Dean of Faculty James Wright and Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations Ken Spritz will travel to Japan next week on a trip designed to raise money for the College and develop ties between Dartmouth and Japanese corporations.
The two administrators arrive Oct. 21 in Osaka to try to drum up financial support for the College's programs from individuals, corporations and foundations in Hong Kong and Japan, according to Spritz.
The two-week visit will also "increase awareness and visibility of Dartmouth among the various constituencies of these countries" and "further develop those programs and relationships that will benefit students and faculty here," Spritz said.
College President James Freedman has attentively nurtured connections in Japan over the past three years, Spritz said, "in part, stemming from the introduction of Japanese studies and language into the curriculum and the need to finance those programs."
Other institutions have long courted Japanese support.
"We're starting late and playing catch-up in what is a very competitive market, but I think we're making some very good progress," Spritz said.
"We are going to stick with it for the long haul, and that's the kind of relationship the Japanese respect and appreciate," he added.
Dartmouth alumni in Japan are helping to raise financial support for programs and are sharing contacts to expand Dartmouth's prestige and credibility in Japan, Spritz said.
"In Japan, you need to be introduced to be taken seriously, and level of introduction is very important," Spritz said. "A lot of the work in Japan is finding out who leads to who ... You get to see the people who have the power, the money and the clout by getting to see the people who are in the family."
"All of these programs with alumni and corporations were non-existent three years ago," Spritz said.
Ambassador Kunio Katakura '58, senior vice president of the Japan Foundation, has supported a foreign study program in Kanazawa for the past three years and aided in soliciting funds for Japanese studies and conferences.
Trustee Steven Bosworth, the former U.S. ambassador to Japan, arranged a visit for Wright and Spritz in Tokyo with Natuaki Fusano, senior managing director of Keidanren, the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations, which allots corporate funds to domestic and foreign institutions.
Wright and Spritz will meet Akira Mori '72, and his mother, fashion designer Hanae Mori, at Tokyo's Fashion Foundation.
Sin-Sing Chiu '65 coordinated Wright's and Spritz' schedule in Hong Kong. Spritz said he arranged meetings with various individuals and businesses who might "provide scholarship support for students coming from China and other Asian countries."
Wright and Spritz will lunch with Seiko Enbutsu '58, Thayer '59, who Spritz called "a donor to the College and volunteer on the College's behalf in Japan."
Wright will deliver a speech at the Kan'ichi Asakawa Award ceremony sponsored by the Dartmouth Club of Japan in Tokyo. Thomas Seymour '64 has asked Wright to present the award, which recognizes outstanding alumni in Japan, to Commissioner Akashi of the United Nations, who heads Japanese peacekeeping forces in Cambodia, the first Japanese troops abroad since World War I.
Negotiating jointly with the Mitsubishi Corporation and Apple Corporation of Japan concerning educational computing, Wright and Spritz anticipate financial support for Kiewit.
"Our computing environment is so advanced that they're looking to us as a model," Spritz said.
Last year, Dartmouth participated in the Mac World Expo in Tokyo, exhibiting the BlitzMail program, which received high praise. "The Japanese are just crazy about BlitzMail," Spritz said.
Currently, Dartmouth conducts a student exchange program with Keio University of Tokyo. Spritz and Wright will discuss the possibility of arranging a faculty exchange program with the head of Keio's International Center, Spritz said.
Wright and Spritz are arranging a breakfast with guidance counselors from schools in Tokyo to enhance student recruitment projects.
