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Japanese students enjoy UNE, and some hope to return

June 29, 2005

ChubuGroup.thumb.JPGSome of the 20 university students who have just returned home to Japan after a semester's study at The University of New England are hoping to come back to UNE.

This could happen as soon as next year, because UNE is negotiating with their university in Japan for a student exchange program to begin in 2006.

The 20 second-year students from Chubu University (near Nagoya) came to UNE to fulfil the compulsory overseas-study component of their English language program. They arrived at UNE's Language Training Centre (LTC) at the beginning of the academic year, and by the time they left at the end of last week they had completed 288 hours of language-oriented class work. Professor Tadashi Shiozawa, Chairman of the Department of English Language and Culture at Chubu University, said he had chosen UNE for the program after visiting several other universities in Australia. "I really liked the UNE environment," he said. "Armidale is a 'college town', and the University combines world-class research with really good teaching."

As well as attending their classes at LTC, the Japanese students joined UNE linguistics students for lectures and discussions in an undergraduate unit called "Cross-cultural communication study". "That was really tough for them," said Professor Shiozawa, explaining that before each session in the unit the Chubu students had attended a preparatory class conducted by Dr Kumie Fujimori. Activities at Sport UNE (for which their home university will give them credit) were also a part of their compulsory program.

Professor Shiozawa, along with Professor Taijiro Nonaka, the Director of Chubu University's Centre for International Programs, travelled to UNE for the students' farewell ceremony, at which each of the students received a certificate of achievement. (The photograph displayed here shows several of the students at the ceremony.) Professor Shiozawa said the students' semester of study at UNE had "really changed their lives". He thanked Ms Daisy William, the former Director of LTC who had worked with him in organising the program, Professor Robin Pollard, UNE's Pro Vice-Chancellor (International and Entrepreneurial), the staff of LTC, and everyone else at the University who had helped to make their visit a success.

Professor Pollard, before presenting the students with their certificates, thanked them for their "tremendous contribution" to the UNE community in bringing their "liveliness and culture" to the campus. "We will now start to broaden our relationship with Chubu University to include student exchanges (and even staff exchanges)," he said.

Ms Kiyomi Yamada of LTC, who met the students every week as an adviser and organised excursions for them to study Australian history and culture, outlined some of the contributions they had made to cultural events in Armidale and at UNE. These had included their colourful participation in Armidale's Autumn Festival parade and in the recent Japanese Festival week, she said. Ms Yamada organised frequent meetings between the Japanese students and Australian students acting as "buddies". This gave the visitors a chance to talk to Australians in a relaxed atmosphere, and great friendships were formed. A special morning tea was held during the students' last week at UNE to thank the "buddies".


Media contact: Mark Cooper, Language Training Centre, UNE (02) 6773 6412 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049. Please contact Jim Scanlan for PHOTOGRAPHS.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at June 29, 2005 10:15 AM