In 2023, Chubu University and Ohio University are celebrating 50 years of collaboration and friendship. Students, faculty and staff have had opportunities to visit each other’s campuses and interact with individuals from both institutions.
To capture the flavor and importance of these intercultural experiences, we invited our community to share reflection essays through the lens of these dynamic engagements.
Read Essays and check out personal photos from individuals who have engaged with Chubu over the years!
On this 50th Anniversary of the Chubu-OHIO University Partnership, I reflect on all my friends, colleagues, students, and community members who have benefited from our partnership.
In 2011, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad at Chubu University, and during this time, we engaged in numerous cultural activities and excursions.
I visited Japan and Chubu University first time in May 2014. In the same year, I was honored to be selected as the 40th Kohei Miura Visiting Professor at Chubu University.
Every spring, wherever I am in any corner of the world, I recall the beauty and serenity of the two hundred plus Cherry trees that are lined up along the Hocking River at Ohio University, my alma mater.
Thinking back on my experience at Ohio University, the thing that sticks out to me the most is my time getting to know the Chubu University students while working as a Special Programs Assistant through the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE) from 2017-2019.
In the summer of 2009, I was granted the opportunity to spend two months in Kasugai as the 35th Kohei Miura Visiting Professor at Chubu University.
By my senior year of high school, I had barely ventured beyond the borders of my home state, let alone the country.
I was the 26th Kohei Miura Visiting Professor, during the year of 1999. It was an experience that would change the direction of my research career and open my eyes to the wonderful culture of Japan. My wife, Terry Murphy, joined me for this 4-month experience.
I won the lottery the day I started studying Japanese at Ohio University.
To say that my experiences at Chubu University in Japan and in OHIO with the Chubu students shaped my trajectory in life is perhaps an understatement.