FY2015-16 ANNUAL REPORT 日本語

Dear ICU alumni & friends,

The last year has been marked by transition and growth at the Japan ICU Foundation. On September 1, 2015 I started my new role as Executive Director and CEO of the JICUF. Together with our staff, board of trustees and colleagues from ICU, we established and put into motion a plan to build on the success of JICUF’s over 60-year partnership with ICU. The plan centers on creating impact through our grants, scholarships and programs. Each of these areas help achieve our mission of supporting ICU’s broadly international and ecumenically Christian dimensions in a unique way.

In January 2016 we launched our new Grants for Faculty and Grants for Students initiative, enabling ICU faculty and staff to apply directly to the JICUF for funding. Between the Spring and Fall terms we received 41 inquiries, 18 from faculty and 23 from students and awarded a total of ¥6,598,623 in grants.

As you can see in the Financial Report below, we provided ICU with $249,223 in scholarship funding in FY2015-16. The bulk of this support is awarded to international students studying at ICU. We have also begun a process to reform JICUF scholarship awards, with the goal of increasing the number of international students at ICU.

In June we held the Rethinking Peace Studies conference on the ICU campus. The conference brought together over 20 academics and practitioners from around the world to present original papers focused on peace and conflict studies. Then, in July a group of ICU students participated in the third annual Global Link summer program in New York City. The program is planned and administered entirely by the JICUF staff, and this year we doubled participation from 6 to 12 ICU undergraduate students.

To personalize some of this year’s accomplishments, immediately below I highlight one person we have supported through our grants, scholarships and programs during this past year. I hope these brief sketches give you a sense of the human impact of our work. None of this would be possible without the generosity of so many ICU alumni and friends in North America. Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,
Paul Hastings
Executive Director

Professor Matthew Gillan – JICUF Grant Recipient

Matthew Gillan is a Senior Associate Professor in the Department of Music and Director of the Sacred Music Center at ICU. On June 4, 2016 he and his colleagues convened “Sacred Voices,” an innovative interfaith event at the University Chapel. The four-hour program featured sacred vocal performances from the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Islamic traditions. Each performance was followed by thoughtful discussion. The sold out event was attended by alumni, students, faculty and members of the general public. To read more about this event, please click here.

Kosinara Sok – JICUF Scholarship Recipient

Kosinara Sok is the recipient of a jointly sponsored JICUF/ICU/United Board scholarship for students pursuing an MA in Peace Studies. Kosinara is from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Before attending ICU, he served as a public servant in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, as well as a university lecturer in the department of international studies of the Royal University of Phnom Penh. He just completed his MA in June 2016 and is planning to help develop a new curriculum on Peace Studies, Democracy and Human Rights at the Royal University. In the long term, he would like to continue to focus on youth development in Cambodia. To learn more about Kosinara, please click here.

Priscilla Balona – Participant in JICUF’s Summer Program, Global Link

Priscilla Balona has just begun her junior year as a four-year September student at ICU. This past July she participated in our Global Link summer program in New York City, along with 11 other ICU undergraduates. Priscilla, who is Filipino-Japanese, grew up in Saitama and attended Christian Academy in Japan, an international school in Tokyo. Priscilla’s boundless energy and curiosity was a joy for all of us involved in Global Link to witness. You can get a sense of this by watching the short video montage she complied of her experience in New York.