Prof. Patrick Dougherty is a Professor in the Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Akita International University, Yuwa, Akita-City, Akita 010-1292, and Japan. He bears the administrative positions including the Dean of the Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Chair of the Department of International Liberal Arts, Head of the English for Academic Purposes Program and Foreign Language Education, Director of the Active Learning and Assessment Center, Chair of the Research Management Committee and Professor in the Faculty of International Liberal Arts. Dr. Dougherty's research interests are in teacher development, the use of creative writing and student heritage in the EFL/ESL classroom, and the impact of distance learning methodologies on pedagogy.