Gustavus Adolphus College President Jack R. Ohle will travel to Japan on Thursday, June 24 to deliver remarks at the June 27 memorial service of Dr. Sadato Tanimoto, the former chancellor of Kansai Gaidai University.
Ohle will be a guest of Kansai Gaidai and will speak on behalf of Gustavus and all American institutions of higher education that have a student and faculty exchange program relationship with Kansai Gaidai.
Kansai Gaidai is a private university located in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan, that focuses on foreign language studies. It boasts an enrollment of approximately 15,000 students and is known for its large Asian Studies program as well as its Intensive English Studies program for Japanese students planning to study abroad.
Tanimoto devoted the majority of his life to the development of Kansai Gaidai and was 82 years old at the time of his death in late April. President Ohle first met Chancellor Tanimoto in 1980 while serving as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln.
“Chancellor Tanimoto believed that international education, intercultural relations in an increasingly interdependent world, and the understanding of language could play a major factor in preparing the leaders of tomorrow and create a better world through educational exchange,” President Ohle said. “It will be my distinct honor to be a part of the memorial service that will pay tribute to a person of great vision.”
Gustavus established a relationship with Kansai Gaidai University in 1974 and since that time 22 Gustavus faculty members have spent a year teaching at Kansai Gaidai, while 209 students have spent a semester or more studying there. Nine current Gustavus students will study at Kansai Gaidai during the 2010-11 academic year.
During his five-day stay in Japan, Ohle will also meet with the dean and the president of the board of trustees at Kansai Gaidai as well as host a Gustavus alumni gathering.
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