Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
  • About Backback to Main menu
    • About
    • Leadership
    • Mission and Strategic Plan
    • Accreditation
    • Our City
    • Facts and Figures
    • Campus Safety
    • Buildings and Maps
    • Contact Us
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Academics
    • Majors & Programs
    • Class Search
    • Catalogs
    • Academic Calendar
    • Colleges
    • Academic Affairs
    • Online Learning
    • International
    • Library
  • Admissions Backback to Main menu
    • Admissions
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Financial Aid
    • Registrar
    • Visit UNO
    • Request Info
    • Apply
  • Student Life Backback to Main menu
    • Student Life
    • Division of Student Life and Wellbeing
    • Academic & Career Development Center
    • Accessibility
    • Housing & Residence Life
    • Inclusion
    • Service
    • Student Conduct & Community Standards
    • Student Involvement
    • Student Safety
    • Wellness
  • Engagement Backback to Main menu
    • Engagement
    • Office of Engagement
    • Campus Resources for Community
    • Service Learning Academy
    • Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center
    • Volunteer and Civic Engagement Programs
    • Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center
    • Faculty Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Voter Engagement
    • Community Engagement Partnership Initiative
  • Research Backback to Main menu
    • Research
    • Research News
    • Centers and Institutes
  • Athletics Backback to Main menu
    • Athletics
    • Baxter Arena
    • Omaha Mavericks Website
  • Alumni Backback to Main menu
    • Alumni
    • Transcripts
    • Thompson Center
  1. UNO
  2. News
  3. 2019
  4. 10
  5. UNO Alumni in Japan Meet in Tokyo Leading Up to Renewal of International Partnership

UNO Alumni in Japan Meet in Tokyo Leading Up to Renewal of International Partnership

  • published: 2019/10/30
  • contact: Charley Steed - University Communications
  • email: unonews@unomaha.edu
  • search keywords:
  • Alumni
  • global engagement
  • Japan
UNO Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold M.D. and attendees pose with a UNO flag at an alumni event held in Tokyo.
UNO alumni converse at an alumni event held in Tokyo
Chancellor Gold speaks with an alumnus at a UNO alumni event held in Tokyo
UNO alumni converse at an alumni event held in Tokyo
Alumni listen to Chancellor Gold speak at an alumni event held in Tokyo
UNO alumni converse at an alumni event held in Tokyo

TOKYO – It was just the third such reception in three decades - but it certainly won't be the last.

Roughly 40 guests laughed, shared stories and had a chance to make new friends at a UNO alumni reception hosted in Tokyo, Japan. The event was held, in part, to recognize the 40th anniversary of UNO's long-running sister university partnership with Shizuoka University.

UNO Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., and UNO Associate Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement Jane Meza, Ph.D., served as the event hosts.

"Henry Kissinger said that the most important thing we can do to expand our global partnerships is person-to-person diplomacy - rather than work being done between governments," Gold told the crowd. "That is what I see us doing here tonight."

Among the guests was Justin Romsa, a 2006 alumnus from Grand Island who has lived and worked in Japan for nearly a decade and currently leads a development team for Amazon in Osaka, Japan. He spent a year abroad in Shizuoka through UNO's exchange program.

"That experience was a really big turning point in my life because it made me realize that I really enjoyed adapting to other cultures and mixing with other people," he said. "It was also a great opportunity for me to learn about my own culture."

video

The Maverick Minute: Chancellor Gold Speaks with Alumni in Tokyo, Japan

Also in attendance was Tarron Stewart, who graduated in 2019 and immediately took a position with the Shizuoka City Board of Education as part of the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) program. While he wasn't involved in the Shizuoka University exchange partnership as a student, the political science major hopes to support the program's efforts in his current role.

"Exchange programs are a big part of diplomacy. They don't make it a secret when you do your (JET) orientation that you are a part of this diplomatic relationship between these two countries," he says.

UNO's partnership with Japan, and Shizuoka University, was formally created in 1979 following the work of former Chancellor Del Weber, Ph.D., and Thomas Gouttierre, former dean of International Studies and Programs at UNO. However, the partnership goes back even further to the 1960s when UNO administrators worked closely with the City of Omaha to help foster Nebraska's first sister city agreement with Shizuoka.

"This partnership would not be what it is without the Omaha and Shizuoka Sister City Associations that have fostered their own shared partnership for more than 50 years, mirroring our own strong and long-lasting ties," Gold said.

The fruits of the partnership were on full display on this otherwise inconspicuous fall evening as UNO alumni and supporters from multiple generations each recounted their stories, including:

  • A husband and wife who attended UNO's International Professional Development program in the 1990s
  • A 2007 UNO alumnus who met his now-wife as a Japanese exchange student and followed her to Japan
  • A UNO Fine Arts graduate who came to Omaha from Japan in the 2000s. She is now working at Chiba University in Japan, encouraging her students to travel to Omaha
The night wound down and guests, many of whom traveled from several hours away to attend the reception, continued to talk well into the evening. Romsa, the first to show up and the last to leave the reception, summarized the night's theme best:"When I think back on my life and what my life would have been like, it's really important for me to remember that the greatest opportunities I ever got came from my experiences at UNO."
About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Follow UNO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

  • News Sections:
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events
SHARE

News Sections

  • News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured Stories

  • Holding Dandelions
  • The Semester Guide
  • Celebrating Our Newest Alumni
  • Felipe Blanco Finds his Voice and Empowerment through Research at UNO

Contact Us

If you have a story idea, news tip, or other question, please email the UNO News team at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About University Communications

  • Next Steps
  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)
  • Just For You
  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List
  • Popular Services and Resources
  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • Bookstore
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence
  • Affiliates
  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • © 2023  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • MavsReport

Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.

scroll to top of page