J-Conference Report 2012

J-CENTER
REPORT
J-CONFERENCE
Fostering Japanese Culture in the American Midwest
SEPTEMBER 10 & 11, 2012
DRAKE UNIVERSITY | DES MOINES, IOWA
PRESENTED BY
FUNDED BY
U.S. CENTER FOR CITIZEN DIPL MACY
A DIVISION OF CDC DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS
J- CENTER | U.S. CENTER FOR CITIZEN DIPLOMACY
699 WALNUT STREET, SUITE 400 | DES MOINES, IOWA 50309 U.S.A.
TEL 202.872.0933
WWW.J-CENTER.ORG | WWW.USCENTERFORCITIZENDIPLOMACY.ORG

J-Center Conference Report

Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa

September 10 & 11, 2012

!" $%& '"%(& )*$+ %,-*. +%()-&/ -0 1*(1-2" 0(-) 3%1%&"2" $*'.*("4
!" $%& '"%(& %,-*. .+" ,"&"05.2 -0 6""15&7 -*( ,%'%&$"8
%&9 ("$-7&5:5&7 .+" ;%'*" 5&+"("&. 5& .+%.4
!" $%& '"%(& .+" 5&+"("&. ;%'*" -0 0%)5'/8 -0 ("21"$.5&7 .+" <529-)
%&9 "=1"(5"&$" -0 -*( "'9"(28 %&9 .+" &""9 .- $%(" %&9 +-&-( .+")4

>-< .+5&6 0-( % )5&*."4

?""15&7 -*( ,%'%&$"8 0%)5'/ ;%'*"28 ("21"$.5&7 -*( "'9"(28 '-/%'./4
@-&A. .+-2" 2-*&9 '56" .+" ;%'*"2 <" $%'' B59<"2."(& ;%'*"2C

"#$% &'(')*+,% -').*( /0(%1*

23445 6"4%(1%) 4'(7%)%(8%
5%9 /'0(%9: ;'<*
3%=1%.+%) >?@>

Table of Contents

!"##"$ &$'( )*+",#"$ -.$"/#'$ * * * * * * 0

12"/3#.4" 53((6$7 * * * * * * * * 8

9*:0 53((6$7 * * * * * * * * ;
9*:0 <6,"=.># ?"@'$#> * * * * * * A

B.CD"$ 1E3/6#.', 53((6$7 * * * * * * * 0F
B.CD"$ 1E3/6#.', <6,"=.># ?"@'$#> * * * * * 00

+3=#3$" G HD" I$#> 53((6$7 * * * * * * J;
+3=#3$" G HD" I$#> <6,"=.># ?"@'$#> * * * * JA

+'((3,.#7 12/D6,C" 53((6$7 * * * * * * KF
+'((3,.#7 12/D6,C" <6,"=.># ?"@'$#> * * * * K0

9"7,'#" 5@"6L"$ M.'C$6@D."> * * * * * * ;0
N'$L.,C O$'3@ !"6E"$> M.'C$6@D."> * * * * * ;J

P5++- )*+",#"$ IE4.>'$7 +'3,/.= G +',#6/# Q,&'$(6#.', * * ;8

"#$%&# '()(*+,- &.+ -$ (/0$.)&,)1 &- & -).&)+2(' .+-$3.'+
&,4 & /$.&# (/0+.&)(5+ 6$. )7+ 89
-)
:+,)3.;<

=7&) ;$3 &.+ >$.?(,2 )$ 4$ &) )7(- '$,6+.+,'+ (- +@&')#;
>7&) >+ ,++41 (6 >+ >&,) )$ %3(#4 & >$.#4 $6 /$.+
3,4+.-)&,4(,21 '$,,+')(5(); &,4 '$//3,('&)($,<

" #$%$ &'()(*+,()
-(.)% &)/%)0$%1 '2 &0$0) 2'% 3456,/ 7,86'9$/1 $(. 3456,/ :22$,%*

-&;;7 <";)(0)% ;'(2)%)(/)
7)* =',()*> ?'@$
&)80)95)% ABCA

2

A note from the J-Center director

uear arLners, SupporLers, Colleagues, and lrlends,

1hank you Lo Lhe lndlvlduals and organlzaLlons LhaL parLlclpaLed ln our flrsL !-CenLer
conference ln SepLember of 2012. lL was Lhe LhoughLful leadershlp and years of
experlence of Lhe conference speakers, panellsLs, and parLlclpanLs LhaL made Lhe evenL
a success.

As you know, Lhe !-CenLer ls a !apan loundaLlon CenLer for Clobal arLnershlp (CC)
granL funded program of Lhe u.S. CenLer for ClLlzen ulplomacy (uSCCu). LsLabllshed ln
March of 2011, Lhe !-CenLer serves Lhe 12 sLaLes of Lhe Amerlcan MldwesL and acLs as a
clearlnghouse of more Lhan 300 organlzaLlons, schools, unlverslLles, and communlLy
groups LhaL celebraLe !apanese culLure, language, and Lhe arLs. 1he !-CenLer ptomotes
Lhe greaL work of exlsLlng organlzaLlons, coooects lndlvlduals Lo opporLunlLles Lo
become lnvolved ln Lhelr local communlLles, and cooveoes Lhe leaders drlvlng Lhls
grassrooLs work of growlng Lhe bonds beLween !apan ln Lhe MldwesL.

1he flrsL !-CenLer conference hosLed aL urake unlverslLy ln ues Molnes, lowa was an
opporLunlLy for leaders from k-12, hlgher educaLlon, communlLy based exchange
programs, and culLure and Lhe arLs groups Lo come LogeLher Lo dlscuss lssues of
common lnLeresL ln Lhelr work promoLlng Lhe u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp.

1he Lwo-day evenL ln ues Molnes was also a chance for leaders ln Lhe MldwesL Lo
neLwork and dlscuss ways Lhey mlghL collaboraLe ln order Lo beLLer engage Lhe
communlLles Lhey serve. ln a Llme when budgeLs are LlghL and lnLeresL ln !apan ls ln
compeLlLlon wlLh emerglng world culLures, lL ls as lmporLanL as ever for Lhe leaders
commlLLed Lo sLrengLhenlng Lhe bond beLween !apan and Lhe u.S. Lo share Lhelr ldeas,
resources, and Llme Lo move Lhe collecLlve work forward.

Amerlcans are aLLracLed Lo !apan for many reasons. 1he language, food, muslc, arL, and
people of !apan all make !apanese culLure a compelllng one Lo explore. 1he !-CenLer
makes lL easler for people ln Lhe MldwesL Lo flnd opporLunlLles Lo make meanlngful

3

connecLlons Lo !apan ln Lhelr local communlLles, wheLher lL ls a college sLudenL ln
MlnnesoLa looklng Lo [oln a Lalko drummlng clrcle, a reLlree ln Chlo lnLeresLed ln
lkebana flower arranglng, or a Leacher ln kansas hoplng Lo flnd ways Lo connecL her
classroom Lo sLudenLs ln !apan.

ln addlLlon Lo Lhls role of promoLer, connecLer, and convener, Lhe !-CenLer also serves as
a champlon of Lhe larger cause ln whlch we are all unlLed. 1he relaLlonshlp beLween
Lhe u.S. and !apan ls an lmporLanL model for 21
sL
CenLury cooperaLlon. When our
sLudenLs, Leachers, nelghbors, frlends, and colleagues spend Llme and energy lnvesLlng
ln our speclal frlendshlp wlLh !apan and lLs people, we are lnvesLlng ln Lhe nexL
generaLlon of global peace and prosperlLy.

ln Lhls capaclLy, !-CenLer sLrlves Lo be a vehlcle for more parLnershlps beLween Lhe
people of Lhe unlLed SLaLes and !apan LhaL resulL ln lncreased global collaboraLlon and
Lhe developmenL of new lnnovaLlons. As a program of Lhe u.S. CenLer for ClLlzen
ulplomacy, Lhe !-CenLer ls poslLloned Lo lnsplre a new generaLlon of clLlzen dlplomaLs ln
Lhe MldwesL and across !apan.

lor so many of us, Lhls work ls a Lrue pleasure LhaL brlngs personal [oy along wlLh
professlonal saLlsfacLlon. lL ls an honor Lo supporL all of you ln Lhe work you do every
day.

Agaln, a greaL many Lhanks Lo all Lhe people LhaL made Lhe flrsL !-CenLer conference a
success. Pere's Lo more years of conLlnued progress.

ArlgaLou gozalmasu,

MaLL Clark
!-CenLer rogram ulrecLor, uSCCu

4

Executive Summary

1he followlng pages conLaln lnformaLlon from each of Lhe four worklng groups aL Lhe
2012 uSCCu !-CenLer conference: k-12, hlgher educaLlon, communlLy based exchanges,
and culLure and Lhe arLs groups. Lach secLlon of Lhe reporL beglns wlLh a leLLer of
lnLroducLlon from Lhe leader LhaL faclllLaLed dlscusslons ln Lhe worklng group.

Also lncluded are Lhe brlef reporLs each worklng group panellsL prepared ln advance of
Lhe conference. 1he panellsLs ouLllned Lhe programs Lhelr organlzaLlons offer Lo
parLlclpanLs ln Lhe MldwesL, along wlLh ldenLlfylng Lhe key sLrengLhs and challenges ln
Lhelr flelds. 1he reporLs also lnclude a vlslon sLaLemenL LhaL arLlculaLes whaL Lhe
panellsLs would llke Lo see Lhelr flelds look llke ln Lhe fuLure and how Lhelr work wlll
conLlnue Lo sLrengLhen Lhe u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp ln Lhe MldwesL. llnally, panellsLs
lncluded noLes ln Lhelr reporLs speclflcally abouL whaL role Lhe !-CenLer mlghL play ln
conLrlbuLlng Lo Lhelr work.

1he dlscusslons ln each worklng group were wlde ranglng, buL a few Lhemes were
ldenLlfled as exLremely lmporLanL wlLhln each group. 1hese are Lhe polnLs LhaL wlll
serve as Lhe drlvlng force for Lhe comlng year of work aL Lhe !-CenLer as we deLermlne
whlch emerglng needs we can poLenLlally address wlLh new lnlLlaLlves. 1hese Loplcs wlll
also help seL Lhe agenda of Lhe nexL !-CenLer conference:

k-12 LducaLlon

- Lhe need Lo lnLroduce an appreclaLlon for and exploraLlon of !apanese culLure Lo
sLudenLs aL a very early sLage ln order Lo grow Lhe sLudy over Lhe course of several
academlc years
- Lhe need Lo leverage connecLlons made from low-cosL vlrLual (onllne) exchange
programs so LhaL classrooms ln Lhe MldwesL can caplLallze on relaLlonshlps wlLh
classrooms ln !apan
- Lhe lmporLance of presenLlng Lhe u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp ln a larger dlscusslon of global
parLnershlps and world hlsLory

5

Plgher LducaLlon

- long-Lerm sLudy abroad enrollmenLs beLween !apan and Lhe u.S. are decllnlng whlle
shorL-Lerm sLudy Lours/Lrlps are lncreaslng, creaLlng a need Lo deslgn Lruly
engaglng/worLhwhlle sLudy abroad experlences LhaL are conflned Lo an abbrevlaLed
schedule
- Lhe need Lo creaLe ways for vlslLlng lnLernaLlonal sLudenLs Lo engage wlLh local
communlLles beyond Lhe college/unlverslLy campus seLLlng
- an acknowledgemenL LhaL Lhe hlsLory of relaLlonshlps and neLworks exlsL beLween
!apan and Lhe u.S. Lo address Lhe challenges currenLly faclng sLudenL exchange and Lo
creaLe a new era of renewed parLnershlp

CulLure & 1he ArLs

- Lhe abundance of grassrooLs organlzaLlons LhaL promoLe !apanese culLure ln local
communlLles ls a unlque feaLure of Lhe larger u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp and should be
promoLed/celebraLed as evldence of Lhe sLrong connecLlon beLween counLrles
- more LhoughL should be glven Lo how besL Lo capLure Lhe enLhuslasm some groups
have for one parLlcular elemenL of !apanese culLure/arLs (such as anlme) and brlng LhaL
lnLeresL lnLo a larger appreclaLe of !apanese culLure/arLs
- local organlzaLlons LhaL sLruggle wlLh lssues of scale and susLalnablllLy mlghL beneflL
from membershlp ln reglonal or naLlonal neLworks LhaL provlde access Lo besL pracLlces,
models, and access Lo fundlng

CommunlLy 8ased Lxchange

- naLlonal programs need more asslsLance ln connecLlng wlLh local parLlclpanLs ln Lhe
Amerlcan MldwesL
- local organlzaLlons need more access Lo granL/fundlng opporLunlLles
- all organlzaLlons (wheLher local, reglonal, or naLlonal) beneflL from general campalgns
LhaL promoLe awareness and lnLeresL ln Lhe cause of connecLlng wlLh !apan Lhrough
culLure/language/arL/exchange

6

K-12 Working Group Summary

Ld CragerL
LxecuLlve ulrecLor, LmerlLus, lLA8n-uSA
ulrecLor, Clobal Campalgn for LducaLlon-uS

Lver slnce l was a hlgh school exchange sLudenL for a year ln Asla when l was 17, l have
envlsloned a world ln whlch all young people have Lhe chance Lo lnLeracL ln person Lhrough such
culLural exchanges. AfLer my year l embarked ln a unlverslLy paLh ln !apanese pollLlcal sclence
LhaL evenLually led Lo a hu ln !apanese and korean hlsLory. Along Lhe way, l spenL 11 years as
Lhe LxecuLlve ulrecLor of Lhe exchange program LhaL senL me Lo Asla, provldlng slmllar
experlences around Lhe world for Lhousands of oLher hlgh school sLudenLs and communlLy
servlce volunLeers.

uurlng LhaL Lenure, l came Lo reallze how prlvlleged and forLunaLe l was, llke Lhe oLher lucky
lndlvlduals who parLlclpaLed ln such exchange programs. l also became aware of Lhe obsLacles
LhaL face many oLhers, prevenLlng Lhem from galnlng Lhe beneflLs LhaL a cross-culLural
lmmerslon experlence provldes. 1he lncompaLlble school year calendars, hlgh cosL of Lravel,
and dlfflculLy of language are [usL a few of Lhe obsLacles. 1he number of u.S. hlgh school
sLudenLs golng abroad has always been low. 1he Councll on SLandards for lnLernaLlonal
LducaLlonal 1ravel reporL annual sLaLlsLlcs on boLh Lhe number of uS sLudenLs golng abroad for
a semesLer or a full academlc year, as well as Lhe number of hlgh school sLudenLs from abroad
who are hosLed ln u.S. homes. ln 2012, of Lhe 20 mllllon hlgh school sLudenLs ln Lhe u.S., a
mere 1,400 wenL abroad for a semesLer or year, whlch roughly calculaLes Lo .007 of all hlgh
school sLudenLs. Moreover, ln recenL years, Lhe number has been dropplng. Slmllarly, Lhe
number of u.S. sLudenLs golng Lo !apan has been dropplng rapldly. AlLhough !apan ranks #3 ln
recelvlng u.S. hlgh school exchange sLudenLs, Lhe LoLal golng for a semesLer or year ln !apan was
a mere 62 sLudenLs ln 2012. 1hls number has dropped slgnlflcanLly beLween 2003 and 2012.

Lqually Lroubllng ls Lhe drop ln Lhe number of u.S. schools Leachlng !apanese. 1he !apan
loundaLlon 2006 survey of forelgn-language learners found 3,217 Leachers Leachlng !apanese Lo
117,969 sLudenLs aL 1,092 dlfferenL lnsLlLuLlons, a decrease of 16 ln Lhe number of sLudenLs
slnce Lhe 2003 survey, a year earller.

7

We do noL wheLher Lhese are shorL or long-Lerm Lrends, buL Lhey are belng repllcaLed wlLh mosL
oLher languages as well. So, Lhe quesLlon for me ls, ln llghL of Lhese Lrends, how can our
sLudenLs and Leachers of our Lwo counLrles enhance Lhelr knowledge of and lnLeracLlon wlLh
each oLher. l see Lwo maln areas on whlch Lo concenLraLe efforLs:

1) More effecLlvely lnLegraLe Lhe learnlng galned by u.S. Leachers who physlcally Lravel Lo !apan
lnLo long-Lerm currlculum appllcaLlons. undoubLedly, Lhe experlence ls LransformaLlonal for Lhe
Leachers, buL we need Lo beLLer ensure LhaL Leacher exchange vlslLs resulL ln susLalned lmpacL
on Lhelr sLudenLs. 1hese Leachers who have had dlrecL, professlonal and personal experlences
ln !apan musL sLay engaged and lnvolve Lhelr sLudenLs ln learnlng wlLh and abouL !apan. lrom
my experlence, Lhls can be done Lhrough bulldlng Lhls expecLaLlon from Lhe ouLseL and by
enabllng Lhese Leachers Lo lnLenslvely lnLeracL wlLh peers on classroom acLlvlLles LhaL meeL
currlculum ob[ecLlves, are mapped Lo Lhe Common Core SLaLe SLandards and CCSSC/Asla
SocleLy maLrlx on global compeLency and LhaL wlll be lmplemenLed upon reLurn Lo home
counLrles. Slmllarly, organlzaLlons LhaL sponsor Leacher exchanges should ldenLlfy plaLforms for
conLlnued and long-Lerm lnLeracLlon by Lhe exchange parLlclpanLs, even reachlng back Lo re-
engage wlLh Lhose who have been ln !apan over Lhe pasL 3-10 years.

2) Lxpand meanlngful and sLrucLured onllne educaLlonal lnLeracLlon beLween classes ln Lhe Lwo
counLrles, from Lhe earllesL ages, Lo sLarL Lhe process of bulldlng wlLhln u.S. sLudenLs boLh a
curloslLy abouL and awareness of !apanese culLure, sLudenL llfe, pollLlcs, eLc. 1he Leachers Lo
LargeL for Lhese onllne acLlvlLles are preclsely Lhe ones who have had a Leacher exchange vlslL Lo
!apan. ln addlLlon Lo embeddlng !apan wlLhln dlfferenL parLs of Lhe currlculum, Lhe number of
u.S. sLudenLs exposed Lo !apan wlll be dramaLlcally lncreased-beyond Lhe numbers able Lo
physlcally Lravel and lnLeracL. Lxperlence also suggesLs LhaL Lhls mosL easlly sLarLs aL Lhe
elemenLary school level when Leachers have sLudenLs for longer perlods of Lhe day and can
lnLegraLe !apan lnLo a varleLy of currlcular areas-noL belng llmlLed Lo 43-mlnuLe perlods.

8

AnoLher observaLlon has been LhaL afLer school programs are someLlmes more effecLlve venues
for engagemenL wlLh !apan-a Llme when Leachers are noL confronLed wlLh Lhe demands of
hlgh sLakes LesLlng, currlculum requlremenLs and pressures of sLudenL performance as a Leacher
evaluaLlon measuremenL.

Cne oLher posslble area of fuLure expanslon of hlgh school exchanges ls Lo parLner wlLh enLlLles
from oLher LasL Aslan counLrles Lo engage ln mulLl-counLry exchanges and dlalogues. A Lhree-
way program llnklng sLudenLs ln !apan, korea and Lhe u.S. may, ln facL, lncrease Lhe appeal (and
pool of posslble parLlclpanLs) of boLh physlcal and onllne hlgh school lnLeracLlons.

1he hlgh school worklng group of Lhe uSCCu !-CenLer 2012 Conference remalns convlnced of
Lhe lmporLance and value of dlrecL sLudenL and Leacher engagemenL (boLh physlcal and onllne)
ln bulldlng a clLlzenry on boLh sldes of Lhe aclflc LhaL ls aware of and knowledgeable abouL each
oLher's culLures.

9
J-Conference Panelist Reports: K-12

Co||ege 8oard
uan Carolln
Co-chalr A !apanese Language and CulLure Lxam uevelopmenL CommlLLee

Cverv|ew:
1he College 8oard was founded ln 1900 Lo expand access Lo hlgher educaLlon and Loday
provldes hlgh school sLudenLs Lhe opporLunlLy Lo earn college credlL whlle sLlll enrolled ln hlgh
school Lhrough 34 A exams. 1he A Lxam ln !apanese Language and CulLure began ln 2007.
ApproxlmaLely 2,000 sLudenLs Lake Lhe exam each year.

rogramm|ng:
1he College 8oard seeks Lo ensure LhaL every sLudenL ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes has access Lo a hlgh-
quallLy educaLlon and ls prepared Lo succeed ln college. Cur College 8eadlness lnlLlaLlves
promoLe currlcula, assessmenL Lools, and guldance resources LhaL help k-12 sLudenLs prepare
for Lhe academlc rlgors of hlgher educaLlon.

Strengths:
We promoLe excellence and equlLy ln educaLlon Lhrough programs for k-12 and hlgher
educaLlon lnsLlLuLlons, and by provldlng sLudenLs a paLh Lo college opporLunlLles, lncludlng
flnanclal supporL and scholarshlps. We also serve Lhe educaLlon communlLy Lhrough research
and advocacy on behalf of sLudenLs, educaLors, schools and colleges.

Cha||enges:
1he A !apanese Language and CulLure uevelopmenL CommlLLee ls advocaLlng for lncreased
opporLunlLles for lnLeresLed sLudenLs Lo enroll ln A !apanese courses and Lo succeed on Lhe
exam. 1o Lhls end we need more Leachers and admlnlsLraLors Lo undersLand Lhe beneflLs of A
courses. AddlLlonally, we would llke Lo see greaLer arLlculaLlon beLween hlgh school and
college/unlverslLy level educaLors ln an efforL Lo lncrease awareness abouL A and Lhe level of
proflclency requlred Lo succeed on Lhe exam.

V|s|on:
1hrough arLlculaLlon lnlLlaLlves and Lhe promoLlon of professlonal Lralnlng besL pracLlces, we
would llke Lo see a slgnlflcanL lncrease ln Lhe number of sLudenLs wlLh Lhe llngulsLlc skllls and
compeLence needed Lo be successful ln A level courses ln !apanese.

ko|e of the I-Center:
8y supporLlng opporLunlLles for !apanese language and culLure educaLors across Lhe MldwesL Lo
meeL and work collaboraLlvely, Lhe !-CenLer can enhance growLh ln !apanese sLudles. Clven
Lhese opporLunlLles, Leachers wlll be able Lo forge lmproved pracLlces ln Lhe classroom leadlng
Lo enhanced levels of sLudenL success.

10

r|mary Source
ur. ueborah Cunnlngham
Senlor rogram ulrecLor

Cverv|ew:
rlmary Source ls a nonproflL organlzaLlon LhaL educaLes k-12 Leachers abouL world hlsLorles,
dlverse culLures, and global lssues. Slnce our foundlng ln 1989, we have worked wlLh over
17,000 Leachers, who ln Lurn have reached over 1.3 mllllon sLudenLs. ln 2011, educaLors ln our
professlonal developmenL programs galned knowledge and resources on 33 counLrles around
Lhe world. ln addlLlon, rlmary Source also educaLes Leachers abouL dlverse culLures wlLhln Lhe
unlLed SLaLes and shares sLraLegles for Leachlng u.S. hlsLory ln a global conLexL. Cur work
prepares sLudenLs for a global economy and socleLy by helplng Leachers Lo lnsLlll crlLlcal Lhlnklng
skllls and a flexlble, global mlndseL.

rogramm|ng:
1hrough ln-depLh courses, Leachlng maLerlals, and lnLernaLlonal sLudy Lours, we help educaLors
galn Lhe knowledge and Lools Lhey need Lo prepare sLudenLs Lo Lhrlve ln Loday's lnLerconnecLed
world. Cur professlonal developmenL courses for educaLors feaLure leadlng scholars who
provlde hlgh-level conLenL knowledge, experL Leachers who connecL conLenL Lo pracLlcal
classroom acLlvlLles, and comprehenslve resources LhaL supporL sLudenL engagemenL and
learnlng. ln Lhe 2012-2013 school year, we wlll offer 3-day semlnars, 1-day workshops, a book
group, an afLernoon dlscusslon serles, 10- and 4-week onllne courses, 1-hour weblnars, and Lwo
lnLernaLlonal sLudy Lours. We wlll also offer several ln-depLh lnsLlLuLes ln summer 2013,
lncludlng a 3-week lnsLlLuLe Lo Lake place ln 1urkey.

Strengths:
lor 23 years, rlmary Source has provlded lnnovaLlve professlonal developmenL programs LhaL
marry rlch conLenL ln global sLudles wlLh lnnovaLlve and LhoughL-provoklng pedagoglcal models.
Whlle much of our work has been conducLed Lhrough susLalned parLnershlps wlLh school
dlsLrlcLs over Llme, ln Lhe pasL Lhree years we have begun Lo reach a naLlonal audlence of
educaLors Lhrough credlL-provldlng onllne courses deslgned speclflcally for k-12 Leachers, as
well as weblnars focuslng upon boLh academlc conLenL and Leachlng sLraLegles. Currlcular and
blbllographlc resources on our webslLe are accessed by over 37,000 Leachers annually and we
regularly parLner wlLh globally orlenLed lnsLlLuLlons such as Lhe Asla SocleLy and l8Lx Lo reach
broader neLworks Lhrough collaboraLlvely-developed offerlngs. Cur courses abroad and sLudy-
Lravel opporLunlLles Lransform Leachers' undersLandlngs - and Lhen Lhelr Leachlng -- abouL
places Lhey llkely would noL experlence oLherwlse.

11

Cha||enges:
lor a relaLlvely small nonproflL organlzaLlon LhaL prlmarlly worked ln new Lngland for many
years, publlclzlng our offerlngs and resources around Lhe u.S. ls a ma[or challenge. lundralslng
ln a resLrlcLed granLs cllmaLe and weak economy ls also dlfflculL. AL presenL, many educaLlonal
foundaLlons focus Lhelr glvlng on unlverslLles and on k-12 baslc skllls llke llLeracy and numeracy,
noL on global sLudles. So ldenLlfylng foundaLlons LhaL share our vlslon ls lmporLanL and
challenglng. Many schools have Llny or even no budgeLs for Leachers' professlonal developmenL,
so LhaL poses barrlers Lo supporLlng Leachers ln globallzlng Lhelr currlcula. WlLh fundlng for
educaLlon dropplng aL Lhe federal, sLaLe, and local levels, we worry LhaL schools wlll conLlnue Lo
cuL back on professlonal developmenL, llbrarles, Lravel opporLunlLles, and oLher offerlngs LhaL
expose Lhelr Leachers and sLudenLs Lo Lhe world.

V|s|on:
AL rlmary Source, we would llke Lo see conLenL on !apan lnLegraLed lnLo Lhe currlculum
LhroughouL Lhe prlmary and secondary years. 1here are clear opporLunlLles Lo lnLroduce !apan
ln soclal sLudles courses (world hlsLory and u.S. hlsLory) or world language and LasL Aslan
SLudles programs, buL also many ways !apan can be lnLegraLed lnLo Lhemes addressed ln Lhe
elemenLary grades, and ln Loplcs such as sclence, arL, and pollLlcal sclence. lL ls parLly a quesLlon
of shlfLlng Leachers' level of knowledge and confldence ln Leachlng abouL !apan so LhaL Lhey
look for opporLunlLles Lo lnLegraLe unlLs or small case sLudles lnvolvlng !apan where lL ls
approprlaLe for Lhem. ldeally, Leachers who would noL have Lhe means Lo Lravel Lo !apan on
Lhelr own would have opporLunlLles for subsldlzed sLudy-Lravel Lo !apan, and could Lhen share
Lhelr learnlng, resources, and connecLlons wlLh !apanese educaLors wlLh Lhelr schools and
colleagues. AL a mlnlmum, we would llke Lo see sLudenLs encounLerlng slgnlflcanL conLenL
abouL !apan aL leasL Lhree Llmes ln Lhelr k-12 educaLlon, and have aL leasL one slgnlflcanL
lnLeracLlon/conversaLlon wlLh sLudenLs ln or from !apan.

1he !-CenLer can play (and has played!) an lmporLanL role by feaLurlng our onllne resources -
courses, weblnars, and currlcula - on lLs webslLe so LhaL educaLors ln Lhe MldwesLern sLaLes
know abouL our offerlngs. lf Lhe !-CenLer were Lo organlze a cohorL of educaLors from a
parLlcular MldwesLern school dlsLrlcL - or consorLlum of dlsLrlcLs - Lo Lake our new onllne !apan
course, LhaL would also be a greaL help. AnyLhlng Lhe !-CenLer can do Lo asslsL Leachers ln
accesslng our resources ls mosL appreclaLed.

12

Stanford rogram on Internat|ona| and Cross-Cu|tura| Lducat|on (SICL)
naoml lunahashl
Manager, 8elschauer Scholars rogram and 1eacher rofesslonal uevelopmenL

Cverv|ew:
1he SLanford rogram on lnLernaLlonal and Cross-CulLural LducaLlon (SlCL) serves as a brldge
beLween SLanford unlverslLy and k-14 schools by developlng mulLldlsclpllnary currlculum
maLerlals on lnLernaLlonal Lhemes. Slnce 1976, SlCL has supporLed efforLs Lo lnLernaLlonallze
elemenLary and secondary school currlcula by llnklng Lhe research and Leachlng aL SLanford
unlverslLy Lo Lhe schools Lhrough Lhe producLlon of hlgh-quallLy currlculum maLerlals on
lnLernaLlonal and cross-culLural Loplcs. SlCL also offers Lhe 8elschauer Scholars rogram (8S),
an lnLenslve onllne course on !apan and u.S.-!apan relaLlons for hlgh school sLudenLs ln Lhe
unlLed SLaLes.

rogramm|ng:
SlCL works prlmarlly ln Lhree areas: developlng k-14 currlculum maLerlals, offerlng Leacher
professlonal developmenL, and dlsLance learnlng for hlgh school sLudenLs. SlCL offers regular
Leacher professlonal developmenL semlnars on LasL Asla for mlddle school and hlgh school
Leachers ln 8ay Area LhaL comblne conLenL experLlse and currlcular demonsLraLlons. 1hese
semlnars are offered ln collaboraLlon wlLh Lhe naLlonal ConsorLlum for 1eachlng abouL Asla
(nC1A). SlCL also demonsLraLes currlcular resources aL one-Llme Leacher professlonal
developmenL opporLunlLles, boLh aL SLanford and aL Leacher conferences ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes
and abroad. 1he 8elschauer Scholars rogram (8S), an onllne course on !apan and u.S.-!apan
relaLlons LhaL SlCL offers Lo hlgh school sLudenLs ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, ls offered annually from
lebruary Lo !une.

Strengths:
SlCL has a nearly 40-year hlsLory of developlng currlcula on lnLernaLlonal Loplcs. Slnce lLs
lncepLlon, SlCL has been mlndful of presenLlng mulLlple perspecLlves and developlng lessons
and acLlvlLles LhaL enhance crlLlcal Lhlnklng and declslon-maklng skllls ln sub[ecL areas such as
hlsLory, geography, economlcs, pollLlcal sclence, lnLernaLlonal securlLy, and Lhe envlronmenL.
SlCL's lnLerdlsclpllnary approach draws upon slmulaLlons and role-plays, debaLes, readers'
LheaLers, lessons lnvolvlng Lhe vlsual and performlng arLs, [ournal wrlLlng exerclses, and
cooperaLlve group acLlvlLles.

Cha||enges:
1he SlCL sLaff has always belleved LhaL more musL be done Lo prepare young sLudenLs for an
lncreaslngly lnLerdependenL world. 1eachlng Lo Lhe LesL" can have Lhe unlnLended
consequence of narrowlng Lhe currlculum-LhaL ls, llmlLlng Lhe sLudy of sub[ecLs llke hlsLory,
soclal sLudles, and forelgn languages, sub[ecLs LhaL are lmporLanL for enhanclng u.S.-!apan
relaLlons.

13

V|s|on:
llrsL, SlCL would llke Lo engage !apanese hlgh school sLudenLs ln Lhe sLudy of Lhe unlLed SLaLes
and u.S.-!apan relaLlons, and lnvlLe !apanese hlgh school sLudenLs Lo SLanford unlverslLy Lo
meeL wlLh Amerlcan sLudenLs enrolled ln Lhe 8elschauer Scholars rogram, an onllne course on
!apan and u.S.-!apan relaLlons.

Second, SlCL would llke Lo lnvlLe a cadre of !apanese hlgh school Leachers Lo a conference on
u.S.-!apan relaLlons aL SLanford unlverslLy Lo engage ln dlalog wlLh Amerlcan Leachers. 1he
maln purpose of Lhe conference would be Lo dlscuss Lhe Leachlng of conLroverslal Loplcs llke Lhe
!apanese aLLack on earl Parbor, Lhe aLomlc bomblngs of !apan, and u.S. Lroops ln !apan.

1he !-CenLer can help Lo supporL SlCL ln several ways. SlCL has been worklng Lo encourage
more sLudenLs ln Lhe MldwesL Lo apply Lo Lhe 8S for many years. 1he !-CenLer's neLwork of
!apan-relaLed organlzaLlons could cerLalnly help Lo promoLe Lhls unlque opporLunlLy Lo sLudenLs
ln Lhls reglon.

ln addlLlon, Lhe !-CenLer can help Lo announce SlCL's !apan-focused pro[ecLs. lor example, ln
AugusL 2012, ASAPl neL, lnc. (1okyo, !apan)-Lhe developer of manaba-and SlCL launched
Lhe SlCL-manaba pro[ecL, whlch offers an onllne currlculum called lnLerpreLlve PlsLory of
!apan - aradoxes ln a naLlon's PlsLory."

14

Des Mo|nes ub||c Schoo|s
ur. Sachlko Murphy
lnsLrucLor, !apanese rogram

Cverv|ew:
ues Molnes ubllc Schools ls Lhe largesL school dlsLrlcL ln lowa wlLh 33,000 sLudenLs enrolled.
1he !apanese program sLarLed ln 1984 wlLh a small group of sLudenLs, who were LaughL by an
exchange Leacher from Lhe ues Molnes slsLer clLy, kofu, !apan. Slnce Lhen Lhe program has
developed lnLo a 4-year program LhaL also offers credlLs from ues Molnes Area CommunlLy
College. 1he program provldes educaLlonal opporLunlLles Lo learn !apanese and lLs culLure for
all Lhe area hlgh school sLudenLs and sLudenLs from surroundlng schools. CurrenLly abouL 140
sLudenLs are enrolled ln Lhe program.

rogramm|ng:
ues Moloes-kofo elemeototy/mlJJle scbool stoJeot excbooqe
SLarLed ln 1983, ues Molnes ubllc Schools have been exchanglng elemenLary and mlddle school
sLudenLs wlLh kofu 8oard of LducaLlon every year for 29 years. WlLh abouL 20 Lo 30 sLudenLs
and 4 chaperons vlslLlng each year, Lhe number of Amerlcan and !apanese sLudenLs and
Leachers who vlslLed each oLher amounLs Lo as many as 1,300. 1he LoLal number of people who
have been Louched by Lhese exchanges are much larger lf hosL famllles and frlends Lhey made ln
classrooms and communlLles are lncluded.

ues Moloes teocbets teocbloq osslqomeot lo kofo
kofu 8oard of LducaLlon lnvlLes 3 Lo 3 ues Molnes Leachers each year Lo Leach Lngllsh ln mlddle
schools ln kofu for a year Lo Lwo years. ues Molnes ubllc Schools has been a parLner of Lhls
pro[ecL slnce Lhe 1980s.

nlqb scbool stoJeot excbooqe
SLarLed ln 1999 wlLh koma Plgh School ln ?amanashl and ?amanashl Cakuln Plgh School ln kofu,
Lhe hlgh school sLudenL exchange program aL ues Molnes ubllc Schools has conLlnued for 12
years. Amerlcan sLudenLs Lravel Lo kofu ln summer, and !apanese sLudenLs come Lo ues Molnes
ln summer and sprlng.

Strengths:
lowa SlsLer SLaLes and CreaLer ues Molnes SlsLer ClLy Commlsslon have boLh promoLed and
helped varlous klnds of exchanges beLween Lwo sLaLe/prefecLure. Pavlng been a volunLeer for
boLh organlzaLlon, and Lravellng regularly Lo kofu wlLh sLudenLs, l have been able Lo help brlng
Lhe Lwo sLaLes/prefecLures LogeLher for offlclal, educaLlonal, and communlLy exchanges.

15

Cha||enges:
Pavlng done Lrlps wlLh sLudenLs so many years, l am concerned abouL Lhe global spread of
epldemlcs and counLry's dlfferenL ways of deallng wlLh Lhem. 1hese lncldenLs can greaLly lmpacL
Lhe success of exchange Lrlps/vlslLs.

V|s|on:
lL wlll be ldeal lf more !apanese Lngllsh Leachers have opporLunlLles Lo come Lo lowa and learn
Amerlcan lnsLrucLlonal meLhodologles whlle lmprovlng Lhelr Lngllsh, Lhen go home and help
!apanese sLudenLs acqulre Lngllsh. 1haL way more sLudenLs Lhan Lhe selecLed few who can
afford Lo Lravel wlll be able Lo achleve hlgher levels ln Lngllsh. AlLhough lL ls sLlll ln formulaLlon
sLage, dlscusslon beLween ?amanashl 8oard of LducaLlon and ues Molnes ubllc School has
sLarLed Loward LhaL goal.

CreaLlng neLworklng LhaL enables us Lo connecL wlLh each oLher
Sharlng besL pracLlces and success sLorles from whlch we can learn

16

ILAkN (|LAkN IAAN)
?oko 1akagl
lounder

Cverv|ew:
lLA8n-!apan (!LA8n) sLarLed ln 1998 ln collaboraLlon wlLh 1eleclass lnLernaLlonal !apan. We promoLe
Clobal LducaLlon ln !apan uslng Lechnology Loday. ln 2001, !LA8n (!apan LducaLlon and 8esource
neLwork ) was founded as Lhe CenLer of lLA8n-!apan and ln 2003 was legally recognlzed by Lhe !apanese
governmenL as a non-roflL CrganlzaLlon (nC). lL hosLed Lhe 10Lh lLA8n Conference and Lhe 7Lh ?ouLh
SummlL aL Awa[l ?umebuLal lnLernaLlonal Conference Pall ln !uly 2003. lL also hosLed Lhe flrsL naLural
ulsasLer ?ouLh SummlL (nu?S) ln Pyogo ln 2003. AlmosL every year slnce Lhen, lL hosLs lnLernaLlonal
gaLherlngs for Leachers and sLudenLs and aLLends lLA8n Conference and ?ouLh SummlL" every year. Cur
goal ls "All !apanese chlldren wrlLe and Lalk on lLA8n CollaboraLlon CenLer and communlcaLe wlLh frlends
LhroughouL Lhe world from Lhelr classrooms."

rogramm|ng:
We conducL Lhe followlng programs on a regular basls and lnvlLe Lhe communlLy Lo [oln:
1he 1eddy 8ear ro[ect
NDS (Natura| D|saster outh Summ|t) hLLp://ndys.[earn.[p/eng.hLml
NLGAI Connect|on hLLp://www.[earn.[p/2003conference/negal/lndex.hLml
Cr|gam| ro[ect
en Ir|end C|ub hLLp://www.pfc.posL.[apanposL.[p/engllsh/lndex.hLml
1a|sho koto ro[ect hLLp://LalshokoLo.[earn.[p/proflle1.hLml
n|rosh|ma for eace hLLp://www.hlroshlma-Loday.com/
1he followlng are one-Llme evenLs:
V|deo conferences Lwo slLes or mulLl slLes
nyogo outh Summ|t Conference

Strengths:
rovldlng a new channel of lnnovaLlve educaLlon, lnsLead of Lhe LradlLlonal !apanese Leachlng
skllls LhaL are ofLen deslgned Lo only lncrease LesL scores.
1o lmplemenL our programs ln local schools, we have Lhree sLraLegles Lo make new lnroads ln
Lhe presenL educaLlon sysLem:
Crow 1,000 global educaLlon coordlnaLors ln !apan
1ake 100 chalrs of 8CLs (8oards of LducaLlon) Lo lLA8n conference
Change Lhe sub[ecL name from 1he perlod of lnLegraLed sLudy" Lo
1he perlod of lnLegraLed global Co-Learnlng" and auLhorlze Lhe Llme and
place for global educaLlon ln currlculums.

17

Cha||enges:
lL ls dlfflculL Lo reform Lhe pollcles of schools, 8CLs, and MLx1.
As long as college enLrance examlnaLlons do noL change, no changes are expecLed aL
[unlor and senlor hlgh schools from Lhelr rlgld currlculums Lo pass Lhe examlnaLlons.
SLruggles wlLh flnanclal problems as an nC

V|s|on:
More pro[ecLs wlll be developed for co-learnlng from Leachers and sLudenLs of u.S. and !apan
over Lhe dlfference of Llme and geographlcal locaLlons, whlch wlll creaLe new channel of
educaLlon wlLh powerful Leachers' human neLworks.
When school chlldren Louch Lhe wlder world and make frlends Lhrough co-learnlng, Lhe raLe of
bullylng and sLudenL sulclde wlll decrease ln !apan.

?our conLlnuous knocklng on doors aL schools, aL 8CLs, and aL MLx1 Lo lnvlLe Lhem Lo varlous
co-learnlng pro[ecLs from ouLslde !apan wlll be more effecLlve for Lhem Lo llsLen Lo, raLher Lhan
from a volce lnslde !apan such as !LA8n.

18

Nat|ona| Consort|um for 1each|ng about As|a - NC1A
Llnda S. Wo[Lan
nC1A naLlonal vlslblllLy CoordlnaLor

Cverv|ew:
1he naLlonal ConsorLlum for 1eachlng abouL Asla (nC1A), funded by Lhe lreeman loundaLlon
and launched ln 1998, ls a naLlonwlde lnlLlaLlve Lo encourage and faclllLaLe Leachlng and learnlng
abouL LasL Asla ln Lhe k-12 currlculum. nC1A ls a premler provlder of professlonal developmenL
on LasL Asla, poslLlonlng lLs parLlclpanLs Lo provlde leadershlp ln Lhe fleld. now ln lLs flfLeenLh
year, nC1A conLlnues Lo offer semlnars on LasL Asla for an average of 1,000 Leachers per year
across Lhe counLry.

rogramm|ng:
1he beneflLs of Lhe nC1A program Lo semlnar parLlclpanLs are many. MosL semlnar slLes offer
course or recerLlflcaLlon credlL and all slLes offer quallLy lnsLrucLlon abouL LasL Asla from leadlng
experLs ln Lhe fleld. Semlnars are offered ln a face-Lo-face seLLlng, onllne, or ln a blended formaL
(face-Lo-face and dlglLal comblned). arLlclpanLs recelve an excellenL selecLlon of background
maLerlals on Asla for Lhelr personal llbrary. nC1A LargeLs Leachers of world hlsLory, world
geography, oLher soclal sLudles courses, and language arLs/world llLeraLure as Lhe prlmary
audlence of lLs programs. 1eachers of Aslan languages, medla speclallsLs, llbrarlans, and arL
Leachers who play a key role ln Leachlng Aslan sLudles conLenL also are ellglble for nC1A
programs. nC1A seeks Lo develop a communlLy of educaLors lnLeresLed ln LasL Aslan sLudles and
a forum for colleglal dlscusslon of lssues relevanL Lo Lhe Leachlng of LasL Asla.
1here ls no charge for Lhe semlnars, and many semlnar slLes offer addlLlonal enrlchmenL
opporLunlLles followlng semlnar compleLlon. LnrlchmenL opporLunlLles lnclude workshops on
speclal Loplcs, fleld Lrlps Lo museums and culLural evenLs, summer lnsLlLuLes, and sLudy Lour
opporLunlLles. ln addlLlon, no-cosL weblnars, on a wlde varleLy of Loplcs, are offered Lo a
naLlonal audlence. LducaLors lnLeresLed ln parLlclpaLlng ln nC1A semlnars are encouraged Lo
vlslL Lhe nC1A webslLe: www.nC1Asla.org whlch provldes deLalled lnformaLlon abouL nC1A
acLlvlLles ln each sLaLe. 1he web slLe also provldes excellenL llnks Lo resources for Leachlng abouL
Asla, and more.

Strengths:
nC1A beneflLs from Lhe comblned consorLlum experLlse of Lhe seven naLlonal coordlnaLlng slLes:
Columbla unlverslLy, llve College CenLer for LasL Aslan SLudles aL SmlLh College, lndlana
unlverslLy, unlverslLy of Colorado, unlverslLy of lLLsburgh, unlverslLy of WashlngLon, and
unlverslLy of SouLhern Callfornla. nC1A also parLners wlLh a varleLy of lnsLlLuLlons: lurman
unlverslLy, Malne Councll of World Affalrs, Mlchlgan SLaLe unlverslLy, Chlo SLaLe unlverslLy,
rlnceLon unlverslLy, 8lce unlverslLy, SLanford unlverslLy, 1rlnlLy unlverslLy, unlverslLy of
Arkansas, unlverslLy of llorlda, unlverslLy of Ceorgla, unlverslLy of lowa, unlverslLy of kansas,
unlverslLy of kenLucky, unlverslLy of Mlsslsslppl, unlverslLy of norLh Carollna, unlverslLy of
norLh 1exas, unlverslLy of Cklahoma, and unlverslLy of 1ennessee.

19

nC1A sLaff, semlnar leaders and alumnl conLlnue Lo conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe fleld of k-12 LasL Aslan
sLudles Lhrough excellence ln classroom Leachlng, workshop presenLaLlons, currlculum
developmenL and professlonal developmenL presenLaLlons. Many acLlvely conLrlbuLe Lo
Jocotloo oboot Aslo, a publlcaLlon of Lhe AssoclaLlon for Aslan SLudles (AAS) deslgned Lo
enhance Leachlng abouL LasL Asla. 1helr excellence has been recognlzed Lhrough numerous
local, sLaLe, and naLlonal awards lncludlng Lhe Llgln Pelnz CuLsLandlng 1eacher Award of Lhe
unlLed SLaLes - !apan loundaLlon (uS!l) and Lhe lranklln 8. 8uchanan rlze offered by AAS.

Currlcular experLlse ls shared ln a varleLy of ways, wlLh recenL examples belng Lhe nC1A Summer
lnsLlLuLe 2012 offerlngs: 21
st
ceototy Iopoo. Clobol lssoes, closstoom Appllcotloos, hosLed by Lhe
unlverslLy of Colorado and 1eocbloq ost Asloo lltetotote lo tbe nlqb 5cbool, hosLed by lndlana
unlverslLy. AddlLlonal venues for currlcular dlssemlnaLlon lnclude webslLes such as Columbla
unlverslLy's Asla for LducaLors - hLLp://afe.easla.columbla.edu/, and Lhe unlverslLy of Colorado
rogram for 1eachlng LasL Asla's onllne access (www.colorado.edu/cas/Lea/ ) Lo Leacher-
developed and LesLed currlculum pro[ecLs: lmoqloq Iopooese nlstoty, 1exts ooJ cootexts.
1eocbloq Iopoo tbtooqb cbllJteos lltetotote, and vlsoollzloq Iopoo lo MoJeto wotlJ nlstoty.

nC1A collaboraLes wlLh ma[or naLlonal professlonal organlzaLlons, especlally focuslng on Lhe
naLlonal Councll for Lhe Soclal SLudles (nCSS).

Cha||enges:
lncreaslngly, fundlng conLlnues Lo be a challenge as nC1A seeks leverage and expanded
programmlng Lhrough granLs from fundlng sources ln addlLlon Lo Lhe lreeman loundaLlon.
ulssemlnaLlon and vlslblllLy lssues llnger as nC1A perfecLs lLs publlclLy sLraLegy. An expanded
onllne vlslblllLy ls belng pursued Lhrough elecLronlc adverLlslng, a robusL webslLe, and a vlbranL
lacebook presence.

nC1A alums conLlnue Lo be a rlch resource, alLhough susLalnablllLy remalns an lssue. As
menLloned, an array of enrlchmenL efforLs aLLempL Lo address Lhls lssue. Cf parLlcular noLe are
weblnars, hosLed by several slLes, especlally Lhe excellenL offerlngs of Lhe llve College CenLer for
LasL Aslan SLudles: www.smlLh.edu/fcceas/ncLa. Also, Lhe u.S. publlc's somewhaL dlmlnlshed
lnLeresL ln !apan, and Lepld lnLeresL ln korea, palred wlLh an lncreaslng, worldwlde curloslLy
abouL Chlna presenL a conLenL balance challenge.

V|s|on:
nC1A's foundlng vlslon focused on u.S. sLudenLs engaged ln an energeLlc sLudy of LasL Asla
Lhrough Lhe efforLs of educaLors who had successfully compleLed nC1A semlnars. ldeally and
ldeallsLlcally, Lhe vlslon almed Lo lnclude all u.S. sLudenLs.

vlslblllLy and dlssemlnaLlon are areas rlpe for collaboraLlon beLween nC1A and Lhe !-CenLer.

20

Higher Education Working Group Summary

SLephen nussbaum
ulrecLor of SLudenL lnLernaLlonal Academlc Affalrs & SLudy Abroad Cfflce
unlverslLy of llllnols

LeL me brlefly lnLroduce myself. l have been forLunaLe Lo have served ln poslLlons of leadershlp
ln Lhe developmenL of lnLernaLlonal educaLlon aL Larlham College, Waseda unlverslLy, and Lhe
unlverslLy of llllnols. l have also worked wlLh many consorLla ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes and Asla,
several of whlch are focused ln Lhe Amerlcan MldwesL.
1hroughouL my career l have been deeply lnLeresLed ln llberal educaLlon and have undersLood
LhaL Lo mean educaLlon Lo supporL Lhe developmenL of broadly educaLed, LhoughLful clLlzens -
clLlzens who are engaged wlLh Lhe worlds ln whlch Lhey llve. Such engagemenL cerLalnly
lncludes Lhe world of work and soclal responslblllLles. lL also lncludes Lhe world of Lhe
lmaglnaLlon and Lhe quallLles of lmaglnaLlon permlLLlng us -- our sLudenLs and our clLlzens -- Lo
grasp Lhe world boLh as lL ls and as lL mlghL be. ln recenL years as more and more lnformaLlon
has become avallable Lo us, Lhls lmaglnaLlve grasplng of Lhe world has become much more
complex. 1oday, more Lhan ever, we need clLlzens who noL only undersLand dlfference, buL
who can move easlly, qulckly, and effecLlvely beLween dlsLanL culLures. losLerlng Lhe
developmenL of such clLlzens ls, of course, one of Lhe essenLlal challenges of Loday's
governmenLs and of our lnsLlLuLlons of hlgher educaLlon.
unforLunaLely, ln recenL years we have also seen a dramaLlc drop ln Lhe number of !apanese
sLudenLs pursulng degrees abroad. 1hls ls especlally Lrue of Lhose seeklng degrees from u.S.
lnsLlLuLlons. We have also wlLnessed a marked shlfL Loward one Lo Lhree week programs among
parLlclpanLs ln sLudy abroad Lravellng beLween boLh counLrles. 1hls means we are wlLnesslng a
marked reLreaL, among our sLudenLs and unlverslLles, ln subsLanLlve sklll-based engagemenLs
wlLh each oLher.
ln response Lo Lhese Lrends and Lhe needs of our socleLles, we need Lo develop new meLhods
for glvlng prlorlLy, wlLhln our lnsLlLuLlons of hlgher educaLlon, Lo Lhe relaLlons beLween Lhe
unlLed SLaLes and !apan. And as parL of Lhls, we need Lo esLabllsh susLalnable relaLlons beLween
many more colleges and unlverslLles ln Lhese counLrles.

21

We need Lo work wlLh Lhe leaders of lnsLlLuLlons of hlgher educaLlon provldlng Lhem, ln effecL,
wlLh roadmaps for advanclng lnLernaLlonal educaLlon, noL excluslvely aL Lhe level of educaLlng
lndlvldual sLudenLs, buL raLher ln Lerms of how Lhey mlghL serve Lhelr sLudenLs and advance
Lhelr lnsLlLuLlonal mlsslons by sLraLeglcally llnklng wlLh parLner lnsLlLuLlons ln !apan or Lhe
unlLed SLaLes. As we encourage Lhe leaders of our lnsLlLuLlons Lo Lhlnk abouL Lhe needs of Lhelr
sLudenLs, we need Lo encourage Lhem also Lo Lhlnk deeply abouL Lhe needs of sLudenLs
elsewhere as well as Lhe needs of faculLy and sLaff. And as Lhey seek ouL parLner lnsLlLuLlons ln
!apan - or ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes - we need Lo asslsL Lhem ln Lhls Lask. ln all of Lhls, Lhe leaders of
our lnsLlLuLlons need Lo place lssues of quallLy learnlng and engagemenL as Lhelr Lop prlorlLy.
And Lhey need Lo be aware of Lhe challenges Lhelr sLudenLs face ln acqulrlng hlgh level of
proflclency ln Lhese languages.
llnally, Lhey need Lo be concerned wlLh engaglng sLudenLs wlLh local communlLles and wlLh
bulldlng on Lhe larger and very rlch neLwork of lnsLlLuLlons already faclllLaLlng relaLlons beLween
Lhe unlLed SLaLes and !apan- represenLaLlves of whlch are gaLhered here Loday.
lorLunaLely, slnce we are bulldlng on 60 years of hard and collaboraLlve work by many
educaLors ln !apan and Lhe unlLed SLaLes, all of Lhls sLrlkes me a raLher easy Lhlng Lo do. We
share a greaL deal of know-how abouL Leachlng dlsLanL, non-cognaLe languages and abouL
engaglng our sLudenLs ln Lhe complex Lask of learnlng how Lo communlcaLe wlLh each oLher -
how Lo communlcaLe ln Lhe oLher person's language and ln Lhe nelghborhood where he or she
llves.

22
J-Conference Panelist Reports: Higher Education

Commun|ty Co||eges for Internat|ona| Deve|opment, Inc.
Llz 8ergeron
rogram ulrecLor

Cverv|ew:
CClu ls a 36-year old non-proflL membershlp organlzaLlon LhaL provldes an lnLernaLlonal
neLwork for communlLy and Lechnlcal colleges Lo furLher Lhelr lnLernaLlonallzaLlon lnlLlaLlves
and Lo enhance Lhe developmenL of a globally compeLenL workforce Lor Lhe communlLles Lhey
serve. As an organlzaLlon drlven by CommunlLy College presldenLs, CClu has Lhe supporL of and
Lhe access Lo Lhe key declslon makers who commlL Llme and resources necessary Lo creaLe a
welcomlng and supporLlve envlronmenL for lnLernaLlonal sLudenLs and scholars. CClu ls an
afflllaLe councll of Lhe Amerlcan AssoclaLlon of CommunlLy Colleges wlLh an lnLernaLlonal
neLwork LhaL prlorlLlzes servlng sysLems dedlcaLed Lo access, affordablllLy, quallLy and Lhe global
perspecLlve as key componenLs of hlgher educaLlon.

All of CClu u.S. member lnsLlLuLlons are fully accredlLed, ensurlng LhaL credlLs earned are
recognlzed aL u.S. 4-year unlverslLles should sLudenLs declde Lo compleLe a bachelor's degree or
beyond. AddlLlonally, programs wlLhln Lhe areas above LhaL provlde llcenslng or cerLlflcaLlon are
governed by u.S. professlonal assoclaLlons LhaL granLlng quallLy assured moblle credenLlals.

rogramm|ng:
CClu provldes global programs and servlces ln Lhe followlng caLegorles:
neLworklng & arLnershlps
CapaclLy 8ulldlng for lnLernaLlonallzaLlon
lnLernaLlonal uevelopmenL
MoblllLy

Strengths:
1he sLrengLh of CClu as an organlzaLlon derlves from Lwo sources: organlzaLlonal phllosophy and
dlverslLy. CClu operaLes Lhrough a 8oard of 27 colleges (represenLed by Lhelr resldenLs) LhaL
are a cross secLlon of Lhe Lop communlLy colleges ln Lhe u.S. and elsewhere around Lhe world
(see www.ccld.cc). 1he selecLlon process for 8oard membershlp ensures noL only a dlverslLy of
core members Lo beLLer serve Lhe needs of Lhe developlng world buL a pool of hlghly quallfled
colleges wlLh Lhe resources Lo execuLe Lhe CClu mlsslon of susLalnable lnLernaLlonal
developmenL. CClu's 8oard chooses Lhe presldenL, who operaLes as Lhe organlzaLlon's chlef
execuLlve offlcer.

23

lor nearly 40 years CClu has been lnsLrumenLal ln lncreaslng lnLernaLlonal programs aL
communlLy and Lechnlcal colleges around Lhe world and ln supporLlng counLrles as Lhey develop
communlLy college sysLems or Lralnlng programs. Maklng hlgher educaLlon accesslble Lo people
from all backgrounds and soclo-economlc levels ls Lhe core of our mlsslon. 1he power of Lhe
consorLlum promoLes knowledge sharlng LhaL ls so crlLlcal ln our fleld, allowlng CClu Lo
conLrlbuLe sysLemaLlc meLhods and susLalnable models LhaL are desperaLely needed ln Lhls
segmenL of workforce and hlgher educaLlon around Lhe world.

Cha||enges:
CClu faces challenges on Lhe global and local fronLs. Clobally, Lhe communlLy college model ls
ofLen mlsundersLood. 1erms llke open access," Lransfer," sLudenL cenLered learnlng" and
assoclaLes degree" are noL ofLen parL Lhe hlgher educaLlon sysLems ln oLher counLrles. u.S.
accredlLaLlon and Lhe decenLrallzed approach Lo hlgher educaLlon ofLen requlre much aLLenLlon
before Lhe value and funcLlon of Lhe communlLy college ls reallzed and Lhe aLLenLlon Lo quallLy
and relevance ls appreclaLed. AnoLher challenge ln undersLandlng LhaL Lhe communlLy college
addresses Lhe skllls gap and economlc developmenL lssues LhaL many developlng counLrles face.
Much aLLenLlon and fundlng ls allocaLed Lo research and graduaLe level work, yeL pracLlcal
Lechnlcal and vocaLlonal educaLlon are whaL aLLracL developmenL and whaL wlll enable young
people Lo work.

Cn Lhe local fronL, CClu works hard Lo combaL Lhe mlspercepLlon LhaL Lhe local communlLy
colleges do noL have Lo reacL Lo Lhe forces of globallzaLlon. 1he secLors seelng growLh are Lhose
LhaL are engaglng globally. 8uL Lhese secLors hlre locally. CommunlLy college leaders and boards
musL commlL Lo lnLernaLlonallzlng Lhelr campuses lf Lhey are golng Lo produce graduaLes LhaL
are prepared for and can conLrlbuLe Lo Lhls new reallLy.

V|s|on:
CClu would llke Lo see an lncrease ln parLnershlps and moblllLy programs beLween Lhe u.S. and
!apan. As more !apanese sLudenLs are seeklng affordable enLry polnLs Lo hlgher educaLlon ln Lhe
u.S., communlLy colleges can provlde Lhe quallLy educaLlon Lhey seek coupled wlLh sLrong
Lransfer agreemenLs for bachelor's degree compleLlon. Llkewlse, as more u.S. communlLy
colleges recognlze Lhe need Lo lnLernaLlonallze Lhelr campuses, Lhere wlll be lncreased lnLeresL
ln sLudenL, faculLy, and admlnlsLraLor exchanges ln Lechnlcal, vocaLlonal, and Lechnlcal flelds.

CClu ls pleased Lo have represenLaLlon from !apan on lLs board Lhrough Lhe !lkel Croup, whlch
shares Lhe mlsslon and values of Lhe CClu uS communlLy colleges and adds a very sLrong
emphasls on global educaLlon. 1he changlng soclal and economlc cllmaLes ln !apan are causlng
hlgher educaLlon provlders Lo ad[usL Leachlng and learnlng pracLlces. As Lhe uS sLruggles wlLh
much of Lhe same, Lhere would be greaL beneflLs ln havlng Lhe !-CenLer asslsL ln brlnglng
LogeLher leaders represenLlng !lkel and CClu Lo dlalogue, share lnnovaLlve soluLlons, and form
parLnershlps LhaL can supporL lnLernaLlonallzaLlon efforLs ln boLh sysLems.

24

Ioetsu Un|vers|ty of Lducat|on
ur. 1oko lgarashl
rofessor

Cverv|ew:
Slnce lLs foundaLlon ln 1978, !oeLsu unlverslLy of LducaLlon has focused on advanclng educaLlon
ln Leachlng along wlLh a core mlsslon of faclllLaLlng sLudenL develop wlLh global and
lnLernaLlonally orlenLed worldvlews. !oeLsu sLudenLs vlslL schools ln forelgn counLrles every
year and have made presenLaLlons ln Lhe hosL counLry slnce 2000 (slnce 2004 ln lowa ClLy).

rogramm|ng:
1wo-week abroad program for undergraduaLe and masLer sLudenLs, four-week
lnLernshlp program for masLer sLudenLs, and 3-12 monLhs abroad program ln Lhe uSA,
Lngland, malnland Chlna, and oLher counLrles.
AsslsLlng sLudenLs and Leachers ln Lhe communlLy Lo learn dlfferenL culLures, and
sub[ecLs learnlng, faclllLaLlng lnLernaLlonal sLudenLs Lo lnLeracL wlLh communlLy.

Strengths:
Currlculum developmenL for elemenLary school sLudenLs, undergraduaLe and masLer sLudenLs Lo
experlence lnLernaLlonal lnLeracLlon.

Cha||enges:
laclllLaLe sLudenLs' language developmenL, recrulL parLlclpanLs for lnLernaLlonal acLlvlLles ln
!apan and ln abroad, supporL Lhelr learnlng experlences, and arrange flnanclal supporL.

V|s|on:
uevelop sLudenLs and Leachers lnLeracLlve program.

SupporL Lo develop lnLernaLlonal Leachlng lnLernshlp
uevelop Leachers' lnLeracLlon program

25

Wash|ngton Un|vers|ty |n St. Lou|s
ueparLmenL of LasL Aslan Languages & CulLures, !apan SecLlon
Clnger Marcus
Senlor LecLurer ln !apanese and CoordlnaLor, !apanese Language rogram

Cverv|ew:
1he !apanese SecLlon ls one of Lhree secLlons housed ln Lhe ueparLmenL of LasL Aslan Languages
and CulLures aL WashlngLon unlverslLy ln SL. Louls, Lhe oLher Lwo are Chlnese and korean. 1he
ueparLmenL began Lo offer !apanese language classes ln Lhe laLe 1930s. CurrenLly Lhe !apanese
SecLlon ls comprlsed of Lhree full-Llme lecLurers of modern language and Lhree Lenure-llne
faculLy ln llLeraLure. lL offers a ma[or and a mlnor ln !apanese Language and CulLure, an MA ln
!apanese Language and LlLeraLure, a 8A and an MA ln LasL Aslan SLudles (also housed ln Lhe
ueparLmenL), and h.us ln !apanese LlLeraLure or ComparaLlve LlLeraLure. 1he slx faculLy
members ln Lhe !apan SecLlon LogeLher Leach 1sL- Lhrough 4Lh-Level modern !apanese, pre-
modern !apanese, and courses ln !apanese llLeraLure and culLure. AfflllaLed faculLy offer courses
ln !apanese hlsLory.

rogramm|ng:
ln 2010 we recelved a Mellon-Sawyer granL Lo fund a semlnar serles LlLled !apan Lmbodled: new
Approaches Lo !apanese SLudles, offered over Lhe pasL Lwo years. resenLaLlons have dealL wlLh
alLernaLlve 'readlngs' of Lhe body from llLerary, arLlsLlc, and performaLlve perspecLlves. 1he
semlnar serles has been exLended for an addlLlonal Lwo years. We also sponsor a number of
!apan-relaLed lecLures LhroughouL Lhe academlc year. lor example, ln CcLober, Lhe 13Lh Annual
nelson Wu Memorlal LecLure wlll be glven by ?uklo LlpplL, rofessor of PlsLory of ArL and
ArchlLecLure aL Parvard unlverslLy. ln addlLlon Lo Lhese speclal evenLs, on a monLhly basls we
offer oLher exLracurrlcular evenLs, such as a !apanese fllm serles and a slmulaLed !apanese cafe
for speakers of !apanese. All of Lhese evenLs are open Lo Lhe communlLy.

Strengths:
1hrough our performance-based currlculum, sLudenLs (boLh undergraduaLe and graduaLe) can
achleve a level of proflclency ln spoken and wrlLLen !apanese LhaL wlll allow Lhem Lo lnLeracL
comforLably wlLh naLlve speakers of !apanese afLer four years of sLudy. 1he !apanese
llLeraLure/culLure currlculum seeks Lo relnforce an undersLandlng of cruclal and endurlng
culLural values whlle fosLerlng an appreclaLlon of !apan's remarkable aesLheLlc herlLage.
CraduaLes of our undergraduaLe program have gone on Lo earn h.u.s ln !apan-relaLed flelds
(llLeraLure, hlsLory, law, 8uddhlsm) and now hold unlverslLy poslLlons. 1he ma[orlLy, however,
have pursued careers ln lnLernaLlonal buslness, banklng, medla, Lrade, and secondary-school
Leachlng. Cur docLoral alumnl are now Lenured and servlng as deparLmenLal chalrs (Llnfleld
College and CeLLysburg Colllege) or hold posLdocLoral poslLlons. 1hey Leach !apanese language,
llLeraLure and culLure and have elLher developed or expanded Lhelr ma[or programs ln !apanese.
1hus, we lmpacL Lhe fleld of !apanese SLudles ln varlous venues.

26

Cha||enges:
Whlle sLudenLs are eager Lo sLudy Loplcs such as !apanese pop culLure, fllm, buslness, law, arL
hlsLory and archlLecLure, we do noL have faculLy who can Leach Lhese courses, nor ls Lhe
unlverslLy plannlng Lo add any new faculLy llnes ln !apanese SLudles. Cur Lwo Lenured faculLy
members noL only Leach undergraduaLe and graduaLe courses, Lhey also hold admlnlsLraLlve
poslLlons. Cur !apan hlsLorlan has a [olnL appolnLmenL ln PlsLory and ln lnLernaLlonal and Area
SLudles. Llkewlse, ln Lhe language program, we are shorL-handed. LecLurers are Leachlng ln Lhree
courses, and Lhey all are ln charge of elLher one or Lwo courses. 8ecause one of our full-Llme
lecLurer poslLlons was ellmlnaLed ln lall 2011, we are no longer able Lo offer 3Lh-Level Modern
!apanese and a requlred graduaLe-level semlnar/pracLlcum ln !apanese language pedagogy, and
we have had Lo cuL back on Lhe number of conLacL hours ln 1sL -and 2nd-Level Modern
!apanese. 1o compound Lhe problem, one of our Lenure-llne faculLy members wlll be on leave
Lhls comlng year, and she wlll noL be replaced.

We have seen a sllghL decllne ln enrollmenLs ln Lhe language courses slnce 2006, buL currenLly
abouL Lhe same number of sLudenLs are sLudylng !apanese as ln Lhe year 2000. ln llLeraLure
classes, Loo, enrollmenLs are down somewhaL. Powever, Lhe !apanese CulLure and ClvlllzaLlon
course aLLracLs abouL 80 sLudenLs annually. We are sLruggllng wlLh: 1) Lhe need for more faculLy
Lo aLLracL a larger pool of sLudenLs wlLh broad lnLeresLs, and 2) meeLlng Lhe needs of our
advanced language learners and Lhe graduaLe sLudenLs ln our MA and h.u. programs.

V|s|on:
ldeally, when our enrollmenLs are more robusL, we wlll be able Lo hlre anoLher full-Llme lecLurer
and reLurn Lo our prevlous level of offerlngs ln Lhe language program. ln order Lo grow and
lmprove !apanese SLudles aL WashlngLon unlverslLy, we envlslon a fuLure wlLh more !apan
faculLy ln flelds LhaL complemenL our currenL sLrengLhs ln Lhe humanlLles, buL we musL be
prepared Lo make do wlLh whaL we have. 1he ldeal scenarlo, however, would also lnclude
addlLlonal hlres ln Lhe soclal sclences- anLhropology and/or pollLlcal sclence, for example. 1o
LhaL end, we may seek exLernal fundlng Lhrough Lhe !apan loundaLlon's lnsLlLuLlonal SupporL
ro[ecL CranL, whlch would allow faculLy hlres or posLdocs ln hlsLory, arL hlsLory, or fllm and
medla sLudles. We are currenLly worklng on esLabllshlng a !apan SLudles Alllance wlLh
colleagues aL Lhe unlverslLy of Mlssourl-SL. Louls, wlLh Lhe alm of encouraglng collaboraLlon
beLween our faculLles and Lo promoLe !apanese SLudles ln SL. Louls and ln Lhe MldwesL.

ldeally, Lhe !-CenLer could fund evenLs and programs LhaL would help us aLLracL and malnLaln
sLudenLs ln our classes and enrlch our currlculum. erhaps Lhe !-CenLer could provlde us wlLh
arLlsLs, scholars, or professlonals who could presenL Lhelr work or experLlse on our campus on a
shorL-Lerm basls, and we could open Lhese evenLs Lo Lhe communlLy. WlLh lLs Lles Lo many
organlzaLlons and consLlLuencles LhaL deal wlLh u.S.-!apan relaLlons, Lhe !-CenLer could help us
provlde supporL for our sLudenLs ln Lhe form of lnLernshlps elLher ln !apan or Lhe u.S.

27

kyoto Consort|um for Iapanese Stud|es (kCIS)
Clnger Marcus
lormer Covernlng 8oard Chalr, WashlngLon unlverslLy ln SL. Louls 8oard
8epresenLaLlve

Cverv|ew:
kC!S was esLabllshed ln 1989 as a consorLlum of Amerlcan unlverslLles (currenLly 14) LhaL
sponsors a Lwo-semesLer sLudy abroad program for undergraduaLes. lL ls based aL uoshlsha
unlverslLy ln kyoLo, governed by Lhe kC!S Covernlng 8oard, and admlnlsLered by 1he Cfflce of
Clobal rograms aL Columbla unlverslLy. Members of Lhe consorLlum are: 8osLon unlverslLy,
8rown unlverslLy, unlverslLy of Chlcago, Columbla unlverslLy/8arnard College, Cornell
unlverslLy, Lmory unlverslLy, Parvard unlverslLy, unlverslLy of ennsylvanla, rlnceLon
unlverslLy, SLanford unlverslLy, WashlngLon unlverslLy ln SL. Louls, and ?ale unlverslLy ln
assoclaLlon wlLh Lhe unlverslLy of Mlchlgan and Lhe unlverslLy of vlrglnla. 1he program serves
approxlmaLely 43 sLudenLs per semesLer, all of whom have sLudled !apanese for aL leasL Lwo
years or lLs equlvalenL prlor Lo golng Lo !apan. Language classes meeL Lwo hours per day for Lwo
13-week semesLers. SLudenLs also Lake dlsclpllnary" courses LhaL are enrlched by Lhe hlsLorlcal
and culLural resources ln kyoLo. 1hey llve ln homesLays or aparLmenLs, and parLlclpaLe ln Lhe
CommunlLy lnvolvemenL rogram (Cl).

rogramm|ng:
1he kyoLo communlLy ls very much an lnLegral componenL of Lhe kC!S experlence. SLudenLs ln
Lhe kC!S are requlred Lo be lnvolved ln Lhe communlLy Lhrough Lhe CommunlLy lnvolvemenL
rogram. SLudenLs meeL Lhe Cl requlremenL Lhrough such acLlvlLles as volunLeer work, [olnlng
a unlverslLy clrcle," or sLudylng a !apanese arL form wlLh a menLor. 1hroughouL Lhe academlc
year, Lhe kC!S hosLs a guesL speaker serles Lo whlch Lhe publlc ls lnvlLed. lleld Lrlps, excurslons,
workshops, and soclal evenLs ln kyoLo enrlch Lhe dally llves of Lhe sLudenLs. A very lmporLanL
componenL of Lhe kC!S experlence ls Lhe homesLay, and Lhe kC!S malnLalns close relaLlons wlLh
Lhe homesLay famllles ln Lhe communlLy. ln addlLlon, kC!S classes are open Lo sLudenLs from
uoshlsha and kyoLo unlverslLy. ApproxlmaLely 20 !apanese sLudenLs Lake classes aL kC!S for
academlc credlL.

Strengths:
1he kC!S ls an academlcally rlgorous program for sLudenLs who wlsh Lo hone Lhelr language
skllls and Lo sLudy abouL !apan--lLs hlsLory, pollLlcs, economy, arLs, llLeraLure, eLc. 1he language
program, whlch lncludes Lhe CommunlLy lnvolvemenL rogram, forms Lhe core of Lhe sLudy
abroad experlence, buL Lhe whole experlence of sLudylng ln kyoLo has a Lremendous lmpacL on
Lhe llves of kC!S sLudenLs. lL ls clearly a llfe-changlng experlence for mosL sLudenLs. 1here are
close Lo 1000 alumnl of kC!S. Many have gone on Lo careers relaLed Lo !apan. Some are now
professors of !apanese Lhemselves, oLhers have pursued careers ln lnLernaLlonal buslness, law,
pollLlcs, medlclne, archlLecLure, arL, eLc.

28

Cha||enges:
1here are Lwo very Lroubllng Lrends challenglng kC!S: 1. for a number of reasons, appllcaLlons
and enrollmenLs for A?2012-13 have decllned dramaLlcally, 2. Lhe value of Lhe yen vs. Lhe dollar
has made Lhe program prohlblLlvely expenslve for sLudenLs and flnanclally problemaLlc for Lhe
Covernlng 8oard.

V|s|on:
8eglnnlng ln Lhe summer of 2009, Lhe kC!S has a summer program ln advanced and classlcal
!apanese. AppllcaLlons have sLeadlly lncreased and Lhe program seems Lo be well on lLs way Lo
becomlng one of Lhe premler summer programs ln advanced/classlcal !apanese. lL ls Lhe only
lnLenslve summer program ln classlcal !apanese Lo my knowledge. 1he program recelves
ongolng supporL from Lhe CenLer for Clobal arLnershlps Lo provlde scholarshlps for sLudenLs.
1he academlc year program used Lo recelve supporL from Lhe !apan loundaLlon buL fundlng
ended some years ago. 1he polnL l wlsh Lo make here ls: glven Lhe currenL economlc slLuaLlon,
and wlLh fewer and fewer sLudenLs from ellLe u.S. lnsLlLuLlons sLudylng !apanese and
commlLLlng Lhemselves Lo sLudy abroad, Lhere needs Lo be more exLernal resources for supporL
for Lhe kC!S academlc year experlence, one of Lhe mosL expenslve sLudy abroad programs ln Lhe
world on our campuses.

1he !-CenLer can promoLe Lhe work of Lhe kC!S by addlng lnformaLlon abouL sLudy abroad
programs and scholarshlp resources on lLs webslLe.

29

ALLLk Ioundat|on
1homas Mason !r.
resldenL & LxecuLlve ulrecLor

Cverv|ew:
1he ALLLx loundaLlon places professlonally Lralned !apanese Leachers aL unlverslLles across Lhe
unlLed SLaLes where Lhey Leach !apanese language courses ln exchange for LulLlon, room, and
board walvers.

1he prlmary mlsslon of Lhe ALLLx loundaLlon ls Lo advance global undersLandlng and
lnLerculLural exchange Lhrough educaLlon. We fulflll Lhls mlsslon wlLh programs LhaL encourage
Lhe esLabllshmenL of hlgh quallLy LasL Aslan language programs aL educaLlonal lnsLlLuLlons ln Lhe
u.S. AL Lhe same Llme, our programs offer unlque sLudy abroad opporLunlLles for Chlnese,
!apanese and 1alwanese naLlonals.

We belleve LhaL learnlng a forelgn language ls Lhe gaLeway Lo undersLandlng oLher culLures, and
LhaL Lralnlng experL language Leachers goes hand ln hand wlLh propagaLlng forelgn language
sLudy. We promoLe Lhe learnlng of Aslan languages by Amerlcan sLudenLs, and we open Lhe
door for Aslans Lo enLer Lhe Amerlcan educaLlonal sysLem as boLh Leachers and sLudenLs and Lo
become experL language Leachers.

1he !apanese program was founded as Lxchange:!apan ln 1988. 8eorganlzed as Lhe Alllance for
Language Learnlng and LducaLlonal Lxchange (ALLLx) ln 2003, Lhe Chlnese program was
lnLroduced ln 2006.

rogramm|ng:
1he flagshlp program of ALLLx, Lhe 1eachlng AssoclaLe rogram, remalns a slmple buL powerful
ldea: We enable unlverslLles Lo begln and malnLaln hlgh quallLy Chlnese and !apanese language
programs by provldlng Lhem wlLh professlonally Lralned lnsLrucLors who Leach ln exchange for
Lhe opporLunlLy Lo sLudy for masLer's or second bachelor's degree. lor lnsLlLuLlons LhaL already
have esLabllshed Aslan language programs, Lhe ALLLx loundaLlon offers a one-year opLlon
deslgned as a cosL-effecLlve way Lo replace faculLy on leave, expand course offerlngs, add drlll
lnsLrucLors, or sLaff ad[uncL poslLlons.

ALLLx recrulLs and screens Lhe candldaLes, Lhen sends Lhem for an lnLenslve 2-monLh Lralnlng
program run Lhrough Lhe ALLLx Chlnese and !apanese 1eacher 1ralnlng ConsorLlum, comprlsed
of Chlo SLaLe, orLland SLaLe, Cornell, and WashlngLon unlverslLy-SL. Louls.

30

Strengths:
1he ALLLx loundaLlon (wlLh lLs predecessor Lxchange:!apan) has been a LransformaLlonal force
ln lnsLlLuLlng LasL Aslan language courses aL Amerlcan unlverslLles, and ln recrulLlng and Lralnlng
!apanese and Chlnese sLudenLs Lo become professlonal language Leachers. Cver 160 unlverslLles
have used our Leachers Lo sLarL new language programs or Lo enhance language offerlngs. More
Lhan 600 lnsLrucLors have been Lralned and placed aL Amerlcan unlverslLles, and a large
percenLage have compleLed masLer's degrees whlle Leachlng. More Lhan 73 former ALLLx
lnsLrucLors are sLlll Leachlng ln Lhe fleld, and some have gone on Lo earn h.u.s, and
professorshlps aL places such as Cornell, Parvard, PamllLon, M.l.1., Mlddlebury, and Wellesley.
lL ls lmposslble Lo say how many Lhousands of Amerlcan college sLudenLs have sLudled !apanese
and Chlnese wlLh ALLLx lnsLrucLors. 1here are cerLalnly scores of unlverslLles where Lhese
languages would noL have been offered wlLhouL Lhe asslsLance of ALLLx.

Cha||enges:
1oday Lhe ALLLx loundaLlon ls flourlshlng as lL fllls Lhe ever-growlng demand for Chlnese
language Leachers aL posL-secondary and k-12 lnsLlLuLlons. AL Lhe same Llme, we can see Lhree
Lrends LhaL cause us concern:
1) 1he flnanclal pressures LhaL unlverslLles aL all levels are experlenclng ls ofLen meL wlLh a
blankeL shuL-down of all new programs. We work wlLh many schools LhaL wanL Lo move
forward wlLh Aslan languages, buL can'L aL Lhls Llme."
2) 8udgeLary concerns of course push deans Lo look for Lhe weak llnks" ln Lhelr programs,
and language deparLmenLs, whlch ofLen have lower enrollmenLs and hlgher
faculLy/sLudenL raLlos, are someLlmes seen as easy LargeLs for cuLbacks. ln parLlcular, we
have seen schools where Lhey are Lhlnklng of addlng Chlnese aL Lhe expense of cuLLlng
esLabllshed !apanese programs.
3) CloballzaLlon and Lhe rlse of Asla are pushlng unlverslLles Lo lncrease Aslan sLudles. 8uL
enrollmenL pressures cause some Lo look for ways Lhey can look more aLLracLlve Lo
appllcanLs. Loosenlng or ellmlnaLlng language requlremenLs may be mlsgulded, buL
some schools see lL as a selllng polnL for undergraduaLes.

V|s|on:
uL slmply, Lhe ldeal scenarlo ln our secLor would be an lncreased number of Amerlcan
unlverslLles offerlng !apanese language. We would also llke Lo see a slgnlflcanL lncrease ln
lnLeresL on Lhe parL of young !apanese sLudenLs ln sLudylng ln Lhe u.S.

We meeL many lnsLlLuLlons LhaL would llke Lo offer !apanese language, buL don'L Lhlnk Lhey can
afford lL. lf Lhe !-CenLer can help Lo lnform mld-wesLern schools LhaL ALLLx can provlde Lhem
wlLh Lralned Leachers aL a mlnlmal cosL, lL would be mosL helpful.

Cn Lhe oLher slde of Lhe aclflc, a poslLlve efforL musL be underLaken Lo encourage !apanese
sLudenLs Lo Lake up sLudy ln Amerlca. 1he dwlndllng number of !apanese sLudenLs comlng Lo Lhe
u.S. ls a serlous concern, and Lhe !-CenLer ls Lhe perfecL venue Lo address Lhls problem.

31

Iapan Center for M|ch|gan Un|vers|t|es (ICMU)
kaLe L. Slmon
rogram ulrecLor

Cverv|ew:
1he !apan CenLer for Mlchlgan unlverslLles (!CMu) was esLabllshed ln 1989 as a consorLlum of
13 publlc unlverslLles ln Mlchlgan seeklng Lo creaLe sLudy abroad experlences ln !apan for
Mlchlgan sLudenLs. Worklng wlLh Mlchlgan's slsLer-sLaLe, Shlga refecLure, Lhe unlverslLles
creaLed a faclllLy ln Plkone, !apan, Lhus provldlng Lhe lnfrasLrucLure and lnsLrucLlonal capaclLy Lo
effecLlvely educaLe undergraduaLe and graduaLe sLudenLs ln !apanese language, hlsLory,
rellglon, pollLlcs, geography, healLh care, envlronmenLal and culLural sLudles.

rogramm|ng:
1he !CMu core currlculum conslsLs of lnLenslve !apanese language educaLlon for Amerlcans and
Lngllsh language educaLlon for !apanese clLlzens. !CMu offers lLs !apanese lnLenslve language
programs LhroughouL Lhe year, lncludlng summer, semesLer-long, and academlc year formaLs.
AddlLlonally, !CMu offers May shorL programs on varlous Loplcs ln !apanese sLudles,
career/culLure hybrld programs ln LnvlronmenLal Sclence, ComparaLlve PealLh Care, and
PosplLallLy & 1ourlsm, as well as a Summer lnLernshlp rogram for sLudenLs wlLh advanced
!apanese language ablllLles who wlsh Lo pracLlce Lhelr language skllls ln a professlonal seLLlng.
lor Lhe !apanese, !CMu offers a wlde varleLy of Lngllsh language courses for parLlclpanLs from
preschool Lo senlor clLlzens who wlsh Lo lmprove Lhelr Lngllsh.

Strengths:
!CMu has educaLed over 2,400 sLudenLs ln !apanese language and culLure. ln 2009, a group of
pasL parLlclpanLs worked wlLh !CMu Lo creaLe Lhe !CMu Alumnl AssoclaLlon. Many of our alumnl
conLlnue Lo be engaged wlLh !apan, ofLen worklng ln flelds and lndusLrles where Lhey use Lhelr
!apanese language skllls regularly. !CMu's lmpacL can be felL ln Mlchlgan - mosL recenLly, a
group of !CMu parLlclpanLs successfully peLlLloned Lhe admlnlsLraLlon of norLhern Mlchlgan
unlverslLy, leadlng Lo Lhe flrsL !apanese language class offered on campus. Across Mlchlgan,
!apanese language ma[or and mlnor programs conLlnue Lo be robusL, wlLh LasLern Mlchlgan and
Cakland unlverslLles esLabllshlng ma[ors ln !apanese ln Lhe pasL 10 years. !CMu's lmpacLs are
also felL by oLher lnsLlLuLlons: afflllaLe and cooperaLlve membershlp has grown Lo lnclude publlc
and prlvaLe schools from Mlchlgan, Mlssourl, new ?ork, norLh Carollna and 1exas. !CMu's
lnnovaLlon ln currlculum deslgn was honored ln 2009 by Arlzona SLaLe unlverslLy, who selecLed
!CMu as one of four reclplenLs of Lhe lnLernaLlonal Award for lnnovaLlon ln Plgher LducaLlon.
1he MonLerey lnsLlLuLe of lnLernaLlonal SLudles (MllS) ln Callfornla also recognlzed !CMu's
excellence ln upper-level language educaLlon, slgnlng an agreemenL wlLh !CMu ln 2009 Lo
esLabllsh a new scholarshlp opporLunlLy for !CMu alumnl who aLLend MllS' graduaLe programs.

32

Cha||enges:
1he weak economy ls by far Lhe greaLesL challenge for !CMu. We are keenly affecLed by Lhe
exchange raLe, as mosL of our revenue ls collecLed ln u.S. dollars, buL our expendlLures are
largely ln yen. AddlLlonally, many of our sLudenLs sLruggle wlLh Lhe flnanclal burdens of sLudy
abroad. llnances are Lhe maln reason for sLudenL wlLhdrawals from our programs. !ob losses, a
lack of adequaLe flnanclal asslsLance and anxleLy abouL Lhe value of sLudy abroad when
compared Lo Lhe cosL all affecL our sLudenLs, and, ln Lurn, our programs. 8lslng alrfare prlces are
also a concern, especlally for sLudenLs who are Lrylng Lo budgeL for Lhelr sLudy abroad
experlence.

V|s|on:
We conLlnue Lo see avld lnLeresL ln !apan and !apanese sLudles from our sLudenLs and belleve
LhaL Lhe appeal of !apanese sLudles and Lhe frlendshlp beLween Lhe unlLed SLaLes and !apan wlll
conLlnue Lo be sLrong. We would ldeally llke Lo see a sLronger paLh of sLudy for !apanese
language from Lhe k-12 sysLem Lhrough Lo college and career. AL !CMu, we endeavor Lo
culLlvaLe relaLlonshlps wlLh k-12 schools, cooperaLlve lnsLlLuLlons, new sLakeholders and
communlLy members on boLh sldes of Lhe aclflc. ln parLlcular, we are worklng Lo lncrease
alumnl engagemenL, advance our fundralslng efforLs Lo provlde more flnanclal ald opLlons for
our sLudenLs, reach ouL Lo schools beyond Mlchlgan, and expand our Lngllsh language program
opLlons for !apanese clLlzens, such as Lhe kokunalryugaku (ln- counLry sLudy abroad") so as Lo
merge our !apanese and Lngllsh programs Lo greaL effecL. We hope LhaL Lhese acLlvlLles wlll help
Lo lnsplre !apanese sLudenLs Lo sLudy abroad ln Lhe u.S., as well as Lo help elucldaLe Lhe value of
forelgn language educaLlon Lo boLh Amerlcan and !apanese consLlLuenLs allke.

We belleve LhaL Lhe !-CenLer wlll provlde and excellenL nexus for neLworklng LhroughouL Lhe
MldwesL, especlally helplng us Lo connecL Lo k-12 schools as well as colleges, unlverslLles and
communlLy organlzaLlons ouLslde of Mlchlgan. 1he !- CenLer can help us Lo lncrease our
exposure Lo posslble sLakeholders Lhrough hosLlng conferences and relaLed evenLs. lL would also
be exclLlng Lo lncrease our poLenLlal Lo hosL researchers and oLher scholars aL !CMu, Lhe !-
CenLer can help us Lo connecL Lo currenL research efforLs ln !apanese sLudles.

33

Un|vers|ty of Iowa Internat|ona| rograms
rofessor uownlng 1homas
AssoclaLe rovosL and uean of lnLernaLlonal rograms

Cverv|ew:
1he unlverslLy of lowa's lnLernaLlonal rograms (l) provldes leadershlp for Lhe ul's
lnLernaLlonallzaLlon efforLs and supporL for lnLernaLlonally-orlenLed Leachlng, research, creaLlve
work and communlLy engagemenL. l ls Lhe home of numerous programs, servlces and
lnlLlaLlves LhaL asslsL sLudenLs, scholars, and faculLy as Lhey pursue lnLernaLlonal acLlvlLles,
lncludlng SLudy Abroad, lnLernaLlonal SLudenL and Scholar Servlces, fourLeen academlc
programs and cenLers, granL-wrlLlng and scholarshlp advlsors, and fundlng for lnnovaLlve
pro[ecLs and research. l, whlch ls also charged wlLh furLherlng globally-orlenLed knowledge and
acLlvlLles across Lhe sLaLe Lo help creaLe an lowa communlLy LhaL ls responslve Lo Lhe
lncreaslngly global needs and obllgaLlons of clLlzenshlp, also provldes lnLernaLlonal Classroom
!ourneys (lnLeracLlve presenLaLlons by volunLeer culLural ambassadors from around Lhe world)
Lo lowa's k-12 school chlldren, creaLes opporLunlLles for lnLerculLural dlalogue and engagemenL
beLween local communlLy members and lnLernaLlonal vlslLors, and carrles Lhe LhoughLful
dlscusslon of lnLernaLlonal Loplcs by experLs from Lhe ul and elsewhere lnLo Lhe homes of
lowans sLaLewlde Lhrough Lelevlslon and radlo broadcasLs of Lhe serles WorldCanvass.

1he mlsslon of Lhe CenLer for Aslan and aclflc SLudles (CAS), housed ln l, ls Lo supporL and
enhance Leachlng and research on Asla and Lhe aclflc reglon, and Lo reach ouL Lo sLaLewlde
populaLlons, lncludlng k-12 educaLors and Aslan communlLles ln lowa, Lo promoLe Lhe ul's
engagemenL wlLh Asla. CAS has been parLlcularly acLlve ln promoLlng Leachlng and research on
!apan, malnLalnlng a close worklng relaLlonshlp wlLh Lhe ul ueparLmenL of Aslan and Slavlc
Languages and LlLeraLures ln Lhe College of Llberal ArLs and Sclences. 1hls comlng year, we wlll
welcome Lwo new faculLy members worklng on !apan (llLeraLure and llngulsLlcs). We expecL,
once agaln, Lo see more sLudenLs apply Lo our !apanese language classes Lhan we can currenLly
accommodaLe.

rogramm|ng:
Aslde from Lhe ul's Leachlng and research acLlvlLles concernlng !apan, CAS acLlvely engages
wlLh k-12 Leachers. lor Lhe lasL flve years, CAS hosLed a naLlonal ConsorLlum for 1eachlng
abouL Asla workshop, lnvlLlng dozens of k-12 Leachers every year. 1hls comlng year (2012-2013),
CAS ls plannlng on organlzlng lLs own Leachers' workshop for lowa educaLors wlLh lLs own,
orlglnal currlculum and lecLures. ln addlLlon, CAS ls offerlng lnLernshlps Lo reach ouL Lo lowa's
Aslan populaLlon, worklng closely wlLh Lhe Aslan and aclflc lslander Commlsslon and Lhe
ueparLmenL of Puman 8lghLs, SLaLe of lowa. under Lhls program, CAS wlll reach ouL Lo Aslan
mlnorlLles ln lowa ln Lhe areas of healLhcare access, communlLy acLlvlLles, and llLeracy. 1hls ls
only a gllmpse of Lhe wlde range of ouLreach acLlvlLles LhaL l oversees.

34

l and CAS also play a plvoLal role ln esLabllshlng and malnLalnlng academlc exchange programs
wlLh hlgher educaLlon lnsLlLuLlons ln Asla and !apan. lor example, Lhe yearly exchange wlLh
!oeLsu unlverslLy of LducaLlon ln nllgaLa, !apan, ls provlng Lo be exLremely effecLlve ln
enhanclng Lhe ul's connecLlon wlLh !apan. Also, Lhe ul's Lngllsh as a Second Language program
wlll be recelvlng dozens of sLudenLs from uoshlsha unlverslLy ln kyoLo and CAS wlll play a
supporLlng role.

Strengths:
As a free-sLandlng" unlL equlvalenL Lo a college lnslde Lhe unlverslLy, l has Lhe advanLage of
operaLlng on Lwo fronLs-academlc and admlnlsLraLlve-and Lhls enhances Lhe ul's
lnLernaLlonallzaLlon efforLs ln respecL Lo Asla, ln general, and !apan, ln parLlcular. l ls Lhe home
for lnLernaLlonal SLudenL and Scholar Servlces, whlch ls Lhe flrsL sLop for lnLernaLlonal scholars
and sLudenLs when Lhey come Lo Lhe ul. lL also houses SLudy Abroad, where ul sLudenLs seek
lnformaLlon and supporL for Lhelr sLudy abroad plans, whlch may lnclude !apan. CAS allocaLes
sLudy abroad scholarshlps for undergraduaLe sLudenLs speclflcally LargeLed aL Asla. LasL year,
CAS organlzed a faculLy-led Lrlp Lo !apan, where sLudenLs vlslLed Lhe areas LhaL were dlrecLly
affecLed by Lhe 2011 Lsunaml. Aslde from Lhese, l offers numerous fundlng opporLunlLles when
ul sLudenLs (boLh graduaLe and undergraduaLe) wlsh Lo exLend Lhelr research abroad. 1he
SLanley-ul loundaLlon SupporL CrganlzaLlon scholarshlps are one such resource. asL SLanley
reclplenLs were able Lo do fleld research ln !apan wlLh Lhls fundlng. CurrenLly, one of Lhe
reclplenLs, a graduaLe sLudenL ln anLhropology, ls vlslLlng Cklnawa, !apan, Lo conducL fleldwork
wlLh Lhls fundlng.

Cha||enges:
1he unlverslLy of lowa ls seelng a large lnflux of undergraduaLe lnLernaLlonal sLudenLs from Asla
(prlmarlly Chlna, buL also oLher counLrles such as Malaysla, korea, and vleLnam). l and CAS
wlll need Lo adapL Lo Lhe changlng demographlcs.

V|s|on:
A more acLlve faculLy-level exchange beLween Lhe ul and !apan's hlgher educaLlon lnsLlLuLlons
would be deslrable. 1hls would lead Lo greaLer sLudenL-level exchange, lncreaslng Lhe number of
sLudenLs who sLudy abroad ln !apan. lurLhermore, Lhe ul's currenLly sLrong !apanese language
lnsLrucLlon needs Lo be enhanced, sLrucLurally as well as ln Lerms of personnel, Lhls wlll requlre
new hlres and upgradlng Lhe lecLureshlp conLracLs. AL Lhls Llme, Lhere ls no hu program ln any
area of Aslan SLudles (lncludlng !apanese SLudles). 1he faculLy wlll explore Lhe posslblllLy of
creaLlng such a program ln flve or Len years' Llme, so LhaL we can develop more comprehenslve
Leachlng and research programs on Asla, ln general, and !apan, ln parLlcular.

35

l would llke Lo suggesL Lwo ways ln whlch Lhe !-CenLer, worklng wlLh l and CAS, could enhance
Lhe !apan-relaLed acLlvlLles aL Lhe ul. Cne would be Lo asslsL ln Lhe recrulLmenL of lowa's hlgh
school sLudenLs Lo Lhe ul wlLh Lhe speclflc purpose of learnlng abouL !apan. AnoLher would be
for Lhe !-CenLer Lo provlde a hands-on experlence Lo ul sLudenLs (for example, Lhrough
lnLernshlps), whlch would encourage sLudenLs Lo geL Lo know !apan more deeply, wlLh more
nuance, and would enhance noL only Lhelr educaLlon buL Lhe perspecLlves Lhrough whlch Lhey
wlll operaLe afLer leavlng Lhe unlverslLy.

36
Culture & The Arts Working Group Summary

eLer kelley
resldenL
naLlonal AssoclaLlon of !apan-Amerlca SocleLles

lL was a prlvllege Lo lead Lhls panel explorlng Lhe sLaLe of CulLure and ArLs ln Lhe MldwesL as parL
of Lhe !-CenLer conference's overall work. As resldenL of Lhe naLlonal AssoclaLlon of !apan-
Amerlca SocleLles, l represenL a neLwork of 37 member !apan-Amerlca SocleLles locaLed
LhroughouL norLh Amerlca. Cf Lhe 37, 10 are ln Lhe MldwesL. 1he exlsLence of healLhy
grassrooLs organlzaLlons makes Lhe u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp unlque among bllaLeral relaLlonshlps.
8rlnglng LhaL baslc grassrooLs undersLandlng Lo Lhe lowa reglon, where Lhe lnLeresL ln !apan and
!apanese culLure ls dlverslfled and falrly small ln scale, was boLh an opporLunlLy Lo learn and Lo
share lessons.

1he panel reflecLed boLh Lhe [oys and challenges of fosLerlng !apanese culLure ln Lhe MldwesL, ln
LhaL lL comblned varlous aspecLs of !apanese culLure and parLlclpanLs ranged from hlghly
speclallzed groups Lo Lhose aLLempLlng Lo creaLe unlfylng Lhemes or lnsLlLuLlons. Among Lhe
panellsLs and organlzaLlons were,
-!apan CuLreach CoordlnaLor who spenL Lwo years lnLroduclng !apanese culLure Lo
elemenLary schools across lowa
-1he !apan-Amerlca SocleLy of lowa, a group of volunLeers Lrylng Lo creaLe a !apanese
culLure-orlenLed non-proflL ln ues Molnes
-1he PearL of Amerlca !apan-Amerlca SocleLy, an all-volunLeer socleLy promoLlng
!apanese culLure ln kansas ClLy
-Concordla Language lnsLlLuLe: a well-esLabllshed prlvaLe language academy ln rural
MlnnesoLa, drawlng sLudenLs from across Lhe counLry
-1he Anlme SocleLy of lowa, an all-volunLeer organlzaLlon LhaL holds regular anlme
convenLlons ln lowa
-1he !apan ArLlsLs lnformaLlon ulrecLory pro[ecL, managed by Lhe llve College CenLer for
LasL Aslan SLudles ln MassachuseLLs, whlch ls creaLlng a daLabase of performlng arLlsLs,
lncludlng Lhe MldwesL.

37

-1he !apan loundaLlon, a new ?ork-based enLlLy supporLlng !apanese culLure
LhroughouL Lhe u.S.

1hese organlzaLlons clearly demonsLraLed Lhe dlverslLy of lnLeresL ln !apanese culLure ln Lhe
MldwesL, as well as Lhe dlfflculLles of achlevlng a large enough base of lnLeresL ln any one area,
or a enough of common Lheme, Lo esLabllsh a susLalnable enLlLy promoLlng !apanese culLure.
1he mosL successful was Lhe mosL focused and leasL lnsLlLuLlonallzed, anlme convenLlons. 1he
organlzers of Lhe convenLlons shared Lhelr experlences of 3,000-person weekend evenLs wlLh a
sLaLewlde audlence, Lo Lhe amazemenL of Lhe oLher local enLlLles, whlch sLruggle Lo assemble
double-dlglL crowds for more malnsLream culLure evenLs.

lL was noLed LhaL ma[or, successful prlvaLe lnsLlLuLlons whlch lnclude !apanese culLure exlsL ln
mosL large MldwesL clLles, as boLh a legacy of speclflc lnLeresLs and also Lhe enLry of !apanese
arL lnLo malnsLream museum collecLlons ln Lhe early 20
Lh
CenLury. Along wlLh Lhe many
unlverslLles, Lhese represenL a slgnlflcanL base of ongolng culLural knowledge and programmlng
abouL !apan ln Lhe MldwesL, as does Concordla ln Lhe language fleld. ln areas of Lhe MldwesL
where Lhere has been slgnlflcanL !apanese lnvesLmenL, prlvaLe !apan-Amerlca SocleLles have
arlsen and Lhrlved (lndlana, and Chlcago are examples). WlLhouL LhaL background of poLenLlal
supporLers, !apan-Amerlca SocleLles as promoLers of general !apanese culLure remaln all-
volunLeer and precarlous.

Cverall, Lhere were relaLlvely few common polnLs of operaLlonal lnLeresL among Lhe groups,
wlLh each focused on managlng lLs own fuLure, buL much Lo share. 1hree paLLerns appeared
among successful programs,
1) Lhose whose reach exLends beyond Lhe MldwesL, such as Concordla, are
flnanclally healLhy, whlle Lhe purely local organlzaLlons confronL lssues of
scale and susLalnablllLy
2) urely munlclpal organlzaLlons, such as slsLer clLy programs, are very
dependenL on bulldlng up a local base of supporL, kansas ClLy has a Lhrlvlng

38

relaLlonshlp wlLh kurashlkl, susLalned over 40 years and an example Lo oLher
clLles.
3) Plghly speclallzed lnLeresL-based groups, such as Lhe anlme group, can
Lhrlve by belng all-lncluslve wlLhln Lhe area of lnLeresL and avoldlng
unsusLalnable cosLs

1he dlscusslon was a Llmely and well-organlzed opporLunlLy for a dlverse group of enLlLles Lo
meeL each oLher, undersLand each oLher's areas of experLlse, share challenges and Lhlnk
LogeLher abouL Lhe broader lssue of promoLlng !apanese culLure ln Lhe MldwesL. Lveryone
appreclaLed Lhe efforL made Lo lnclude a varleLy of organlzaLlons and Lhe hosplLallLy exLended
by urake unlverslLy and Lhe uSCCu !-CenLer.

39
J-Conference Panelist Reports: Culture and The Arts

Iapan Cutreach In|t|at|ve (ICI)
ume n|daka
unlverslLy of lowa CoordlnaLor

Cverv|ew:
1he !apan loundaLlon CenLer for Clobal arLnershlp (CC) and 1he Lauraslan lnsLlLuLlon (1Ll)
deslgned Lhe !apan CuLreach lnlLlaLlve (!Cl) as a grassrooLs opporLunlLy Lo develop a deeper
undersLandlng of !apan by sendlng !apanese coordlnaLors Lo conducL communlLy ouLreach
acLlvlLles abouL !apan ln Lhe MldwesL and SouLh. 1he program ls open Lo non-proflLs and
educaLlonal lnsLlLuLlons wlLh a sLrong commlLmenL Lo ouLreach abouL !apan.

rogramm|ng:
As a !Cl coordlnaLor, l provlded k-12 and communlLy presenLaLlons. vlslLs lncluded
conversaLlon abouL !apan's people and culLure, hands-on acLlvlLles such as orlgaml and Lhe
creaLlon of bookmarks, and culLural demonsLraLlons such as Sado (Lea ceremony) and kado
(flower arrangemenL). l made presenLaLlons ln schools, unlverslLles, llbrarles, senlor cenLers,
unlverslLy dormlLorles, churches, falrs and ouLdoor fesLlvals. As !Cl coordlnaLor, l also worked
for Lhe SlsLer SLaLe program ln lowa.

Strengths:
AlLhough people can access Lhe lnLerneL from anywhere ln Lhe world Lo learn abouL anoLher
counLry, Lhe opporLunlLy Lo have a one-on-one encounLer and a conversaLlon wlLh a naLlve
!apanese person may be rare for people llvlng ln a rural area llke lowa. WhaL you learn from
Lalklng Lo someone who seems so dlfferenL from yourself ls LhaL maybe you aren'L so dlfferenL
afLer all. A !Cl coordlnaLor can brlng Lhls opporLunlLy Lo Lhe communlLy and dlscuss currenL
lnformaLlon abouL dally llfe ln !apan ln an envlronmenL LhaL creaLes new frlendshlps. lL ls easler
for Lhe communlLy Lo undersLand a dlfferenL culLure when Lhey compare lL wlLh Lhelr own
culLure.

Cha||enges:
!apanese culLure has been growlng ln popularlLy ln Lhe u.S. Lhrough Lhe Anlme and Manga
sensaLlon. Powever, Lhere are noL many !apanese llvlng ln Lhe MldwesL and Lhere ls concern
abouL wheLher !Cl can provlde a conLlnued presence ln Lhe reglon LhaL would glve conLlnulLy
over Llme.

V|s|on:
Looklng Lo Lhe fuLure, l hope Lhe !apanese maLerlals donaLed Lo organlzaLlons around Lhe sLaLe
wlll help lncrease lnLeresL ln !apan and !apanese culLure. AddlLlonally, lL would be greaL lf LhaL
lnLeresL would lead Lhem Lo plan a Lrlp or sLudy abroad ln !apan.

40

l belleve Lhe !-CenLer can help !Cl coordlnaLors Lo lnLroduce Lhe organlzaLlon whlch ls worklng
for a beLLer !apan-u.S. relaLlonshlp ln Lhe MldwesL. 1hen lL wlll be posslble Lo collaboraLe and Lo
organlze !apanese evenLs such as a !apanese lesLlval for Lhe communlLy. Also, Lhe !Cl
coordlnaLor can provlde a llsL of popular hands-on acLlvlLles for Lhe !-CenLer webslLe so LhaL lL
can be a resource for anyone, especlally Leachers, Lo use, even wlLhouL Lhe acLual !apanese
naLlve guesL.

41

Iapan Ioundat|on Center for G|oba| artnersh|p
8enay Loper
AssoclaLe rogram Cfflcer

Cverv|ew:
1he CenLer for Clobal arLnershlp (CC) was esLabllshed wlLhln Lhe !apan loundaLlon ln Aprll
1991 wlLh offlces ln boLh 1okyo and new ?ork. CC ls dedlcaLed Lo sLrengLhenlng Lhe global uS-
!apan parLnershlp and culLlvaLlng Lhe nexL generaLlon of publlc lnLellecLuals necessary Lo susLaln
Lhls parLnershlp.

lL ls Lhe mlsslon of CC Lo promoLe collaboraLlon beLween !apan and Lhe unlLed SLaLes wlLh Lhe
goal of fulfllllng shared global responslblllLles and conLrlbuLlng Lo lmprovemenLs ln Lhe world's
welfare, and Lo enhance dlalogue and lnLerchange beLween !apanese and uS clLlzens on a wlde
range of lssues, Lhereby lmprovlng bllaLeral relaLlons.

rogramm|ng:
CC offers a varleLy of granL opporLunlLles Lhrough boLh lLs lnLellecLual Lxchange and CrassrooLs
Lxchange and LducaLlon dlvlslons.

1hrough Lhese granL opporLunlLles, CC carrles ouL lLs mlsslon by supporLlng an array of
lnsLlLuLlons and lndlvlduals, lncludlng nonproflL organlzaLlons, unlverslLles, pollcymakers,
scholars and educaLors, and belleve ln Lhe power of broad-based, mulLl-channel approaches Lo
effecL poslLlve change Lhrough Lhe followlng mechanlsms:
AdmlnlsLerlng granL programs Lo supporL collaboraLlve pro[ecLs conducLed by Lhe
people of !apan, Lhe unlLed SLaLes and oLher counLrles LhaL address lssues of global
concern
SupporLlng fellowshlps
Co-organlzlng pro[ecLs wlLh a varleLy of oLher lnsLlLuLlons

Strengths:
20 year experlence as a CranL Maker, supporLlng lnsLlLuLlonal, lndlvldual, and
communlLy level exchanges beLween Lhe u.S. and !apan
LxLenslve neLwork wlLh publlc lnLellecLuals, unlverslLles and Lhlnk Lanks
LxLenslve neLwork wlLh !apan Amerlca SocleLles and nonproflL organlzaLlons wlLh an
lnLeresL ln !apan

Cha||enges:
Cver Lhe years our LoLal budgeL has gradually decreased, affecLlng Lhe amounL of supporL we
are able Lo conLrlbuLe Lo valuable pro[ecLs and organlzaLlons. 8ecause of Lhls, we have had Lo
become more prudenL ln maklng granLs.

42

V|s|on:
lL ls our vlslon LhaL Lhe collaboraLlon and muLual undersLandlng beLween Lhe u.S. and !apan wlll
conLlnue Lo sLrengLhen Lhrough Lhe relaLlonshlps and works of lnsLlLuLlons, lndlvlduals,
nonproflLs, unlverslLles, pollcymakers, scholars and educaLors.

1he !-CenLer ls a 2010 granLee under Lhe former CC !-lnlLlaLlve granL. 1he !-CenLer and lLs
subsequenL acLlvlLles are a greaL example of Lhe communlLy collaboraLlon and resource poollng
LhaL conLrlbuLes Lo sLronger u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlps, exchanges, and educaLlon noL only for Lhe
MldwesL sLaLes, buL for Lhe greaLer u.S. as well.

43
!-Conference anellsL 8eporLs: CulLure and 1he ArLs

Iapan Amer|ca Soc|ety of Iowa
klyokazu MaLsuyama
resldenL

Cverv|ew:
ln uecember 1989, Lhe !apanese Amerlcan SocleLy was founded by Lwo ladles, and laLer lLs
name was changed Lo Lhe !apan Amerlca SocleLy of lowa. 1he organlzaLlon was small aL flrsL,
wlLh only a handful of members only dedlcaLed Lo Lhe arL of lkebana, whlle havlng soclal
gaLherlngs ln from member's Lo member's houses. As Lhe years progress, !ASl slowly conLlnued
Lo grow by havlng publlc meeLlngs ln llbrarles and communlLy cenLers, neLworklng wlLh local
buslnesses and organlzaLlons for donaLlons, and uLlllzlng !ASl members' skllls Lo creaLe a
webslLe, publlsh newsleLLers, and organlzlng communlLy evenLs. ln 2003, !ASl became a 301(c)3
organlzaLlon. All of Lhe efforLs and changes Lo grow Lhe !ASl organlzaLlon were all done
volunLarlly Lo grow Lhe organlzaLlon and spread awareness of !apanese culLure ln ues Molnes,
lA.

rogramm|ng:
!ASl organlzes monLhly meeLlngs, excepL !uly and AugusL, and share varlous !apanese culLure Lo
Lhe members and publlc and several acLlvlLles LhaL members can parLlclpaLe such as Lalko
drummlng, !apanese language class, Lea ceremony, Leahouse resLoraLlon and klmono.

Also, !ASl parLlclpaLes Lhe Aslan PerlLage lesLlval, an lowa Aslan Alllance's annual evenL,
organlzes Aolme ue Mo ll, a !apanese pop culLure evenL, seasonal evenLs such as Ioyo oo kooe,
new year Loll for new year, and 1oooboto, a sLarL fesLlval ln !uly. ln Lhe pasL, !ASl broughL
kokoqo performance Lwlce Lo ues Molnes.

ln addlLlon, !ASl provldes culLural demonsLraLlons and workshops aL local schools and
communlLles several Llmes ln Lhe year.

Strengths:
MonLhly meeLlng
!ASl's speclal evenLs such as Anlme ue Mo ll (!apanese pop culLure evenL), 1anabaLa,
!oya no kane and !apanese movle evenL
CulLural ouLreach Lhough local evenLs such as lAA's Aslan PerlLage lesLlval, WhlLe Lagle
ow Wow and ues Molnes MeLro ArLs' !azz ln !uly
!apanese language class for chlldren
1ea house resLoraLlon pro[ecL
!apanese Lalko drummlng
1ea Ceremony

44

Cha||enges:
Small !apanese populaLlon
A few !apan afflllaLed companles
Small membershlp body
rovlde enough acLlvlLles LhaL draw Lhe members and publlc lnLeresLs.
Membershlp reLenLlon
Lack of opporLunlLles Lo brlng ma[or arLlsLs or Lourlng evenLs Lo ues Molnes.

V|s|on:
!ASl organlzes many dlfferenL programs and acLlvlLles LhaL flL dlfferenL people. ln Lhe fuLure,
many acLlvlLles are organlzed Lhough ouL Lhe year and long Lerm, susLalnable acLlvlLles and
programs LhaL many people can acLually parLlclpaLe.

Second, SlCL would llke Lo lnvlLe a cadre of !apanese hlgh school Leachers Lo a conference on
u.S.-!apan relaLlons aL SLanford unlverslLy Lo engage ln dlalog wlLh Amerlcan Leachers. 1he
maln purpose of Lhe conference would be Lo dlscuss Lhe Leachlng of conLroverslal Loplcs llke Lhe
!apanese aLLack on earl Parbor, Lhe aLomlc bomblngs of !apan, and u.S. Lroops ln !apan.

CuLreach, granL supporL, neLworklng, flnanclal supporL

45

Iapan Art|sts Informat|on D|rectory, I|ve Co||ege Center for Last As|an Stud|es
Anne rescoLL
ulrecLor

Cverv|ew:
1he llve College CenLer for LasL Aslan SLudles (lCCLAS) (www.flvecolleges.edu/fcceas) ls one of
many programs admlnlsLered by llve Colleges, lncorporaLed. 1he member lnsLlLuLlons of Lhe
consorLlum are: AmhersL, Pampshlre, MounL Polyoke, and SmlLh Colleges, and Lhe unlverslLy of
MassachuseLLs AmhersL. ln addlLlon Lo Lhe CenLer's commlLmenL Lo undergraduaLe LasL Aslan
sLudles aL Lhe flve lnsLlLuLlons, we alm Lo supporL, encourage, and lmprove Lhe Leachlng of LasL
Aslan culLures ln elemenLary, mlddle, and secondary schools, and Lwo- and four-year colleges ln
Lhe norLheasL. We work Lo lmprove Lhe quallLy, quanLlLy, and dlsLrlbuLlon of resources for
Leachlng abouL LasL Asla aL Lhe college and pre-college levels, and Lo offer opporLunlLles for pre-
college educaLors Lo experlence LasL Aslan culLures flrsLhand. 1he CenLer malnLalns a 8esource
Llbrary, publlshes a weekly e-bulleLln, and conducLs weblnars, semlnars, lnsLlLuLes, conferences,
and workshops for college and pre-college educaLors. 1he CenLer also houses Lhe !apan ArLlsLs
lnformaLlon ulrecLory (!Alu) pro[ecL.

rogramm|ng:
lCCLAS ls one of seven naLlonal coordlnaLlng slLes for Lhe naLlonal ConsorLlum for 1eachlng
abouL Asla (nC1A, www.ncLasla.org) whlch conducLs k-12 educaLor professlonal developmenL
Lralnlng LhroughouL Lhe uS. lunded by Lhe lreeman loundaLlon, nC1A ls a mulLl-year lnlLlaLlve
Lo encourage and faclllLaLe Leachlng and learnlng abouL LasL Asla ln elemenLary and secondary
schools naLlonwlde. lCCLAS coordlnaLes nC1A programs ln ML, nP, v1, MA, 8l, C1 and upsLaLe
n?.
lCCLAS also conducLs sLudy Lours Lo LasL Asla (www.fcceas[apansLudyLour.wordpress.com) for
educaLors who have compleLed 30 hours of nC1A Lralnlng. Cur mosL recenL sLudy Lour, Lo !apan
ln !uly 2012, was funded by a uS ueparLmenL of LducaLlon lulbrlghL Pays Croup ro[ecL Abroad
granL.
Cur weblnars (hLLps://www.flvecolleges.edu/fcceas/weblnar), begun ln 2010, provlde
professlonal developmenL Lo educaLors and oLhers lnLeresLed ln learnlng more abouL LasL Asla.
uslng weblnar Lechnology allows us Lo brlng Lop experLs Lo a naLlonwlde (and worldwlde)
audlence, lncludlng Lhose who llve or work ln areas wlLhouL ready access Lo quallLy resources on
LasL Asla. We are also developlng currlculum maLerlals Lo accompany pasL weblnars, whlch are
archlved for vlewlng afLer Lhe lnlLlal presenLaLlon. Average aLLendance ln 2011-12 was 30
parLlclpanLs per weblnar, and Loplcs ranged from 1eocbloq tbe J/11 ulsostet lo Iopoo Lo lslom
ooJ Mosllms lo cbloo. !apan-relaLed weblnars are supporLed by a granL from Lhe uS-!apan
loundaLlon.

46

1he !apan ArLlsLs lnformaLlon ulrecLory (!Alu) (hLLps://www.flvecolleges.edu/[ald) pro[ecL,
funded by Lhe !apan loundaLlon CenLer for Clobal arLnershlp (CC), ls a daLabase of
lnformaLlon on uS-based Leachers and performers (regardless of naLlonallLy) of LradlLlonal
!apanese arLs. CreaLed Lo enhance muLual undersLandlng beLween Lhe uS and !apan by
lmprovlng Lhe vlslblllLy of and access Lo LradlLlonal !apanese performlng arLlsLs and Lhelr arLs,
Lhe !Alu daLabase ls avallable onllne for organlzaLlons and lndlvlduals who are seeklng
lnformaLlon on performers or Leachers ln Lhe uS.

lCCLAS also offers occaslonal one-Llme workshops and presenLaLlons, lncludlng summer shorL
courses, ln wesLern MassachuseLLs.

Strengths:
lCCLAS draws on Lhe resources and experLlse of more Lhan 80 LasL Asla speclallsLs aL our flve
lnsLlLuLlons, provldlng educaLors and oLhers ln Lhe reglon wlLh unparalleled depLh and breadLh
of knowledge. As an nC1A naLlonal coordlnaLlng slLe, we offer educaLors ln our reglon
opporLunlLles beyond Lhelr local school, sLaLe and reglon, and well as access Lo a neLwork of
llke-mlnded professlonals across Lhe uS.

lCCLAS dlrecLor Anne rescoLL ls an eLhnomuslcologlsL speclallzlng ln !apanese muslc who also
has experlence as a k-12 Leacher. Per Lralnlng and experlence as a classroom Leacher, elghL
years of resldency and professlonal connecLlons ln !apan, and knowledge of LradlLlonal !apanese
(and oLher LasL Aslan) arLs poslLlon lCCLAS as a leader boLh ln Leacher professlonal
developmenL Lralnlng and programmlng on !apanese LradlLlonal arLs.

Cha||enges:
Cur blggesL challenge conLlnues Lo be fundlng. ln addlLlon, creaLlng awareness of our programs
and Lhe vlLal need for Lhem ls an ongolng ob[ecLlve. lor Lhe !Alu pro[ecL speclflcally, we
conLlnue Lo seek ouL exlsLlng neLworks Lhrough whlch we can publlclze Lhe endeavor as well as
sollclL daLa from arLlsLs for lncluslon ln Lhe daLabase.

V|s|on:
1here ls greaL lnLeresL ln Lhe exoLlc" arLs and culLure of !apan ln Lhe uS, buL we musL conLlnue
Lo demysLlfy Lhem for Lhe general publlc by educaLlng people on Lhe baslcs of Lhese arLs.
lnLeresL ln popular culLure (e.g. manga, anlme), food culLure (e.g. sushl), fllm, eLc. can be uLlllzed
Lo ralse awareness of LradlLlonal culLure. SpeclallsLs ln !apanese arLs should be offered
opporLunlLles Lo presenL Lo non-academlc audlences ln order Lo clarlfy Lhese LradlLlons and
make Lhem more accesslble. lundlng for such acLlvlLles, lncludlng publlcaLlons, would greaLly
enhance !apan's sofL power and muLual undersLandlng beLween our Lwo counLrles.

47

1he !-CenLer's supporL ls welcome for Lhe dlssemlnaLlon of lnformaLlon on programs, as a sLage
for dlscusslon abouL collaboraLlon (such as Lhls conference), and for coordlnaLlon wlLh oLher
reglonal and naLlonal organlzaLlons whlch supporL !apanese arLs.

48

Concord|a Language V|||ages
aLrlcla 1hornLon
ulrecLor of Summer rograms

Cverv|ew:
Slnce 1961, Concordla Language vlllages has been a naLlonally recognlzed language and culLural
lmmerslon program, wlLh a mlsslon of preparlng young people for responslble clLlzenshlp ln our
global communlLy. Concordla Language vlllages ls a flagshlp program of Concordla College, a
llberal arLs college founded ln 1891 ln Moorhead, MlnnesoLa whlch has been recognlzed and
respecLed for years for lLs commlLmenL Lo lnLernaLlonal educaLlon. 1he Language vlllages
conducLs language and culLure learnlng programs for pre-k Lhrough adulLhood, and we Lake
prlde ln offerlng lmmerslon opporLunlLles for youLh from across Lhe unlLed SLaLes who mlghL
noL oLherwlse have a language avallable Lo Lhem. A Language vlllages experlence ls a slmulaLed
abroad vlslL ln one of our flfLeen languages, and Lhelr mulLlple culLures, lncludlng !apanese. We
have bullL seven archlLecLurally auLhenLlc slLes locaLed near 8emld[l, MlnnesoLa, and oLher
Language vlllages operaLe aL leased slLes Lhrough Lhe sLaLe LhaL are made auLhenLlc Lhrough Lhe
exLenslve use of realla. CulLurally genulne culslne ls a hallmark experlence aL each vlllage. We
aLLracL 11,000 parLlclpanLs annually from all 30 sLaLes and more Lhan 40 counLrles.

rogramm|ng:
Cne, Lwo, and four-week summer programs are deslgned Lo offer 7-18 year olds experlences
from lnLroducLory level Lo hlgh school and college level course work. 1he four-week sesslon ls
Lhe equlvalenL of one hlgh school year of language lnsLrucLlon. Weekend lmmerslon programs
are offered LhroughouL Lhe school year for hlgh school and college sLudenLs, and famllles. AdulL
programs lnclude lmmerslon weeks, cusLomlzed professlonal Lralnlng sesslons and graduaLe-
level 1eacher Semlnars. re-k programs are offered ln Lhe Lwln clLles meLro area.

Strengths:
Concordla Language vlllages ls Lhe only pre-colleglaLe program ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes Lo sponsor
Lhree Aslan languages (Chlnese as of 1984, !apanese 1988 and korean 1999), 8usslan has been
LaughL slnce 1966. arLlclpanLs, or "vlllagers," reLurn summer afLer summer Lo all of Lhe
Language vlllages (30 reLurnee raLe). 1he experlenLlal, resldenLlal seLLlng fully lmmerses Lhe
parLlclpanLs ln Lhe culLure of Lhe counLrles where Lhe language ls spoken Lhrough food, muslc,
sporLs, dance, games, and acLlvlLles. ln many cases, we may be Lhe only learnlng opLlon for our
parLlclpanLs as more and more language programs are cuL ln schools across Lhe uS.

49

Cha||enges:
1he number of schools offerlng !apanese language lnsLrucLlon seem Lo be decreaslng across Lhe
counLry, and ln Lhe MldwesL Lhe numbers were never comparaLlvely sLrong. Clven Lhe
prollferaLlon of Chlnese programs ln almosL all school dlsLrlcLs, !apanese lnsLrucLlon ls, ln facL, ln
[eopardy. WlLh a shlfL ln world focus Lo oLher parLs of Asla, Lhe economlc, soclal and pollLlcal
relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe peoples of !apan and Lhe unlLed SLaLes has never been more
lmporLanL. lL ls crlLlcal LhaL Amerlcan youLh begln Lhe sLudy of !apanese language and culLure aL
a young age Lo be beLLer prepared Lo address lssues of muLual global concern.

Slnce 1988, Motl oo lke has enrolled 300 Lo 400 sLudenLs aged 7 Lo 18 from all 30 of Lhe unlLed
SLaLes every summer ln one-, Lwo- and four-week sesslons, Lhe laLLer belng Lhe equlvalenL of
one year of hlgh school language lnsLrucLlon. Motl oo lke has long served as an lncubaLor of
lnLeresL for sLudenLs serlous abouL pursulng Lhe sLudy of !apanese ln college Lo develop
advanced levels of proflclency. 1he !apanese Language vlllage ofLen provldes many sLudenLs
wlLh Lhelr only llnk Lo modern !apan. lL represenLs a promlnenL llvlng symbol of !apan ln Lhe
hearL of Lhe Amerlcan MldwesL.

opular Amerlcan lmages of !apan are ofLen found ln anlme and manga, a llmlLed
represenLaLlon of Lhe reallLy of Lhe complexlLy and aesLheLlc of !apanese culLure. Motl oo lke's
currlculum brlngs boLh hlsLorlc and modern !apan Lo llfe for young Amerlcans. lor
example, Motl oo lke parLlclpanLs dlscover Lhe depLh and beauLy of !apanese LradlLlons such as
Lea ceremony and dance, as well as learn abouL modern !apan as a powerhouse of economlc,
Lechnologlcal and sclenLlflc advancemenL.

V|s|on:
1he ldeal scenarlo ln k-12 educaLlon wlLhln Lhe uS lnvolves growLh ln !apanese language
learnlng. lL ls lmporLanL LhaL Amerlcans remember LhaL !apan ls sLlll one of Lhe Lop economles ln
Lhe world, and a sLraLeglc ally and parLner for Lhe uS. keeplng !apanese language and culLure
educaLlon vlbranL and sLrong across Lhe uS ls key and necessary. lL ls our lnLenL Lo begln a
caplLal campalgn Lo bulld an archlLecLurally auLhenLlc !apanese Language vlllage Lo [oln our
oLher slmllar slLes on 1urLle 8lver Lake near 8emld[l, Mn. Language vlllages lnLends Lo keep Lhe
lmporLance of !apanese foremosL ln Lhe mlnds of educaLlonal pollcy makers, pracLlLloners,
parenLs, and sLudenLs.

1he !-CenLer can be a sLraLeglc parLner for Lhe Language vlllages ln aggresslvely promoLlng
!apanese language and culLure educaLlon wlLhln Lhe MldwesL. We are sLronger as neLworked
organlzaLlons Lhan as slngle enLlLles.

50
Community Exchanges Working Group Summary

nancy PupperL
Clobal Lnvoy & asL 8oard Chalr
SlsLer ClLles lnLernaLlonal

lor 23 years l have been promoLlng communlLy relaLlons programs as an essenLlal componenL
Lo culLural undersLandlng and world peace. 1here are a number of clLlzen dlplomacy groups and
aL Lhe !-CenLer Conference l was able Lo lnLeracL wlLh represenLaLlves from Lhe u.S. !apan
Councll, unlLed laneL, PearL of Amerlca !apan-Amerlca SocleLy, Mlchlgan/Shlga SLudenL
Lxchange rogram, and 1he Lauraslan lnsLlLuLlon. Along wlLh Lhe common focus of communlLy
relaLlons, we share slmllar sLrengLhs and challenges. 1he program LhaL l have fosLered ls SlsLer
ClLles. l have served as resldenL of my local program of 11 Lwlnnlngs as well as aL Lhe naLlonal
level wlLh SlsLer ClLles lnLernaLlonal.

SlsLer ClLles lnLernaLlonal ls a nonproflL clLlzen dlplomacy organlzaLlon LhaL creaLes and
sLrengLhens parLnershlps beLween Lhe u.S. and lnLernaLlonal communlLles, promoLlng peace
Lhrough muLual respecL, undersLandlng, and cooperaLlon - one lndlvldual, one communlLy aL a
Llme.

1he SlsLer ClLles program was lnlLlaLed by resldenL Llsenhower ln 1936. 1he resldenL had
come Lhrough World War ll and was ln Lhe Lhroes of Lhe cold war and he knew LhaL peace would
never be a reallLy lf lefL solely Lo pollLlclans and dlplomaLs. Pe felL LhaL lL was lncumbenL upon all
Amerlcans, ordlnary people, Lo reach ouL Lo Lhelr counLerparLs around Lhe world, and for
communlLles Lo bond wlLh common lnLeresLs and concerns. 1hus clLlzen dlplomacy was
formallzed.

SlsLer ClLles lnLernaLlonal serves as Lhe naLlonal membershlp organlzaLlon for lndlvldual slsLer
clLles, counLles, and sLaLes ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, unlLlng a neLwork of over 30,000 clLlzen
dlplomaLs, educaLors, pollLlcal and buslness leaders, youLh and volunLeers ln nearly 2,000
programs ln 136 counLrles across slx conLlnenLs. Lxchange Lhemes and pro[ecLs range from
soccer Leams, chefs, flreman and pollce, Lo soluLlons for clean waLer and dlsposal sysLems. 1he
posslblllLles for exchanges are only llmlLed by our lmaglnaLlon.

51

u.S./!apan slsLer clLles compose Lhe largesL porLlon of our membershlp neLwork wlLh over 170
parLnershlps. AfLer World War ll Lhere was a greaL rush for clLles ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes Lo Lwln
wlLh clLles ln boLh Cermany and !apan. 1he oldesL such relaLlonshlp ls beLween SL. aul,
MlnnesoLa and nagasakl, !apan over 60 years ago.

AlLhough u.S./!apan slsLer clLles are Lhe mosL numerous and some of Lhe oldesL, Lhere has been
a general lull ln acLlvlLy. CounLrles, llke fashlon, go ln and ouL of vogue. Cver Lhe pasL decade
economlc resLralnLs ln boLh counLrles, aglng volunLeers, a decrease ln prlvaLe and granL fundlng,
dlfflculLles flndlng hosL famllles, as well as cllmaLlc caLasLrophes have Lransplred Lo llmlL lnLeresL
and acLlvlLy.

1he Leadlng Asla/8enewlng Lhe u.S.-!apan SlsLer ClLles neLwork program senL seven delegaLlons
Lo !apan Lo focus on economlc developmenL and culLural engagemenL. All of Lhe pro[ecLs have
had poslLlve resulLs and renewed acLlvlLy. As Lhe economlc cllmaLe lmproves, addlLlonal granL
programs wlll moLlvaLe addlLlonal exchanges for all communlLy relaLlons orlenLed organlzaLlons.
We know LhaL Lhe fuLure and well belng of all clLles and Lowns depends Lo a large degree on
how well Lhey plan for and deal wlLh global lnLer-connecLlon. We musL make culLural
connecLlons and expand our worklng relaLlonshlps wlLh global parLners so LhaL we can conLlnue
Lo collaboraLe for Lhe long Lerm.

52
J-Conference Panelist Reports: Community Exchanges

U.S.-Iapan Counc||
Anna Cable
rogram Manager

Cverv|ew:
1he u.S.-!apan Councll (uS!C) ls a 301(c)3 non-proflL educaLlonal organlzaLlon LhaL conLrlbuLes
Lo sLrengLhenlng u.S.-!apan relaLlons by explorlng lssues LhaL beneflL communlLles, buslnesses
and governmenL enLlLles on boLh sldes of Lhe aclflc. 1he Councll promoLes people-Lo-people
relaLlons as cruclal Lo a sLrong u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp.

8ecognlzlng Lhe caLalyLlc role LhaL !apanese Amerlcans play ln sLrengLhenlng u.S.-!apan relaLlons,
Lhe Councll culLlvaLes a naLlonal neLwork of !apanese Amerlcan leaders. uS!C collaboraLes wlLh
oLher organlzaLlons Lo develop programs LhaL allow Councll Members Lo engage wlLh Lhelr
!apanese counLerparLs and leaders ln Lhe u.S.

rogramm|ng:
uS!C and lLs Members are commlLLed Lo acceleraLlng Lhe exchange of lnformaLlon Lhrough
meeLlngs and symposla as well as buslness and leglslaLlve neLworks beLween !apanese
Amerlcans, !apanese and u.S. leaders. uS!C programs and evenLs drlve Lhe dlalogue on key
Loplcs wlLh slgnlflcanL poLenLlal for collaboraLlon. Lach year, uS!C coordlnaLes, organlzes and
hosLs reglonal, naLlonal and lnLernaLlonal programs based on bulldlng people-Lo-people
relaLlonshlps, such as Lhe Annual Conference and !apanese Amerlcan Leadershlp uelegaLlon.

Led by Lhe u.S. CovernmenL and uS!C and supporLed by Lhe !apanese CovernmenL,
1CMCuACPl ls a publlc-prlvaLe parLnershlp LhaL supporLs !apan's recovery from Lhe CreaL LasL
!apan LarLhquake. 1hrough educaLlonal, enLrepreneurshlp and leadershlp, and sporLs and
culLural exchange programs, 1CMCuACPl lnvesLs ln Lhe nexL generaLlon of !apanese and
Amerlcans ln ways LhaL deepen Lhe long-Lerm frlendshlp beLween Lhe u.S. and !apan.

Strengths:
Led by !apanese Amerlcans Lo broaden and re-lmaglne Lhe u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp, uS!C ls an
lncubaLor organlzaLlon LhaL:
Shares ldeas, bullds people-Lo-people connecLlons and enacLs change,
8ecrulLs proacLlve and enLrepreneurlal Lhlnkers,
8esponds Lo exLernal facLors and adapLs.
uLlllzlng Lhe supporL of Lhe u.S. and !apanese governmenLs, 1CMCuACPl:
ConnecLs flnanclal, human and ln-klnd resources wlLh pro[ecLs and organlzaLlons
conLrlbuLlng Lo lnvesLmenL ln our nexL generaLlon,
Lngages wlLh passlonaLe lndlvlduals lncludlng celebrlLles and LhoughL-leaders Lo
showcase u.S. supporL for !apan.

53

Cha||enges:
uS!C and 1CMCuACPl sLrlve Lo lmprove Lhe followlng Lrends ln Lhe u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp:
uecllnlng numbers ln educaLlonal and leglslaLlve exchanges beLween Lhe u.S. and !apan,
ln parLlcular Lhe number of !apanese sLudenLs sLudylng ln Lhe u.S. and Lhe number of
u.S. leglslaLors Lravellng Lo !apan,
1he percelved shlfL wlLhln Lhe u.S. Loward Chlna from !apan, ln parLlcular percelved
muLual excluslvlLy ln supporL of !apan and Chlna.

V|s|on:
1he vlslon of uS!C ls a vlbranL Asla aclflc reglon Lhrough engaged and lnLerconnecLed
communlLles commlLLed Lo Lhe u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp.

1CMCuACPl seeks Lo fosLer Lhe nexL generaLlon of !apanese and Amerlcans, a 1CMCuACPl
generaLlon" of drlven doers, Lhlnkers and creaLors who are lnvesLed ln Lhe fuLure of u.S.-!apan
relaLlons and possess Lhe globally-orlenLed skllls and mlndseLs needed Lo Lhrlve.

As uS!C's neLworks and Membershlp are currenLly sLrongesL on Lhe LasL and WesL CoasLs, Lhe !-
CenLer could sLrengLhen Lhe work of uS!C and 1CMCuACPl Lhrough:
ConnecLlons wlLh organlzaLlons supporLlve of and engaged ln Lhe u.S.-!apan relaLlonshlp
wlLhln Lhe MldwesL,
Lxpanslon of u.S.-!apan exchange programs ln Lhe MldwesL, an area currenLly
underrepresenLed ln u.S.-!apan programmlng, whlch ls concenLraLed on Lhe CoasLs.

54

Un|ted |anet
1heresa Plggs
vlce resldenL of Clobal CperaLlons

Cverv|ew:
unlLed laneL was founded by LxecuLlve ulrecLor uavld SanLulll ln 2001 Lo encourage more
people-Lo-people connecLlons across culLures. As an lnLernaLlonal non-proflL organlzaLlon,
unlLed laneL's global neLwork of leaders and volunLeers fosLers cross-culLural undersLandlng,
and addresses shared challenges Lo unlLe Lhe world ln a communlLy beyond borders. 1he
prlnclple LhaL anlmaLes everyLhlng we do ls Lhe concepL of 8elaLlonal ulplomacy -- recognlzlng
LhaL Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween people of dlverse backgrounds ls Lhe baslc bulldlng block for
unlLlng Lhe world.

rogramm|ng:
unlLed laneL's hollsLlc approach lnLegraLes lnLernaLlonal, local, and onllne lnlLlaLlves Lo
faclllLaLe ongolng cross-culLural engagemenL. Cur largesL program ls Lhe CuesL volunLeer
Abroad program, where we send and recelve abouL 300 lnLernaLlonal volunLeers annually. 1he
CuesL program ls avallable for a duraLlon of 1 week Lo 1 year ln 40 dlfferenL counLrles wlLh a
focus on communlLy lmmerslon and susLalnable volunLeer work. MosL CuesL programs lnclude
homesLays wlLh local famllles, culLural acLlvlLles, language lessons, excurslons and 30-40
hours/week of volunLeer work aL a local organlzaLlon. Cur on-llne communlLy and presence
connecLs people vlrLually from around Lhe world. 1he Ambassador rogram empowers people
of all ages Lo become caLalysLs for change. 1hls program places Lhe Lools for change, Lhrough
servlce and culLural learnlng, ln Lhe hands of lndlvlduals and clubs ln schools and communlLles
around Lhe world.

unlLed laneL ls Lhe proud reclplenL of a 3-year granL from 1he !apan loundaLlon's CenLer for
Clobal arLnershlp. unlLed laneL's !-CenLer volunLeer Leaders rogram creaLes opporLunlLles
for !apanese and Amerlcan volunLeers from underserved areas Lo lmmerse ln each oLher's
counLrles Lhrough volunLeer work as Lhey supporL local organlzaLlons.

Strengths:
Cur lnLegraLlve approach allows people Lo engage ln cross-culLural dlalogue and learnlng, no
maLLer where Lhey are from or whaL access Lo resources Lhey have. 1hrough our programs, we
have a wlde lnLernaLlonal neLwork of sLaff, parLners and communlLles, enabllng us Lo provlde
opLlons and supporL for lnLernaLlonal volunLeers whlle lncreaslng capaclLy and skllls for local
hosL communlLles. All of our programs creaLe opporLunlLles for personal growLh and lncreaslng
culLural awareness for lndlvlduals who choose Lo, ln some way, venLure ouL of Lhelr comforL
zones. Also, many volunLeer Abroad organlzaLlons based ln Lhe u.S. focus solely on sendlng u.S.
Amerlcans Lo oLher counLrles. Whlle we offer Lhese programs, we also accepL lnLernaLlonal
volunLeers lnLo Lhe u.S., creaLlng a bl-laLeral exchange and exposlng more u.S. Amerlcans Lo
new culLures.

55

Cha||enges:
volunLeer Abroad as a fleld has grown exponenLlally ln Lhe pasL decade wlLh many new
organlzaLlons offerlng programs. Some are well run and care for boLh Lhe volunLeers and Lhe
hosL communlLles. CLhers are drlven by proflL wlLh llLLle regard for Lhe effecLs (poslLlve and
negaLlve) Lhese programs may have on lndlvlduals and communlLles. lL ls a compllcaLed fleld
wlLh many sLakeholders and consLanL opporLunlLles for Lhlngs Lo go badly. Cur challenge ls flrsL
Lo run a solld, carlng program, addresslng Lhe needs and lnLeresLs of all sLakeholders. Cur
second challenge ls educaLlng people abouL Lhe poLenLlal beneflLs and downfalls of Lhese Lypes
of programs and encouraglng Lhem Lo choose susLalnable and leglLlmaLe programs.

We know LhaL aL Lhls Llme, only Lhose who can afford Lo Lravel abroad are Lhe ones who can
parLlclpaLe ln Lhese Lypes of programs. We would love Lo have fundlng Lo send more people
abroad who would noL oLherwlse have Lhls opporLunlLy. We are worklng wlLh oLher
organlzaLlons ln Lhe fleld Lo make Lhls happen, and have been able Lo do lL a few Llmes, buL lL ls
a slow process.

Speclflcally ln !apan, we have found challenges wlLh flndlng local famllles and pro[ecL
organlzaLlons Lo hosL volunLeers. Also, culLural dlfferences are wlde, creaLlng greaL
opporLunlLles for learnlng, buL also greaLer chances for mlsLakes and mlsundersLandlngs.
AddlLlonal Lralnlng and supporL are needed for volunLeers llvlng wlLh a !apanese hosL famlly and
worklng aL local organlzaLlons.

V|s|on:
unlLed laneL envlslons a u.S.-!apan volunLeer program LhaL sends boLh sLudenLs and
professlonals from dlverse parLs of Lhe u.S. and !apan, wlLh a speclal focus on under-served
areas, Lo learn abouL shared global lssues, lmmerse ln local culLure and language, develop
problem-solvlng and leadershlp skllls, and promoLe lnLernaLlonal collaboraLlon. 1hls vlbranL
bllaLeral volunLeer exchange of sLudenLs and professlonals wlll lnsplre awareness of shared
global lssues and cross-culLural undersLandlng and muLual appreclaLlon and frlendshlp. 1hese
physlcal exchanges are empowered by pre and posL Lrlp onllne collaboraLlon and conLlnued
opporLunlLles for engagemenL boLh locally and lnLernaLlonally.

1he !-CenLer can supporL volunLeer exchange programs beLween !apan and Lhe Amerlcan
MldwesL by spreadlng Lhe word LhaL Lhese programs exlsL Lo lLs neLwork. erhaps Lhe !-CenLer
could sponsor one or more volunLeers from Lhe MldwesL Lo go Lo !apan, or vlce-versa, and when
Lhey reLurn, Lhese parLlclpanLs can be advocaLes for u.S.-!apan exchange. Also, Lhe !-CenLer can
serve as a resource on culLural lnformaLlon for organlzaLlons llke ours and our program
parLlclpanLs. 1hls wlll be very helpful ln creaLlng successful exchanges.

56

neart of Amer|ca Iapan-Amer|ca Soc|ety
lrancls . Lemery
Ponorary Consul Ceneral of !apan aL kansas ClLy

Cverv|ew:
1he neott of Ametlco Iopoo-Ametlco 5oclety was founded ln 1962 Lo promoLe soclal, culLural
and educaLlonal exchanges beLween Lhe clLlzens of !apan and Lhe unlLed SLaLes. lL ls a non-
proflL, non-pollLlcal 301(c)(3) Lax-exempL organlzaLlon. Cur SocleLy has no pald sLaff. All of Lhe
work of Lhe SocleLy ls done Lhrough volunLeers. 1he SocleLy ls a member of Lhe naLlonal
AssoclaLlon of !apan-Amerlca SocleLles.
1he SocleLy's Mlsslon SLaLemenL ls: 1o fottbet ooJetstooJloq betweeo tbe peoples of Iopoo ooJ
tbe qteotet koosos clty oteo by ptomotloq soclol, coltotol ooJ eJocotloool excbooqes.
1he SocleLy has over 230 lndlvldual members. Annual sLudenL exchanges wlLh our kansas ClLy,
Mlssourl SlsLer ClLy of kurashlkl each summer have seen over 120 sLudenLs from kansas ClLy
Lravel Lo kurashlkl and over 300 kurashlkl sLudenLs Lravel Lo kansas ClLy.
ln !uly of 2012 Lhe SocleLy celebraLed lLs 30
Lh
Annlversary wlLh a 5okoto celebtotloo aL Lhe
nelson-ALklns Museum of ArL, whlch was aLLended by !apanese Ambassador lchlro lu[lsakl,
Consul Ceneral ?oshlfuml Ckamura of Chlcago and over 320 lndlvlduals lncludlng
represenLaLlves from our SlsLer ClLy, kurashlkl, ln Ckayama.
AL Lhe same evenL, Lhe SocleLy celebraLed Lhe 40
Lh
Annlversary of our SlsLer ClLy relaLlonshlp
beLween kansas ClLy, Mlssourl and kurashlkl.
rogramm|ng:
1he largesL evenL held by Lhe SocleLy each year ls Lhe Annual CreaLer kansas ClLy !apan lesLlval
held ln laLe SepLember or early CcLober aL Lhe !ohnson CounLy CommunlLy College ln Cverland
ark, kansas. 1he 2012 lesLlval wlll be Lhe 13
Lh
annual lesLlval. 1he lesLlval feaLures LradlLlonal
!apanese muslcal performances, a !apanese Candy ArLlsL, LradlLlonal !apanese food, a bazaar,
exhlblLs of many !apanese arLlfacLs, a !apanese CulLural vlllage wlLh acLlvlLles for chlldren (and
adulLs), workshops and culLural presenLaLlon, marLlal arLs demonsLraLlons and workshops, and
Anlme and Manga acLlvlLles. 1he lesLlval aLLendance ln 2011 was over 4,600.

ln addlLlon Lo an annual Shlnnenkal dlnner, monLhly meeLlngs, dlne-a-rounds aL local !apanese
resLauranLs, an annual language conLesL for hlgh school sLudenLs, annual sLudenL exchanges
wlLh our SlsLer ClLy of kurashlkl, Lhe SocleLy parLlclpaLes ln Lhe Annual kansas ClLy LLhnlc
LnrlchmenL lesLlval aL ln Swope ark. Cver 60 counLrles are represenLed aL booLhs, whlch sell
food from Lhelr varlous counLrles. 1he SocleLy's booLh offers LradlLlonal !apanese food lLems and
bazaar lLems, plus educaLlonal maLerlal on !apan, lncludlng Lravel opporLunlLles.

57

Strengths:
1he SocleLy's sLrengLhs lnclude Lhe dedlcaLed group of volunLeers LhaL serve as 8oard members
of offlcers of Lhe SocleLy and Lhe many, many wllllng volunLeers who sLep forward Lo plan,
organlze and run all of Lhe SocleLy's many evenLs and exchanges.

l served as resldenL of Lhe SocleLy for flve years from 2002 Lo 2007 and conLlnue Lo be an acLlve
volunLeer for many or mosL of Lhe evenLs held by Lhe SocleLy. l am Lhe LxecuLlve ulrecLor of Lhe
CreaLer kansas ClLy !apan lesLlval and have served ln LhaL capaclLy for almosL Len years.

ln my capaclLy of Ponorary Consul Ceneral of !apan aL kansas ClLy, l feel LhaL l am able Lo
provlde a level of ouLslde supporL Lo Lhe SocleLy. ln addlLlon, ln my capaclLy as Ponorary Consul
Ceneral l am able Lo asslsL Lhe SocleLy ln maklng conLacLs wlLh local governmenLs, governmenLal
offlclals, buslnesses, Chambers of Commerce and Lhe communlLy aL large.

Cha||enges:
1he blggesL challenge Lo Lhe SocleLy ls fundlng for our evenLs and Lhe work LhaL we do ln Lhe
CreaLer kansas ClLy area. WlLh Lhe sofLness of Lhe economy, we have sLruggled Lo conLlnue Lo
ralse monles ln sufflclenL quanLlLles Lo conLlnue our evenLs. 1hls ls a poLenLlal Lrend" LhaL
causes us slgnlflcanL concern for Lhe fuLure. A second concern for Lhe fuLure ls an adequaLe pool
of enLhuslasLlc volunLeers Lo lead our SocleLy and provlde supporL for our many acLlvlLles.
lorLunaLely Lhls has noL been a currenL problem, as we always seem Lo have new and wllllng
volunLeers Lo sLep ln and gulde Lhe acLlvlLles of Lhe SocleLy.

V|s|on:
An ldeal scenarlo of Lhe sLaLe of u.S-!apan relaLlons ln Lhe CreaLer kansas ClLy area would
lnclude a vlbranL PearL of Amerlca !apan-Amerlca SocleLy LhaL promoLes our Mlsslon and our
core acLlvlLles Lo reach ouL Lo Lhe clLlzens ln Lhe CreaLer kansas ClLy area Lo educaLe Lhem abouL
Lhe culLure of !apan.

A crlLlcal and lmporLanL lnlLlaLlve wlll be Lo ensure LhaL Lhe !apanese language programs offered
ln local hlgh schools conLlnue. 1hese programs provlde Lhe supporL for Lhe fuLure culLural
lnLeresL ln !apan. lf Lhese language programs conLlnue lnLo Lhe fuLure, our [ob of promoLlng Lhe
culLure wlll be slgnlflcanLly enhanced.

1he new !-CenLer ls a very exclLlng lnlLlaLlve LhaL can be of slgnlflcanL supporL ln our aLLempLs ln
Lhe CreaLer kansas ClLy area Lo promoLe Lhe !apanese culLure. 1he resources, supporL,
lnlLlaLlves, programs and ldeas generaLed by Lhe !-CenLer can have a huge and slgnlflcanL lmpacL
ln Lhe CreaLer kansas ClLy area and Lhe MldwesL.

We look forward Lo worklng wlLh Lhe !-CenLer sLaff ln Lhe fuLure.

58

1he Lauras|an Inst|tut|on
Marl Maruyama
vlce resldenL

Cverv|ew:
8ecognlzlng Lhe culLural foundaLlons of economlc, pollLlcal, and soclal pollcy, 1he Lauraslan
lnsLlLuLlon (1Ll) seeks Lo develop lndlvldual compeLency ln deallng wlLh and among dlverse
culLures, encourage reallsLlc and muLually beneflclal meLhodologles of deallng wlLh culLural
dlverslLy, and creaLe educaLlonal programs and coallLlons Lo communlcaLe and furLher Lhe
foregolng whlle glvlng parLlcular aLLenLlon Lo culLural lnLeracLlons wlLh Asla. uurlng 1Ll's LwenLy-
Lwo year hlsLory, over 3,300 Leachers and sLudenLs have parLlclpaLed as members of our sLudy
Lours Lo !apan or Chlna or have spenL an academlc year ln u.S. hlgh schools and llvlng wlLh hosL
famllles. We also have !apanese adulL parLlclpanLs who coordlnaLe !apan programmlng ln
communlLles LhroughouL Lhe MldwesL and SouLh or serve as asslsLanL !apanese language
Leachers.

rogramm|ng:
1he Lauraslan lnsLlLuLlon admlnlsLers programs LhaL engage lndlvlduals of all ages. 1hese
programs lnclude: a one-year academlc year exchange program for !apanese, korean, and
Chlnese hlgh school sLudenLs. 1hese sLudenLs elLher aLLend as !-1 or l-1 sLudenLs. Cur new
erspecLlves: !apan ls a Lwo-week sLudy Lour Lo !apan and our new erspecLlves: Chlna ls a
Lhree-week sLudy Lour Lo Chlna. 1he former ls open Lo mlddle and hlgh school sLudenLs and Lhelr
Leachers, Lhe laLer Lo hlgh school sLudenLs and Lhelr Leachers.

Cur granL programs lnclude Lhe !apan CuLreach lnlLlaLlve (!Cl) program LhaL ls [olnLly
admlnlsLered wlLh 1he !apan loundaLlon CenLer for Clobal arLnershlp (CC). 1he purpose of
Lhe !Cl program ls Lo place a !apanese naLlonal ln 301c(3) organlzaLlons ln Lhe SouLh and
MldwesL. 1hese lndlvlduals conducL ouLreach programs on !apanese language and culLure ln
Lhelr communlLles and surroundlng reglons as well as provlde some offlce supporL. Cur
!apanese Language LducaLlon AsslsLanL rogram (!-LLA) ls [olnLly admlnlsLered wlLh 1he !apan
loundaLlon (!l). 1he purpose of !-LLA ls Lo provlde Lralned Leachlng asslsLanLs Lo any quallfled
k-12 !apanese language Leacher ln Lhe u.S.

1he Lauraslan lnsLlLuLlon ls also admlnlsLerlng a one-year only pro[ecL called klzooo. We have
senL 1000 Amerlcan hlgh school Leachers and sLudenLs Lo !apan Lhls pasL summer and wlll be
lnvlLlng 1000 !apanese hlgh school Leachers and sLudenLs Lo Lhe u.S. Lhrough Lhe end of March.
1hls sLudy Lour also lncludes vlslLs Lo hosL schools wlLh a shorL homesLay componenL.

59

Strengths:
1Ll has creaLed lLs programmlng wlLh llfelong learnlng ln mlnd. As menLloned earller, our
programs engage chlldren from preschool Lhrough unlverslLy. Cur program parLlclpanLs also
reach ouL Lo adulLs of all ages, provldlng programmlng abouL !apan ln varlous communlLles
LhroughouL Lhe u.S. lor example, our !Cl program has had 41 !Cl coordlnaLors. 1hese
lndlvlduals have creaLed programs or parLlclpaLed ln Lhe organlzaLlon of evenLs LhaL have
reached nearly 330,000 sLudenLs and adulLs ln 23 sLaLes. 1Ll aLLempLs Lo bulld synergy among
our programs by encouraglng school groups Lo welcome a !Cl or !-LLA parLlclpanL lnLo Lhelr
schools, hosLlng !apanese exchange sLudenLs, or Lravellng Lo !apan on our new erspecLlves:
!apan sLudy Lour. ln many cases, schools LhaL hosL our exchange sLudenLs parLlclpaLe ln n:! and
vlslL Lhe school from whlch Lhelr exchange sLudenL came. We also Lry Lo connecL parLlclpanLs
wlLh Lhelr slsLer clLles ln !apan. lor example, one of our currenL !Cl coordlnaLors ls from Clfu
and she ls worklng aL Lhe !apan Amerlca
SocleLy of CreaLer Chlo LhaL ls locaLed ln ClnclnnaLl-Clfu's slsLer clLy. We hope Lo grow Lhese
connecLlons each year.

Cha||enges:
Cne of Lhe ma[or challenges faclng our organlzaLlon ls balanclng Lhe need Lo ensure quallLy
aLLenLlon Lo programmlng (e.g. malnLalnlng reasonable sLaff numbers) agalnsL Lhe reallLy of
whaL can be allocaLed Lo sLafflng from Lhe granLs and fees recelved. 1hls ls llkely a common
Lheme wlLhln non-proflL organlzaLlons.

1he granL programs relaLed Lo !apanese language educaLlon face a challenge due Lo Lhe budgeL
cuLbacks ln Lhe supporL of k-12 world languages. School dlsLrlcLs have ellmlnaLed numerous
secondary !apanese language programs LhroughouL Lhe u.S.

V|s|on:
ln 3 years, we wlll have a group of youLh commlLLed Lo sLudylng abouL !apan. ln 10 years, Lhls
group wlll llve ln !apan, worklng as !L1s or ln oLher capaclLles. ln 20 years, Lhese sLudenLs wlll be
young professlonal leaders ln all aspecLs of u.S. socleLy and able Lo malnLaln sLrong u.S.-!apan
Lles ln Lhelr professlonal and personal llves.

- Serve as a venue Lo lnform !-CenLer's consLlLuenLs abouL our programs
- Lngage k-12 admlnlsLraLors ln workshops on how Lo brlng Lhe world Lo Lhelr schools Lhrough
exchange programs
- Lngage mlddle and hlgh school humanlLles Leachers abouL lmporLance of glvlng Lhls age group
Lhe opporLunlLy Lo go abroad
- Lngage hlgh school admlnlsLraLors and counselors on Lhe value of Lhelr sLudenLs experlenclng
a semesLer or yearlong sLudy abroad program

60

M|ch|gan]Sh|ga Student Lxchange rogram
kaLhee Mcuonald
Cfflce of ClfLed and 1alenLed LducaLlon ulrecLor

Cverv|ew:
1he Mlchlgan ueparLmenL of LducaLlon and Lhe Shlga 8oard of LducaLlon lnlLlaLed Lhe
Mlchlgan/Shlga SLudenL Lxchange rogram ln 1990. 1he goal of Lhe program was Lo expand Lhe
relaLlonshlp beLween Lhese Lwo slsLer" sLaLes, Mlchlgan and Shlga refecLure, !apan, whlch had
been esLabllshed ln 1968. 1he Cfflce of ClfLed and 1alenLed LducaLlon aL Mlchlgan SLaLe
unlverslLy has been admlnlsLerlng Lhe program on behalf of Lhe SLaLe of Mlchlgan slnce 1993.
As an exchange program creaLed speclflcally for hlgh school sLudenLs, lL alms Lo creaLe Lles of
frlendshlp, educaLlon and undersLandlng beLween Lhe Lwo sLaLes.

rogramm|ng:
1he Ml/Shlga SLudenL Lxchange allows 13 - 20 sLudenLs Lo Lravel Lo !apan each summer for Lwo
weeks Lo sLay wlLh a hosL famlly. 1he Mlchlgan famllles hosL Lhelr !apanese sLudenL ln early
SepLember. up Lo 30 sLudenLs from LhroughouL Lhe sLaLe of Mlchlgan are selecLed Lo aLLend a
lrlday nlghL, all day SaLurday orlenLaLlon on Lhe MSu campus Lo learn abouL !apanese cusLoms,
language as well as parLlclpaLe ln acLlvlLles LhaL Lake Lhem ouL of Lhelr comforL" zone. 1he
sLudenLs who are selecLed Lo parLlclpaLe ln Lhe program are conLacLed lmmedlaLely afLer Lhe
orlenLaLlon.

Strengths:
1he Ml/Shlga SLudenL Lxchange rogram supporLs Leachers of !apanese ln Mlchlgan. 1he
program encourages sLudenLs Lo become lnvolved ln fuLure educaLlonal opporLunlLles LhaL
lnvolve !apan and !apanese language such as Lhe !apan CenLer for Mlchlgan unlverslLles. 1hey
co-sponsor Lhe Mlchlgan !apanese Culz 8owl and are Lhe unlverslLy llalson on Lhe Ml/Shlga
SlsLer SLaLe CommlLLee. 1hey coordlnaLe scholarshlp opporLunlLles for sLudenLs who parLlclpaLe
ln Lhe Ml/Shlga SLudenL Lxchange rogram. We have also provlded opporLunlLles for lndlvldual
school exchanges Lo observe our orlenLaLlon when organlzlng Lhelr own exchange programs.

Cha||enges:
1he economlc downLurn ln Mlchlgan and ln !apan has lead Lo a decrease from 20 Lo 13 sLudenLs
parLlclpaLlng ln Lhe Ml/Shlga SLudenL Lxchange rogram. rovldlng scholarshlps for sLudenLs
also conLlnues Lo be a challenge. lewer sLudenLs ln Mlchlgan are parLlclpaLlng ln !apanese
language classes as schools ellmlnaLe forelgn language opLlons.

61

V|s|on:
ldeally l'd llke Lo see more lnvolvemenL from oLher reglons of Mlchlgan. 1he vasL ma[orlLy of
parLlclpaLlon ln !apanese language programs ls ln souLheasLern Mlchlgan. WlLh Lhe placemenL
of Lhe Ml !apanese Culz 8owl aL MSu, Lhe cenLer of Lhe sLaLe, we hope Lo see more schools
become lnvolved ln Lhe compeLlLlon and parLlclpaLe ln Lhe exchange program.

WlLh conferences such as Lhls, !-CenLer can provlde supporL Lo !apanese language Leachers,
encourage schools Lo provlde language opporLunlLles and ralse awareness abouL programs
avallable Lo hlgh school sLudenLs such as Lhe Ml/Shlga SLudenL Lxchange.

62

Keynote Speaker Biographies

1ara Sonenshlne was sworn ln as under SecreLary of SLaLe for ubllc ulplomacy and
ubllc Affalrs on Aprll 3, 2012. She was formerly LxecuLlve vlce resldenL of Lhe unlLed
SLaLes lnsLlLuLe of eace. Sonenshlne served ln varlous capaclLles aL Lhe WhlLe Pouse
durlng Lhe CllnLon AdmlnlsLraLlon, lncludlng 1ranslLlon ulrecLor and ulrecLor of lorelgn
ollcy lannlng for Lhe naLlonal SecurlLy Councll and Speclal AsslsLanL Lo Lhe resldenL
and uepuLy ulrecLor of CommunlcaLlons for Lhe nSC. Sonenshlne has had a
dlsLlngulshed career ln communlcaLlons and governmenL, wlLh hlgh-level experlence ln
broadcasL, prlnL, and onllne medla. She ls Lhe reclplenL of 10 news Lmmy Awards and
oLher awards ln [ournallsm for broadcasL programs on domesLlc and lnLernaLlonal
lssues.
norman MlneLa ls vlce Chalrman of Plll & knowlLon based ln lLs WashlngLon, uC offlce.
Pe ls recognlzed for hls experLlse ln LransporLaLlon and naLlonal securlLy, as well as
accompllshmenLs ln economlc developmenL, sclence and Lechnology pollcy, forelgn and
domesLlc Lrade, Lhe envlronmenL, budgeLary lssues and clvll rlghLs. SecreLary MlneLa
served ln Congress for over 20 years and ln Lhe CablneLs of boLh 8epubllcan and
uemocraLlc presldenLs. lor almosL 30 years, MlneLa represenLed San !ose, Callfornla,
flrsL on Lhe ClLy Councll, Lhen as Mayor and from 1973-1993 as a Member of Congress.
SecreLary MlneLa recelved Lhe resldenLlal Medal of lreedom, Lhe hlghesL clvlllan honor
ln Lhe u.S., and Lhe WrlghL 8roLhers Memorlal 1rophy, awarded for slgnlflcanL publlc
servlce of endurlng value Lo avlaLlon ln Lhe u.S.
8oberL karr, !r. ls Cf Counsel aL !ones uay Law llrm ln Chlcago, advlslng corporaLlons on
developlng and execuLlng Lhelr global expanslon plans. MosL recenLly karr served for
Lwo years as ln-house counsel ln 1okyo aL a !apanese lorLune Clobal 300 cllenL. rlor Lo
hls law career, he was Lhe flrsL Amerlcan employee of a ma[or !apanese consLrucLlon
company ln 1okyo. karr has served as chalrman of Lhe board of Lhe Chlcago SlsLer ClLles
lnLernaLlonal rogram, member of Lhe Chlcago 2016 Clymplc CommlLLee, and board
member of Lhe MldwesL u.S.-!apan AssoclaLlon. Pe also served as an advlsor for Lhe
Csaka ClLy 8evlLallzaLlon CommlLLee and ls currenLly Lhe LxecuLlve vlce resldenL of Lhe
!apan-Amerlca SocleLy of Chlcago.

63

Working Group Leader Biographies

Ld CragerL ls Lhe founder of lLA8n-uSA. Slnce 1988, lLA8n (lnLernaLlonal LducaLlon and
8esource neLwork) has ploneered Lhe educaLlonal use of lnnovaLlve communlcaLlons
Lechnology and Leacher professlonal developmenL Lo faclllLaLe onllne collaboraLlve
pro[ecL-based learnlng ln elemenLary and secondary schools ln 130 oLher counLrles
worldwlde. ApproxlmaLely Lwo mllllon sLudenLs work dally on collaboraLlve pro[ecLs
Lhrough lLA8n. Pe was prevlously Lhe LxecuLlve ulrecLor of lC?L&uS, and also served on
Lhe sLaff of Lhe lnLernaLlonal 8elaLlons CommlLLee of Lhe u.S. Pouse of 8epresenLaLlves.
SLephen nussbaum ls Lhe ulrecLor of SLudenL lnLernaLlonal Academlc Affalrs and Lhe
SLudy Abroad Cfflce aL Lhe unlverslLy of llllnols, whlch boasLs among Lhe largesL and
mosL dlverse educaLlon abroad porLfollos ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes. Well over 2,000 sLudenLs
parLlclpaLe ln more Lhan 200 programs locaLed ln 60 counLrles around Lhe world.
1hroughouL hls career nussbaum has been acLlve ln bulldlng neLworks Lo supporL
lnLernaLlonal educaLlon, flrsL aL Larlham College, where he arranged faculLy and sLudenL
exchanges, and laLer ln several roles aL Waseda unlverslLy ln 1okyo. nussbaum
compleLed hls h.u. ln AnLhropology aL Cornell unlverslLy wlLh mlnor flelds ln LasL Aslan
LlngulsLlcs and !apanese SLudles.
eLer kelley ls resldenL of Lhe naLlonal AssoclaLlon of !apan-Amerlca SocleLles (nA!AS).
Pe has worked wlLh !apan ln boLh Lhe prlvaLe and noL-for-proflL secLors. lrom 1983-
2003, he worked for 1eradyne, lnc., a 8osLon-based suppller of semlconducLor LesL
equlpmenL, spendlng flve years each ln !apan and Lurope and esLabllshlng Lhe
company's ConnecLlon SysLems ulvlslon ln !apan. lrom 2004-2009, he was LxecuLlve
ulrecLor of Lhe Parvard- ?enchlng lnsLlLuLe ln Cambrldge, MassachuseLLs, an
lndependenL foundaLlon dedlcaLed Lo Lhe promoLlon of Lhe humanlLles ln hlgher
educaLlon ln Asla.
nancy PupperL ls Lhe Clobal Lnvoy for SlsLer ClLles lnLernaLlonal (SCl). She
represenLs SCl aL lnLernaLlonal conferences, meeLlngs and embassles Lo dlssemlnaLe
lnformaLlon and supporL new global relaLlonshlps. rlor Lo holdlng Lhls poslLlon, PupperL
served ln local and sLaLe slsLer clLy poslLlons for more Lhan 14 years. She has lecLured
locally, naLlonally and lnLernaLlonally on boLh lnnovaLlve educaLlon programs and slsLer
clLles acLlvlLles. She ls Lhe reclplenL of numerous awards, among Lhem Lhe LlfeLlme
AchlevemenL Award besLowed by Lhe unlLed naLlons.

64

J-CENTER ADVISORY COUNCIL
THE HONORABLE NORMAN MINETA | CHAIR
Vice Chair | Hill & Knowlton
MS. YUME HIDAKA
Outreach Coordinator | The Laurasian Institution
DR. TOKO IGARASHI
Professor of Clinical Psychology | Joetsu University of Education
MR. ROBERT W. KARR, JR.
Principal | Masuda Funai Law Firm
MR. PETER KELLEY
President | National Association of Japan-America Societies
DR. SACHIKO MURPHY
Director of Japanese Program | Des Moines Public Schools
DR. DOWNING THOMAS
Associate Provost & Dean of International Programs | University of Iowa

USCCD STAFF CONTACT
MATT CLARK
J-Center Director | U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy

J-Center | U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy
699 Walnut Street, Suite 400 | Des Moines, Iowa 50309 U.S.A
TEL 202.872.0933
www.J-Center.org | www.uscenterforcitizendiplomacy.org

|\.J\.) The Japanese International
Exchange Center (J-Center)

.71.: Ann Olsen Schodde
{@(Qj President & CEO

:^,^ Matt Clark
J^,l1^ Program Director

J-CENTER
J- CENTER | U.S. CENTER FOR CITIZEN DIPLOMACY
699 WALNUT STREET, SUITE 400 | DES MOINES, IOWA 50309 U.S.A.
TEL 202.872.0933
WWW.J-CENTER.ORG | WWW.USCENTERFORCITIZENDIPLOMACY.ORG
The J-Center at the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy
(USCCD) was established with grant funds from the Japan
Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP).
The USCCD is proud to work with the CGP toward achieving
shared goals of strengthening the global U.S.-Japan
partnership and cultivating the next generation of leaders
necessary to sustain and grow this partnership.
U.S. CENTER FOR CITIZEN DIPL MACY
A DIVISION OF CDC DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS

J-Conference Report 2012

Încărcat de

Informații document

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

J-Conference Report 2012

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

J-CENTER

S-ar putea să vă placă și