(NEWS) Sasakawa Fellows Reception 2015

November

2015

Sasakawa Fellows Reception 2015

The annual Sasakawa Fellows Reception, hosted by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), was held at WMU on 31 October. At the event, 22 students in the Class of 2015 who were sponsored by SPF were honored as WMU Sasakawa Fellows. The new Fellows hail from 18 different countries: Bangladesh, Cameroon, Colombia, Egypt, Gambia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Myanmar, Panama, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, and Viet Nam. The total number of WMU Sasakawa Fellows is now 565.

Mr. Hiroshi Terashima, Executive Director of SPF and member of the WMU Governors and Executive Board, welcomed the guests that included Mr. Koji Sekimizu, WMU Chancellor and Secretary-General of the IMO, Mr. Ki-tack Lim, IMO Secretary-General (Elect), Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director of the Nippon Foundation, Mr Leif Almö, Honorary Consul of Japan, and Malmö Mayor and Chairman of the City Council, Mr. Kent Andersson. The gathering also included dignitaries from IMO, University Governors, WMU faculty and staff, family members of the Fellows, Sasakawa Fellowship Students in the Class of 2016, and guests who would receive honorary awards at the graduation ceremony on 1 November.

Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, WMU President, addressed the gathering and remarked on the extraordinary support of the Nippon Foundation for the University since 1987. The President noted that in addition to the generous support for students, The Nippon Foundation further supports the capacity building mission of WMU by sponsoring three Professorial Chairs and an Associate Professor as well as numerous conferences and events connected with WMU. President Doumbia-Henry highlighted the Foundation’s announcement in May to establish a US$100 million endowment to support the University’s efforts in creating an international ocean and maritime research institute.

Mr. Unno addressed the graduating students, congratulating them on the completion of their studies and welcoming them to the “family” of Sasakawa Fellows. He delighted the company by saying “Congratulations” in the languages of the students’ home countries. The certificates were then presented individually to each graduating student in the Sasakawa Auditorium. Upon receiving the honor of Fellow, each recipient also became a member of the Friends of WMU, Japan.

With this ceremony, the Class of 2015 Fellows officially joined the global network of individuals whose lives have been changed by accepting their roles as Sasakawa Fellows. “Share the Pain. Share the Hope. Share the Future,” can be found on the Foundation’s website, reflecting their mission of social innovation to achieve a society where people support one another. Their mission for social innovation maintains that, “Everyone has a role to play: citizens, corporations, nonprofit organizations, government, and international bodies. By forging networks among these actors, The Nippon Foundation serves as a hub for the world’s wisdom, experience, and human resources, giving individuals the capacity to change society - the hope that they can make a difference.”

The Nippon Foundation, through SPF, is the largest donor to the University, providing 22-25 new awards on an annual basis. In addition to the Fellowships that cover all tuition and living expenses, since 1993 The Nippon Foundation has hosted a week-long field study to Japan for Sasakawa Fellowship Students and since 2001 has regularly hosted Sasakawa Fellow gatherings.

At the graduation ceremony on 1 November, two Sasakawa Fellows received student awards: The Chancellor's Medal for Academic Excellence for the M.Sc. in Maritime Affairs 2015 in Malmö was awarded to Mr. Mukund Gujar from India, and the C. P. Srivastava Award for International Fellowship, was awarded to Ms. Maki Tominaga from Japan.

Click here for more information about The Nippon Foundation
Click here for information about the Sasakawa Fellowship Program and Friends of WMU, Japan

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