The international forum will feature roundtable discussions on such areas as education reform and policy development, international exchanges, new learning technologies, student recruitment and university management. The forum will culminate with a reception on Thursday, September 23, sponsored and hosted by Manulife Financial -- the largest Canadian-based business in Japan.   

“This forum is the second in a series of discussions involving 12 Japanese and 12 Canadian university presidents and we are very happy to serve as host,” said York University President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna Marsden.

Photo: The Red-Laquered Gate at the University of Tokyo

“This forum demonstrates the commitment that Canadian universities have to build strong links with the international academic community,” says Claire Morris, president of AUCC. “Our students and universities benefit from these links and from the cross-cultural knowledge and understanding that they foster, which are so important in our global society.”

President Marsden recently invited members of the Japanese-Canadian community for their assistance in contacting graduates from the participating Japanese universities.  These graduates have been invited to  join with University rectors and presidents, as well as other community and business leaders at the evening reception, to be held at the Japanese-Cultural Centre.  “We are very excited that so many graduates from the participating Japanese universities currently living and working here in Toronto will be joining us for this unique gathering,” Dr. Marsden added.

**Please Note: Although the roundtable discussions will be closed to the media and the public, media are welcome to attend the reception on Thursday from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre, located at 6 Garamond Court in Don Mills.

In the spring of 2001, the Canadian Embassy in Japan organized the first roundtable event for Japanese university rectors and Canadian university presidents to initiate discussions on higher education reforms – including many areas of shared concern. This took place as part of the “Think Canada/Pensez Canada 2001” events in Tokyo. The meetings, co-chaired by Marsden and Yoshiyuki Naito, president of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, were considered highly productive, and Canada invited the Japanese rectors to visit this year as part of the commemoration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and Japan.

Japanese participants at Roundtable II are: Dr. Masuo Aizawa, President, Tokyo Institute of Technology; Dr. Tetsushi Horikawa, President, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies; Dr. Setsuho Ikehata, President, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies; Dr. Hiroshi Kato, President, Yamaguchi University; Dr. Nobuyuki Matsui, President, Nagoya Institute of Technology; Dr. Seizo Miyata, President, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Dr. Yutaka Morohoshi, Vice-President, Obirin University; Dr. Takatoshi Murata, President, Kyoto University of Education; Dr. Toyoomi Nagata, President and Chancellor, Ritsumeikan University; Dr. Hiromi Naya, President, Meiji University; Dr. Tatsuya Sakamoto, Director of the International Centre, Keio University; and Dr. Takeshi Sasaki, President, University of Tokyo.

Canadian participants are: Prof. Wade MacLauchlan, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Prince Edward Island (Canadian Co-Chair); Ms. Claire Morris, President, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada; Dr. David W. Atkinson, President and Vice-Chancellor, Brock University; Professor John Challis, Vice-President, Research, University of Toronto; Dr. Colin Dodds, President, St. Mary’s University; Dr. John M. Dixon, Associate Vice-Principal (Academic/International), Queen’s University; Mr. François Duchesneau, Vice-Rector, Planning and International Relations, Université de Montréal; Dr. Philip Hicks, President, Nova Scotia Agricultural College; Prof. David Johnston, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waterloo; Dr. Alastair Summerlee, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Guelph; Dr. Emőke J.E. Szathmáry President and Vice-Chancellor, The University of Manitoba; Mr. Jean-Marie Toulouse, Director, École des Hautes Études Commerciales; and Dr. David Turpin, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Victoria.

York University is the leading interdisciplinary teaching and research university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city.  The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries.  This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges.

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For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

George McNeillie, Assistant Director, York University Media Relations, 416-736-2100, x22091 / gmcneil@yorku.ca

Ken Turriff, Media Relations Officer, York University Media Relations, 416-736-2100, x22086 / kturriff@yorku.ca

Lếo Charbonneau, Media Relations Officer, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, 613-563-3961, x323 / lcharbon@aucc.ca

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