KING AWARDED FULBRIGHT FOR THREE-WEEK PROGRAM IN JAPAN
Scott King, director of international student and scholar services, has been awarded an administrative Fulbright grant to join five other U.S. international educators in Japan this summer. This is the second Fulbright award of this kind for King, who was selected for a similar program in Germany in 1993.
The administrative Fulbright program is designed to familiarize participants with higher education, society and culture in Japan. The visit will consist of briefings, campus visits, appointments with selected government officials, cultural activities and meetings with Japanese international education professionals.
Scheduled for June 15 to July 5, the program will begin and end in Tokyo. The itinerary includes visits to several other major cities and cultural sites throughout the country. The program is well known for its demanding schedule but also for the richness of the experience, according to John Heyl, Old Dominion's executive director of international programs.
"The Fulbright Japan Program is small and very competitive. We are proud that Scott has been selected. It is truly an
opportunity of a lifetime for any international educator," Heyl said.
King came to Old Dominion in 1991 and has since seen the university's international student community more than double in size, from 634 in 1991 to 1,366 in 2001. Likewise, the international visiting scholar community has doubled to its current level of about 135. With this growth has come expanded services by ISSS, especially in the employment and cultural programming areas.
The events of Sept. 11 and the Immigration and Naturalization Service's electronic student and scholar tracking
system have placed significant new demands on the office, Heyl said.
King has been a national leader in all areas of international student services, recently concluding his term as chair for NAFSA's Region VIII (mid-Atlantic), one of the largest and most active regions in the country.
Old Dominion has strong ties in Japan, including linkages with the University of Kitakyushu, Kyushu Institute of Technology and Kansai Gaidai University, Heyl noted. At least a dozen university faculty have visited Japan in the past three years as part of collaborations in research and teaching.
Jane Hager, associate dean of education, and Provost David Hager visited Japan last summer on a trip organized by Hiroyuki Hamada, associate professor of exercise science, physical education and recreation. In fall 2001, 80 Japanese students were enrolled at Old Dominion, making this the fourth largest national representation on campus.