"As much as China is front and center for the United States and Asia, the American pivot is not all about the dragon. It is also very much about the 10 member states of ASEAN," says Donald K. Emmerson in a recent opinion article.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged Stanford students to become global citizens, working together beyond borders for peace, security and a common prosperity.

"You may come from the United States or Korea, Japan or elsewhere, Arab countries, but you're now part of a global family," Ban said to a crowded auditorium during his campus visit. "Therefore, it's very important to raise your capacity as global citizens. Only then, I think we can say, we're living in a very harmoniously prosperous world."

Despite a troubling tally of crises around the world, Ban was hopeful about the future, and said he gains inspiration from the younger generation.

"Everything my life has taught me points to the power of international solidarity to overcome any obstacle," he said.

Ban's speech, sponsored by Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, kicked off a series of events celebrating the 30th anniversary of the center.

Ban was introduced by former Secretary of Defense William Perry, an FSI senior fellow, who lauded Ban for his work on women's rights, climate change, nuclear disarmament and gay rights.

Ban told the audience that the world was undergoing massive changes and outlined three ways to navigate the transition: sustainable development, empowering young people and women, and pursuing dignity and democracy.

"The level and degree of global change that we face today is far more profound than at any other period in my adult lifetime," he said.

"We have no time to lose," he added later.

California, he said, has led on clean air legislation, creating a cap-and-trade law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"I am convinced national and state action can spur progress in global negotiations, creating a virtuous cycle," he said.

"Syria is in a death spiral," he said. He cited the toll the conflict has taken on Syria's citizens and surrounding countries since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011. More than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed. Hundreds of thousands more have been displaced.

Ban spoke at Stanford as a hostage crisis also unfolded in the region.

In retaliation for military action by France in the West African nation of Mali, Islamist extremists in Algeria took several hostages at an international gas field Thursday. News organizations reported that the kidnappers and some hostages were killed in a raid by the Algerian government.

Ban spoke of the efforts by the United Nations to counter terrorism in Mali, where Islamist rebels last year took control in the north in the chaos following a military coup that ousted the elected government of President Amadou Toumani Touré.

"We must continue to work for peace," Ban said. "Our hard work cannot be reversed, especially for women and young people."

With half the world's population under the age of 25, Ban said the international community must support and empower that group.

Ban also said that fighting for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities was important in advancing peace and prosperity around the world.

"I have learned to speak out for one essential reason," he said. "Lives and fundamental values are at stake."

Ban told the students to harness a spirit of hope as they confront the challenges of the world.

For him, he said, that spirit was sparked by a visit to California decades ago. He reflected on an eight-day visit to the state in 1962, when he stayed with a family, the Pattersons, in Novato on a trip sponsored by the Red Cross.

"In many ways, I still carry the same energy and enthusiasm and sense of wonder that I did when I first landed on Miss Patterson's doorstep half a century ago," he said.

"I came back knowing what I wanted to do with my life and for my country," he said.

Ban said he still keeps in touch with his host, his "American mom," 95-year-old Libba Patterson, who was in the audience and stood to applause.

"It was here in California," he reflected to the students, "that I first felt I could grab the stars from the sky."

From the moment Corporate Affiliates Program Visiting Fellows step onto the Stanford campus, they enter a different world. Many consider it to be the experience of a lifetime.

Visiting Fellows gain leading-edge professional knowledge through courses, lectures, and visits to pioneering Bay Area companies. They also engage in a nine-month research project under the guidance of a Stanford scholar advisor. Each day is packed with activity, yet many Visiting Fellows even find time to indulge in a hobby and travel.

Shorenstein APARC recently caught up with three 2012–13 Visiting Fellows to talk about their first quarter at Stanford.

For Sanat Deshpande of Reliance Life Sciences, the Corporate Affiliates Program has given him a chance to study at a university again after twelve years of professional life. Of his first visit to the United States, he says, “Overall, this has been an excellent experience. Not only do I have the flexibility to focus on my work, but also to enjoy life.”

Saiko Nakagawa, who works for Japan’s Ministry of Finance, attended the University of California, San Diego, for graduate school ten years ago. Returning to an academic environment for her means having a chance to immerse herself in learning about her field. “The best thing about this program is that I have one entire year to focus and to manage my own time,” she says. “It is like an academic sabbatical.”

Wei Shi, a Visiting Fellow from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, says, “This first visit to the United States is an honor for me.” He thrives in Stanford’s creative atmosphere, and appreciates the access to research resources like specialized databases in the Graduate School of Business library. “Stanford is also a very diverse place,” Wei adds. “I have had a chance to meet many new people and encounter new ideas.”

Stay tuned to the Corporate Affiliates Program website throughout the academic year for more snapshots of Visiting Fellows’ life at Stanford.