ICU Farm Project
The ICU farm project was launched in the spring of 2024 as a collaboration between JICUF and ICU. The project seeks to revive the campus farm established when ICU was founded. It aims to utilize ICU’s rich natural environment as a learning space centered on food and agriculture, and also fits well into ICU’s mid-term plan (2021-2025), which emphasizes the “social implementation of the liberal arts.” The idea for the farm project first emerged in 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic. JICUF President Paul Hastings and Vice President Aki Takada led a meeting at ICU to explore the concept. ICU professors, representatives from Mitaka City Hall, dedicated students, alumni involved in […]
Jannelly Guardado, the first recipient of the Nelson Ranch Scholarship
Janelly Guardado, the first recipient of the Nelson Ranch Scholarship enrolled at ICU this September. We interviewed Janelly about her new life at the ICU. Photo: Naoki Beppu JICUF: When and what made you interested in Japan? Jannelly: I became interested in Japan because Japanese was the only Asian language taught at my high school. At the time, I was really into Asian culture, and I thought it would be interesting to take Japanese as a foreign language. Once I began to study the language, I became intrigued by all the things my high school Japanese teacher would tell our class about Japan. JICUF: What were you most worried about […]
JICUF Co-Hosts a Workshop on Skills-Based Pathways for Refugees at the Embassy of Canada to Japan
On November 20 and 21, JICUF co-hosted a workshop titled “Skills-Based Pathways for Refugees: Challenges and Solutions for Long-Term Integration” at the Embassy of Canada to Japan. Approximately 70 participants gathered from around the world to discuss how to admit more refugees through educational and professional opportunities.
Japan ICU Foundation Launches Global Citizen Fellowship – Announcement from JICUF President & CEO Paul Hastings
I believe deeply in the importance of global learning. Growing up biculturally between Japan and the United States, studying abroad in Sri Lanka during college and living and working in India have deeply impacted me. These experiences helped me crystalize my values and inspired me to work in international education. At the Japan ICU Foundation, we believe in the power and importance of global learning experiences, and we are so excited to share the launch of the Global Citizen Fellowship (GCF). GCF is a yearlong cohort-based program for undergraduate students at ICU. Based on the three pillars of global citizenship: awareness, responsibility and participation, GCF is designed to allow participants […]
JICUF Student Ambassadors Interview Grant Recipients: Part 2
To commemorate the opening of our Japan office on the ICU campus, JICUF held a series of opening events in mid-May. One of the events was a showcase of JICUF grant projects. We asked our student ambassadors to interview the participants. Please enjoy below the interviews conducted by Chiemi Linda Saito. Chiemi Linda Saito (Photo by Naoki Beppu) 1.“Compost Project” Yumiko Maruyama (Undergraduate Student) Undergraduate students and members of the ICU Compost club, Nanako Watanabe and Kanami Suzuki, who participated in the field trip, were interviewed for this article. Chiemi: Where did you visit on your field trip to Kyushu? Nanako: First, we visited a farmer who worked with high […]
Introducing the 2024-2025 Photography Interns
JICUF recently hired three new photography interns, Yosuke Kobayashi, Yu Goto, and Kyoka Horiuchi. They are undergraduate students at ICU and will regularly post on our Instagram and Facebook accounts, taking photographs and short movies for our publications. Please follow us on social media to check out their posts!
JICUF Study Abroad Scholarship Recipient Reflects on her Time in the UK
The following reflection was written by Ayane Wakabayashi, a recent recipient of JICUF’s Study Abroad Scholarship. Ayane is an undergraduate student at ICU majoring in linguistics. “My Wonderful Journey in the UK” Beautiful UEA campus! It looks a bit like ICU campus. Introduction I joined ICU’s exchange programme in 2023-24, and studied at the University of East Anglia (UEA), which is located in Norwich, UK, for about nine months. It was an unexpected situation because before I entered ICU I promised my parents that I would never study abroad. I didn’t want to burden them financially. In addition, I didn’t think I needed to study abroad at all. However, my […]
ICU Alumna Ms. Takako Miyazaki Reflects on Her Encounters with Dr. Sadako Ogata
Ms. Takako Miyazaki is a graduate of ICU who has spent much of her life in the US, and served as the president of ICU’s Alumni Association in the Americas in the 1990s. Through the ICU AAA, she had several memorable encounters with Dr. Sadako Ogata, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. We asked Ms. Miyazaki to share them with us.
JICUF Launches the Education Pathways Scholarship with ICU
The Japan ICU Foundation and ICU will launch a new scholarship for students with refugee backgrounds. The Education Pathways Scholarship will support two new undergraduate students annually starting in April 2025. It is a full scholarship that covers tuition and fees, on-campus accommodation and stipend. JICUF and ICU will share the cost of the scholarship.
Call for JICUF Photography Interns
JICUF seeks 1-2 student photography and video interns who can work with us from October 2024 to June 2025! Apply immediately.