 Last spring, visiting students from Aichi University presented cultural workshops to the campus, a tradition of the Aichi exchange program. Above, Naoya Frukawa (left) and Naoko Uchiyama discussed university life in Japan. |
The Aichi University program brings students from Aichi to Fredonia each spring semester for a life-changing experience.
There are currently six Aichi students studying at SUNY Fredonia for the spring 2009 semester. Three are education majors, who have been auditing classes on campus, and three are working in the Dunkirk Public Schools to learn how to teach students a second language. The latter group consists of students who are majoring in Japanese as a Second Language at Aichi University.
Typically, the visiting students give something back to the campus by presenting "Japanese Cultural Workshops" to the campus and community while they are here. This semester, the Japanese students presented a series of three workshops.
Aichi University Linguistics Professor Tomoko Yasutake is a SUNY Fredonia graduate. She expanded Aichi's international program when she initiated an annual three-week English immersion program that has brought as many as 27 student teachers per semester to Fredonia each spring from Aichi.
“I think the longevity and success of the Aichi exchange program can be attributed to the coordination and organization of the program and the warm welcome the Aichi students receive from our campus and community,” said Mary Sasso, Director of International Education.
“My students have had wonderful experiences with the school authorities and the teachers in Dunkirk,” said Ken-ichi Tahara, President of Aichi University.
The exchange agreement between SUNY Fredonia and Aichi University of Education was founded by Music Professor Emeritus Thomas Regelski during a sabbatical year he spent at the Japanese campus.
For more information, please contact Mary Sasso, at 716-673-3451 or mary.sasso@fredonia.edu.
