President C. L. Max Nikias returned from Japan this week, after chairing the 19th Annual President’s Meeting of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), hosted by Osaka University. President Nikias was elected chair of APRU in 2014.
Established in 1997 by the presidents of the California Institute of Technology, UC Berkeley, UCLA and USC, APRU today connects 45 premier Pacific Rim research universities. Together, APRU universities work to foster cooperation in education and contribute to the economic and scientific advancement of the Pacific Rim.
This year’s meeting, themed “The University as an Agent for Global Transformation,” for the first time included a presidential retreat designed to create greater opportunity for leaders to strengthen ties across their institutions.
President Nikias stressed that APRU member universities were pioneering transformations taking place across Pacific Rim nations. Describing his vision as APRU’s Chair, he added, “I have focused on increasing cooperation among member universities in order to leverage our collective expertise and resources. Our partnerships across public and private sectors support growth and innovation throughout the region, and together, our institutions are natural incubators for the leaders who will confront tomorrow’s most pressing challenges.”
President Nikias then traveled to Tokyo, where he met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. A Trojan alumnus, Abe attended USC for three semesters in 1978, studying English, political science, international relations and history. President Nikias presented Prime Minister Abe with a gold-plated alumni card to commemorate his time at USC, and both discussed the need to strengthen academic ties across the region and increase the two-way flow of students between the US and Japan.
“USC is proud of its international heritage, which includes a history of engagement with Japan and Japanese students dating back to our founding,” President Nikias said. “Prime Minister Abe expressed his hope that programs offered through the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture would encourage a growing group of students to learn about Japan, leading to more robust, bilateral exchanges. As a university that places tremendous emphasis on providing students with international exposure and global cultural experiences, USC will do its part by widening the scope of these programs and boosting existing ties with Japanese institutions.”
In addition, Prime Minister Abe expressed his appreciation for the benefits of further developing academic cooperation in the Asia Pacific region through APRU member institutions.
This was the second meeting between Prime Minister Abe and President Nikias this year. In May, Prime Minister Abe returned to campus after nearly 40 years away, for a tour that included stops at the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture, Bovard Auditorium, and the Von KleinSmid Center, where he attended classes.