Jason Williams

January 22, 2007

Welcoming Speech for Kyoto University

            Good afternoon, and welcome to this truly great event.  On behalf of Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo, our faculty, staff, and the entire student body here at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, I would like to welcome the visiting delegation from Kyoto University to Wilmington.  My name is Jason Williams and I am speaking as the representative for the student body of UNCW. 

            This event marks the beginning of a new relationship between UNCW and Kyoto University as we commence our student exchange program.  The program will not only allow students to experience a different university, but also let them experience a whole new culture, making this event that much more special. 

            At first glance, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington situated in a beach town located in the American South, and Kyoto University, a popular Japanese university nestled in a basin, which forms the main part of Kyoto, are very different, however, we share many of the same values.  These values drive our institutions to be what they have become and what they will be in the future.  Our commitment to diversity, cultural learning, and, most importantly, academic excellence are essential hallmarks that both of our institutions value.

            Here at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, we have been nationally recognized for our efforts in recent years being selected as one of the top public schools in North Carolina and the South.  Located just minutes from the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, Wilmington is also a fantastic place to live. 

            UNCW’s student body, which is made up of nearly twelve thousand students in all, ten thousand less than Kyoto, have a wide selection of academic opportunities as a Seahawk with 73 undergraduate bachelor’s degrees as well as 26 master’s programs.  We also offer one of only three PhD’s available in marine biology on the east coast, making the UNCW experience that much more unique.  Kyoto University offers a unique experience as well.  Kyoto has ten faculties, sixteen graduate schools, thirteen research institutions, and twenty-one research and education centers on three campuses which will allow our visiting students the freedom to choose from many different areas of study.  With over twenty-two thousand total students, Kyoto is a much larger university than our students are used to, but their unique opportunities are unmatched.      

            The basin city of Kyoto is also a part of the exchange program that our students will experience.  The university is a major part of the city and they both rely on each other.  Likewise, UNCW is a school that embraces the Port City of Wilmington, which many of its students happily call home.  We enjoy the sandy beaches of Wrightsville as well as the historic downtown area where the Cape Fear borders our city.       

            The students participating in this exchange have realized the unparalleled opportunity available to them through this program.  Having a chance to learn in the city of Kyoto and in the city of Wilmington gives students a chance to learn material they could not have learned at their respective universities and also gives them a chance to experience and become a part of a culture in which they could not have experienced in their own countries.  

            I hope that the students from Kyoto University find UNCW as appealing and enjoyable as I have for the past four years as they “Feel the Teal” for the first time.  My opportunity to excel as a professional and as a person at UNCW has proven to be a priceless honor.  With the start of this program, both of our universities have taken a step forward to further enhancing the learning experiences of our students and have broadened the horizons of our futures.  The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is looking forward to welcoming the students from the great Kyoto University into our family in the near future.  Thank you all for coming out today and on the behalf of the student body, we look forward to seeing you again soon.