Center for Globalization

Director

From Local to World, From World to Local

The Center for Globalization (CfG) at the University of Aizu was established in 2015, the year after the university was awarded a 10-year MEXT grant as a Top Global University. The CfG is made up of the Office for Strategy of International Programs (OSIP) and the Promotion Office for Super Global University (SGU).

The CfG handles a vast number of tasks, helping to internationalize the university and encourage exchanges between people at our university and the rest of the world. Some of the staff of the CfG are cross-appointed with the Student Affairs Division, so we are responsible for a variety of work. A selection of the things we do are listed below:

1. Maintaining the many Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between our university and overseas universities, looking for new partners for international research and educational collaboration
2. Sending our students on short-term and mid-term study-abroad programs, and applying for JASSO scholarships to help support those programs
3. Managing the Global Lounge, including International Talks, where students from various countries can interact
4. Managing the Buddy System, pairing Japanese students with international students to help the international students adapt to life in Japan and Aizu
5. Creating and administering internships (regional, domestic, and international) so that Japanese and international students can experience working at IT companies for university credit before graduation
6. Administering the Challenger Badge System, which is designed to encourage and reward students for approved extracurricular activities such as advanced ICT and venture startup education, regional exchanges, etc.
7. Overseeing the Aizu Geek Dojo, a co-working space with 3D printers and laser cutters, where Japanese and international students can be creative together
8. Managing special funding for professors who want to hold international conferences at UoA
9. Administering overseas ICT support projects for developing countries, such as special lectures in Myanmar by a UoA professor
10. Doing Public Relations to help recruit international students
11. Supporting international students in all aspects of their daily life here, from immigration to job hunting, etc.
12. Helping the Support Association for International Students of the University of Aizu (SAISUA) with accounting and documents for meetings
13. Administering various scholarships for international students from partner universities
14. Managing the ICT Global Program, including recruitment, enrollment, support, and teaching Japanese language classes to international undergraduate students

The Center for Globalization welcomes your ideas for future partnerships for international collaboration, as well as your opinions and ideas about ways to further internationalize and enhance the multicultural environment on our campus!

Activity

Members