A reporting session for University staff participants in the Kyoto University Global Frontier Project for Young Professionals: John Mung Program (JMP) was held late November at the University Head Office. In addition to international study and research opportunities, the JMP has been offering staff training at overseas locations since fiscal 2013 to promote the internationalization of administrators, one of the goals of the University's "2x by 2020" international strategy. The debriefing enabled JMP participants to share their achievements as well as experiences of everyday life in their host countries. Around 50 staff colleagues attended.
The session opened with remarks by Mr Yasufumi Kawaguchi, Director of the Research and International Affairs Department, who emphasized at length that administrative staff with international skills form a critical component of an international and research-oriented university.
The first JMP participant to present was Ms Sayaka Seike, administrator in the International Student Mobility Division, Research and International Affairs Department. She shared details of the 13-month program (August 2013 to September 2014) in which she worked at the US-Japan Research Institute in Washington DC.
Mr Yusuke Sakai followed, administrator in the General Affairs Division, Kyoto University Hospital, who discussed his short-term program experiences that took him first to Bhutan and then to Thailand. Over a five-week period beginning in late January, Mr Sakai worked at the University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan, and at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Bangkok Office, providing administrative assistance to doctors and nurses from the KU Hospital.
Next, officials from the International Affairs Division, Research and International Affairs Department, presented an overview of the two short-term programs that had been implemented during fiscal 2014 at Kyoto University's newly established overseas locations -- the Heidelberg Office of the Kyoto University European Center and the Kyoto University ASEAN Center, which opened in May and June 2014, respectively, as part of the University's international strategy focused on expanding its overseas presence.
Four staff members reported on their training experiences at those facilities; two women from the Research and International Affairs Department -- Ms Aya Kimura, a Senior Administrative Staff member of the International Affairs Division, and Ms Aoi Nishimura, an Administrative Staff member of the Research Promotion Division -- worked at the Heidelberg Office, while the ASEAN Center hosted two male Administrative Staff members -- Mr Sumio Fujinaga from the Research Promotion Division, Research and International Affairs Department, and Mr Ryoma Kawaguchi from the Accounts Division, Department of Financial Affairs. The former program ran for two and three months, while the latter comprised two months. The presentations covered the work involved in organizing opening ceremonies and preparing office infrastructure at each location, as well as various activities and event that were conducted since then.
The Q&A session held after each presentation sparked an animated discussion on topics such as the specifics of the activities undertaken by the JMP participants' host institutions, and possible areas for improvement that may have been identified by the trainees.
At the end of the session, the JMP participants urged other administrators to consider following in their footsteps -- taking advantage of overseas training opportunities to gain hands-on knowledge of different cultures and cultivate global awareness.
Presentation about a short-term training program in Bhutan
Report on the activities of the University's ASEAN Center
During the Q&A session
Members of the audience
About the Kyoto University Global Frontier Project for Young Professionals: John Mung Program
The JMP is a university-wide initiative that aims to foster the next generation of global leaders by enabling students, as well as young faculty and staff, to study, conduct research, or work abroad.
Inaugurated in fiscal 2013, the program for administrative staff dispatches participants to higher-education or research institutions outside Japan, to work in areas involving international communication, thereby acquiring new work skills while also building international contacts and developing foreign language proficiency, equipping themselves to take on future leading roles in Kyoto University's international affairs.
Related links
- Kyoto University Global Frontier Project for Young Professionals: John Mung Program
http://www.john-man.rp.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/ - US-Japan Research Institute
http://www.us-jpri.org/en/ - Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Bangkok Office
http://jsps-th.org/jsps_en/
