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Visit from Japan Education Experts Kicks Off
Student Exchange Program
Atlanta – When Professor of Computer Science and
Mathematics Ron Carlisle heard about the lopsided numbers in
Japanese-American exchange programs, he decided to make Oglethorpe
part of the solution.
In the last several years, more than 40,000 Japanese
undergraduates had enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, while
fewer than 1,500 American undergraduates had enrolled in Japanese
institutions. This disparity alarmed the Association of American
Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) enough that the organization
launched the Japan-U.S. Initiative and Oglethorpe was selected as
one of only 15 American institutions to participate during the
current academic year.
Unlike other exchange programs, this initiative sends American
students to Japanese institutions in which the classes are conducted
in English so fluency in Japanese is not necessary.
Representatives from Japan’s Otaru University will visit
Oglethorpe on September 14 to discuss the upcoming exchange program
Oglethorpe has secured with the university, located on the
northern-most island of Hokkaido. Visiting from Otaru University
will be Professor of Economics Hideki Funatsu and Associate
Professor of Economics Kouji Yokota. During their one-day visit, the
professors will tour the university and Atlanta, meet with
Oglethorpe faculty and staff, and Professor Funatsu will speak to an
International Economics class.
“We’re thrilled about their visit and about the fact that our
students will have the chance to study in a different culture and
live in another country and we look forward to bringing Otaru
students to the United States to study at Oglethorpe,” said
Carlisle. “Japan is a major partner of the U.S. and the more
exposure a student has to the country, the better off they are.”
Japan is the number one foreign direct investor in Georgia,
accounting for 22 percent of the foreign investment in the state,
according to Carlisle.
The AAC&U Japan-U.S. Initiative is a two-year project designed to
increase opportunities for study abroad in Japan by creating new
bilateral agreements between 10 of Japan’s universities and 30
selected U.S. institutions. Oglethorpe and Otaru intend to work
together after the initiative to make the exchange program last.
Initially, Oglethorpe hopes to send at least one student a year
to Otaru University and two or three once the program is underway.
Otaru would like to send a similar number to Oglethorpe. All
Japanese national universities selected for AAC&U’s Japan-U.S.
Initiative have developed short-term study abroad programs conducted
in English, which will decrease the language barrier many American
students face when seeking to study in Japan.
“Most Japanese students know English and have no problem with
coming to America to study,” said Carlisle. “The issue is that not
many American students know Japanese and that’s why we see an uneven
exchange between Japanese and American students.”
Otaru University, located in Otaru, Japan, was Oglethorpe’s first
choice, mainly due to their enrollment size of 2,000, which
resembles a small liberal arts college in the U.S. both “physically
and philosophically,” according to the AAC&U. Originally established
in 1910 as the Otaru Higher Commercial School, Otaru University of
Commerce was reorganized as a university in 1949. Otaru Shoka
Daigaku, as it is known, specializes in business and economics
education. Oglethorpe students in the Year at Otaru University of
Commerce (YOUC) will have a special opportunity to participate in
business-related internships in Otaru and Sapporo, a town 30 minutes
away by train.
Despite its island status, Otaru is located in a cold climate
where snow-covered peaks serve as a backdrop. “I was told that our
students who travel to Otaru should learn to ski because it’s the
past time of many Otaru students,” said Carlisle.
Oglethorpe University is an independent, highly selective,
coeducational, liberal arts institution located in Atlanta at 4484
Peachtree Road. Founded in 1835, Oglethorpe University is dedicated
to producing graduates who are broadly educated in the fundamental
fields of knowledge and the basic concepts and principles of their
disciplines. During the 1999-2000 academic year, Oglethorpe enrolled
1,230 students representing 32 states and international students
from 31 countries.
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