Professor Thomas Turner leads the tour.

New Partnership Brings Japanese Delegates to Campus

Posted on June 6, 2008 - Permalink
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On May 20, visitors from Ina, Japan, toured Plymouth County as part of a newly developed partnership the college helped orchestrate.

The Ina delegates, consisting of nine citizens and city officials, toured notable sites on the BSC and Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School campuses and in the towns of Bridgewater and Plymouth. The tour was led by representatives involved with the sister city program from both schools and towns.

A central purpose of the alliance is to initiate student and teacher exchange programs at high school and college levels, said Susan McCombe, director of external affairs. She co-organized BSC's role in the partnership and said she is optimistic about its future.

"I'm really looking forward to this being a long relationship that builds and grows over time," she said.

BSC has a history of strong ties with Japan. The institution's most famous international student, Tokyo native Shuje Isawa, class of 1877, helped establish public education in Japan. He initiated cultural exchanges in academia and this partnership continues on his efforts, said Ms. McCombe.

The tour group was shown a Shuje Isawa memorial underway on the third floor of the Maxwell library, and during a catered lunch in the Dunn conference room Bridgewater town officials declared May 20 "Ina, Japan Day" in Bridgewater.

Dr. Wing-Kai To, coordinator of the Asian Studies Program, is chief organizer of the sister city program. Dr. Thomas Turner, a professor of history, and David Wilson, '71, of institutional communications, led the tour of the BSC campus. (Rob Matheson, Office of Institutional Communications)