On 29 May, Kyoto University and Kyoto Prefecture signed an agreement and memorandum of understanding to strengthen partnership and expand collaboration on efforts to attract and provide services for international students.
The areas of collaboration specified in the agreement are: 1) the construction and administration of dormitories, 2) the promotion of cultural exchange among students, and between students and local communities and businesses, 3) the development and administration of curricula for international students, and 4) collaboration and exchange with universities and students overseas.
As the first initiative to be implemented under this partnership -- inaugurated in a 29 May ceremony by President Juichi Yamagiwa and Governor Keiji Yamada -- the University will rent prefectural land, the former site of the Sei-un dormitory, and build a new residence hall there for international students. Kyoto University and Prefecture then plan to form a network of four local international dormitories -- one owned by the University and the other three by the Prefecture -- and organize opportunities for the residents to meet with other students and members of local communities and businesses, thereby promoting the internationalization of both the University and the communities involved.
President Yamagiwa (left) and Governor Yamada at the signing ceremony