seemed … invented for the promotional purposes of the university,” said Bartoszewski. However, his interactions with ambitious individuals from all over the world during his Candidate Weekend made him realize there was potential to accomplish “big things achieved through networking and cooperation on a global scale.”

Many students know that the prospect of future global leadership can push one to strive for great things, while also adding extra difficulties and pressures along the way. Yet perhaps students do not need to worry about how to become global leaders, as according to Khaled Jamal, a Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Scholars Program graduate, NYUAD is already there:

“When you’re coming from … anywhere in the world and you’re coming here, interacting with the people here, and you’re learning,” he said. “This is the very foundation of what a global leader is,” he said.

As students progress in their plans, Professor Williams advises against expecting to fulfil grand ambitions immediately.

“Perfect became the enemy of the good. It’s good to have big ambitions, big dreams, but if you follow that blindly you will give up when confronted with the first big obstacle,” she said. “For that reason, I believe that future global leadership starts small. Having a big platform is great, but is not the only way to initiate change.”

Williams suggested a smaller first step.

“It becomes really important for students to choose their own definition of global leadership because there many different ways of doing that. I am a big believer in things happening from the ground up. Think about the ‘global,’ not so much ‘leading’ and you will be on the right track.” We agree.