Exchanging Ideas with the UOU

On January 26, 2011, delegates from the University of Ulsan (UOU) in the Republic of Korea visited my university. As members of its Office of International Affairs and Education, they visited Niigata University of Management to meet the president of NUM, the chairperson and vice chairperson of our International Exchange Committee. (I’m the vice chair.) They have been visiting several other sister universities in Japan and our university has hosted their exchange students for many years.

According to its website: http://www.ulsan.ac.kr/eng/index.aspx
Since its establishment, the UOU has contributed to the development of Korea by producing a competitive work force. Now with the support of Hyundai Heavy Industries, the UOU is ready to become a global institution.

The UOU’s accomplishments are well recognized nationally and internationally. (It) was ranked 8th nationally and 272nd worldwide in terms of SCI publications (2007).

Their website also states:
The UOU is currently conducting ‘World-Class Programs’ in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Medicine, (as well as) carrying out various projects which every UOU student benefits from.

During our meeting, we discussed strengthening our relationships and expanding our exchange programs. As recent news articles have noted, many of today’s Japanese students are too inward-oriented and have little desire to study abroad. In order to help reverse this trend, UOU suggested that their established language and culture study courses would be of great benefit to Japanese students looking for an advantage in today’s stagnant economy.

China Beckons Once More

Last week my colleagues and I visited Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology to recruit sophomore students who want to enroll in third-year courses at Niigata University of Management.

According to its website, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, which was founded in 1960, was designated in 1978 as one of the key institutions of higher learning in China. With a scientific research center for post-doctoral students, the university enjoys a complete educational system.　http://www.nuist.edu.cn/newindex/

While there, we met several students fluent in speaking Japanese. Some of them claimed to have learned Japanese from watching popular Japanese animation programs and “trendy” TV dramas.

http://liuxue998.com/11610%20sinsoku%20.html

Wanted: Sister Colleges!

Niigata University of Management is seeking new sister schools, especially in English-speaking countries. Currently, our school has accepted many Asian students from countries such as China, Russia and South Korea. Now the school’s aim is to branch out into other regions.

Our school focuses on business management, and our students mainly study commerce, accounting, bookkeeping and computer science. Recently, we have launched education courses for those who wish to become high school teachers of commerce, social studies, information science and English.

Because of globalization, business students need to be equipped with English skills, the lingua franca of the world. However, recently it has been revealed that fewer Japanese students are studying abroad. Our school wants to do its part to reverse this trend and to also introduce Japan to the next generation of overseas business leaders.

We hope to find a university or college willing to administer crash courses in English as a foreign language for our students. Our university would likewise accept students who wish to study in Japan. Longer exchanges in Japan for the university’s foreign students could also be arranged.

For further information or inquiries, please contact me at the following email address:

ichishima@duck.niigataum.ac.jp