Campus News

Patterson School Students Japan Bound

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 10, 2015) — Eleven graduate students from the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce will head to Japan in December as part of the Kakehashi Project to develop a better understanding of Japanese politics, economics, and culture. 

The Japan-bound students — one third of this year’s entering Patterson School class  will participate in the all-expense-paid study program promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and commissioned by the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (Fulbright Japan). The principal aim of the Kakehashi Project is to promote deeper mutual understanding among the people of Japan and the United States, establishing a connection that will help future leaders form networks and develop wider global perspectives. The students will be accompanied by Patterson School Director Carey Cavanaugh.

Cavanaugh said, “We are delighted and honored that UK has been singled out for this prominent program. The sponsors told us that the Patterson School’s international reputation and the success of our graduates set the program apart and led to UK’s selection.”

Past participants in the Kakehashi Project were primarily undergraduates, but last year the Japanese also included a group of master’s degree students from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and young professionals from Washington-based think tanks like CSIS, Brookings, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This year’s selection of the Patterson School reinforces that new professional focus.

The Patterson School has always placed a premium on exposing students to how government and business actually work, building into its curriculum visits to corporations, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Toyota (TMMK) in Georgetown is an annual stop, but the program’s three-day spring break study trips have included Washington, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit and Windsor, Canada. 

The Patterson School group will depart the United States Dec. 14, returning from Japan on Dec. 22.  The UK group will be joined by a smaller group from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville.  In Japan, the program will include briefings by key officials and visits to government agencies, businesses and industry, academic institutions and cultural sights.

Cavanaugh noted, “For our program, the opportunity for so many students to spend eight days in Japan with meetings at the Foreign and Defense Ministries, tours of high-tech industries, and exposure to Japanese history and culture is unprecedented.”

Additional information about UK’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce can be found at http://www.uky.edu/PattersonSchool

MEDIA CONTACT: Gail Hairston, 859-257-3302; gail.hairston@uky.edu