On 2 February, Kyoto University hosted the 2019 Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program (AFLSP)* Annual Meeting in Room 201 of Higashi-Ichijo Kan. This gathering annually provides the University's AFLSP participants with opportunities to report on what they have learned and achieved through the program.
The 2019 meeting opened with an address from Dr Shinsuke Kawazoe, Kyoto University's executive vice-president for student affairs and library services, reflecting on the University's involvement in AFLSP since 2014, including organizing the annual meetings. This was followed by Professor Katsuichi Uchida, president of Bai Xian Asia Institute (BXAI), which runs AFLSP, describing his expectations of Kyoto University's role in the program.
The presentation session was organized by Professor Liang Zhao of the Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability (GSAIS, or "Shishu-Kan") and Dr Kai-Chun Chang, senior lecturer at the Graduate School of Engineering.
Eight students presented in the morning, reporting on their accomplishments over the past year, making suggestions regarding the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and discussing their own efforts to contribute to society. A photo session and lunch break were followed by 16 more presentations.
The presenters then received feedback from Professor Uchida of BXAI, Professor Mamoru Kanzaki of the Graduate School of Agriculture, who chairs the AFLSP Committee, and some of the AFLSP alumni in attendance.
The meeting concluded with two students receiving awards for superior initiatives and presentations.
AFLSP will continue to facilitate Asian students' understanding of cultural diversity and development of leadership skills.
Meeting participants and attendees
* Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program (AFLSP)
AFLSP was established in 2014 by BXAI with the aim of providing young people in Asia with opportunities to study in other parts of the region so as to help them deepen their understanding of different cultures, and gain the leadership skills needed to contribute to regional and global development.
Approximately 100 students take part in the program each year to study at participating institutions, including six "anchor universities" in Japan and China. KyotoU is an anchor university, which annually hosts ten students, and sends two undergraduate or graduate students to one of the designated universities in China, Taiwan, or South Korea.
Related links
- Kyoto University AFLSP
http://www.opir.kyoto-u.ac.jp/study/en/visa/asian/ - Bai Xian Asia Institute
https://www.bxai.org/
