The youth will be able to shape the world and its global policy through strategic leadership methods, Robert Ivany, St. Thomas University’s president, said Wednesday.
"The older you are, the more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous the world is," Ivany, a U.S. Army Major General, said to the Houston of Corps Cadets at the Cullen Performance Hall. "There is a gap between the traditional environment and the current environment."
VUCA, which stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous, is a method for people to understand the challenges of today’s dynamic society, according to the Air War College’s Web site. It was developed at the U.S. Army War College where Ivany was commandant.
The cadets are all members of collegiate-level ROTC programs in the Houston area.
VUCA encompasses the theory that "the challenge for strategic leadership is to understand the dynamics of change that are now occurring and develop the clearest possible visualization… with enough lead time to ensure a competitively advantageous position can be achieved," according to the Air War College’s Web site.
This generation has more opportunities to shape the world and national security than others – an asset the youth in the service should take advantage of, he said.
"Whenever you have young people who have leadership ability or individuals who have a strength of character, who have values, who can go out into the city after their service or while they are serving in ROTC, it’s a benefit to the city," Ivany said describing the impact the Houston Corps of Cadets has had on the city.
People in junior-level positions are able to voice their opinion in a way that was not acceptable 30 years ago, he said.
"When junior people start talking about what is right and wrong, it gives juniors courage," Ivany said.
The Houston Corps of Cadets is a primary example of how students learn leadership skills and traits by discipline, he said.
"I think serving your country is an honorable and wonderful thing to do," Ivany said to the cadets on leadership. "They have personally benefited (from) the experience and learned to focus on what’s right and wrong."
In conclusion, Ivany praised the men and women in the audience who were dressed in military uniforms for serving their country.
"Do your best and always things will work out," Ivany said.
UH Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps chose Ivany to speak to the Houston Corps of Cadets, Junior ROTC because of his expertise in leadership capabilities.
"(Ivany) is one of the leading authorities in leadership studies here in the area and the country," Col. Phil Bossert, UH Air Force ROTC commander, said. "He has had a distinguishable military career, plus he is a university president and a friend of ROTC."
