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CONWAY, Ark. (March 29, 2018) — Twenty-three students, a professor, and a staff member from ���ϲ����� recently returned March 25 from a Spring Break exchange trip to various locations in Japan. 

Arranged through the Tomodachi Kakehashi Inouye Scholars Exchange Program, one of Japan’s “Friendship Ties” programs promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the group’s travels included stops at Prefectural Hiroshima University, Hiroshima Peace Park, Hiroshima Memorial Museum, the Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima, the Meiji Jingu Shrine, and the TEPIA (Technology Excellence Promoting Innovative Advances) museum. They also learned about Japanese culture and family life by staying with families in Akiōta.

This exchange program also included a February visit of Prefectural Hiroshima University (PHU) students to central Arkansas. They stayed at ���ϲ����� and spent time learning about central Arkansas history and culture, and teaching ���ϲ����� students about Japanese culture. ���ϲ����� students on the Spring Break trip were delighted to be reunited with the PHU students who visited ���ϲ����� in February. PHU and Yamuaguchi University students joined the group for many activities.

Goals of the program include promoting deeper mutual understanding between Japan and the U.S.; enabling future leaders of the U.S.-Japan exchanges to form networks; and helping students develop wider perspectives to encourage active roles at the global level in the future.

Assistant Director of International Programs Claudia Courtway and Associate Professor of Computer Science Dr. Mark Goadrich accompanied the students, who represented a variety of majors. All students who participated learned some conversational Japanese, and those already taking classes in Japanese or who live in the Japanese Culture and Language House at ���ϲ����� had an opportunity to practice the language skills they had previously learned. 

Participating students were Alexander Berner ’19, Mara Campbell ’18, Brandon Casey ’21, Scott Chrysler ’20, Maddie Clendening ’20, Liam Edwards ’19, Peyton Hall ’21, Olivia Hardick ’20, Rebecca Levin ’19, Sarah Logan ’18, Aidan Mannette ’20, Adrienne McGooden ’19, Mary Nail ’20, Tristan Norman ’20, Rebecca Parham ’21, Lena Pham ’18, Abigail Rains ’19, Sumaira Sardar ’21, Kristi Scott ’18, John Tate ’19, John Tran ’19, Levi West ’21, and Hueseng Xiong ’19. 

About ���ϲ�����

A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, ���ϲ����� consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established ���ϲ����� as a fixture in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, ���ϲ����� has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit .