Okayama University and Hue University in Viet Nam have been jointly implementing the Okayama-Hue International Master’s Program. On April 25, seven Vietnamese students who were participating in this program as the 11th course students met with their sponsors (companies supporting them by offering scholarships during their stay in Japan) to express their gratitude.

In this program, Vietnamese students majoring in the environmental and agricultural sciences study at Hue University for one and a half years, then transfer to the Master’s Course of the Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science at Okayama University as second year students to earn their master’s degree. The scholarship system in this program, funded by sponsors who supported the purpose of the program, features a one-to-one relationship between each student and a particular sponsoring company/individual.

Executive Director for Education and Provost SANO Hiroshi, Vice President KAGA Masaru for Social Collaboration, Vice President KIMURA Kunio for International Affairs, and other university officials attended the ceremonial meeting. The sponsors first offered words of encouragement to the students. Then the students expressed their impression of Okayama and Okayama University in Japanese, their passion for their research themes and master’s theses, and their gratitude to the sponsors for providing an environment where they can concentrate on their studies.

Following the ceremony, the sponsors and students toured the Campus Water Circulation Facilities (Biotope Pond “Tanjo Ike”) in the Faculty of Environmental Science and Technology. Assistant Professor NAKASHIMA Yoshitaka from the Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science introduced the practical environmental education provided by the faculty. An active Q&A session took place, and the participants spent a number of productive hours deepening their understanding of the program.

In welcoming new sponsors for the 11th course students, it is expected that this program will develop even further.