A public reception to welcome the President of Japan’s Chubu University, along with other officials from the university, will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Ohio University.

The reception, which will also serve as a signing ceremony, will begin at 10:30 a.m. and continue until noon in the Multicultural Center Multipurpose Room in Baker University Center. The event is free and open to the public, and all students, faculty, staff and area residents are invited to attend.

Chubu University is a partner institution, and the presidents of both universities will be signing a new Memorandum of Understanding agreement during the ceremony.

The Chubu University delegation is visiting Ohio University in order to sign the new agreement, discuss current and potential new areas of collaboration, and take part in the inauguration ceremonies for President M. Duane Nellis. The delegation includes:

• President Osamu Ishihara
• Toru Kato, deputy general manager for the President’s Office
• Kyoki Hori, program coordinator for the Center for International Affairs
• Takeshi Okajima, manager of the Center for International Affairs
• Yoshitugu Hayashi, deputy director of the Center for International Affairs. 

The Welcome Ceremony will celebrate the historic Chubu-OHIO partnership while also allowing time for discussions of new initiatives and projects in order to benefit the students and faculty of both institutions. 

The formal partnership between the two universities dates back to 1973, when Chubu University President Kohei Miura and Ohio University President Claude Sowle signed the first agreement. That agreement has opened the doors for students and faculty from each institution to visit the other through different exchange agreements, as well as countless projects and programs, including:

• Chubu University’s donation of the Cherry Blossom Trees to Ohio University.
• Ohio University’s development of the Tanaka-OHIO Award for Excellence in Global Education, which is presented to a Chubu University faculty member each year during Ohio University’s International Education Week.  
• Ohio University’s renovation and expansion of the Yamada International House, which was made possible thanks to a donation from Chubu University.
• The Ohio University Lounge in the Miura Memorial Library at Chubu University, along with a library exchange program between the two institutions.
• Visits made by officials from each institution to the other, including in 2014 when an Ohio University delegation led by President Roderick J. McDavis traveled to Chubu University for that institution’s 50th anniversary.

President Ishihara will also take part in a Monday, Oct. 16 panel discussion that is being held as part of the celebration of the inauguration of President Nellis. The panel discussion, which is also free and open to the public, will begin at 3 p.m. in the Baker University Center Theatre.

The Chubu University delegation will also attend the Presidential Investiture Ceremony  beginning at 2 p.m. in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

For additional information on the Tuesday, Oct. 17 welcome reception and signing ceremony, or for information on the Chubu University visit to Ohio University, please contact the Office of Global Affairs at 740-593-1840 or at globalaffairs@ohio.edu.

This article was provided by the Office of Global Affairs and International Studies.