In conjunction with the Hokkaido University 150th Anniversary Ceremony held on 26 September, delegations from four overseas partner universities, including the University’s Strategic International Partners, gathered in Sapporo to celebrate this historic milestone.

The participating institutions were the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMA) in the United States, whose predecessor institution, Massachusetts Agricultural College, was led by Dr. William S. Clark as its third president; Seoul National University (SNU) in South Korea, which has co-hosted annual academic symposia with Hokkaido University since 1998; The University of Melbourne (UoM) in Australia, which has expanded its collaboration with Hokkaido University in recent years through longstanding joint research in zoonotic diseases and nanomaterials; and the University of Zambia (UNZA), a key partner in research and capacity building in veterinary medicine and infectious diseases. HU President Kiyohiro Houkin welcomed the visiting delegations, which included:

UMass Amherst: Chancellor Javier Reyes, Provost and Senior Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, Associate Vice Chancellor and Vice Provost for Research and Engagement Laura Vandenberg, Senior Vice Provost for Global Affairs Kalpen Trivedi, and Dean of the College of Natural Sciences Michael Fox

Seoul National University: Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs June-Jeong Lee and Deputy Vice President for International Affairs Booyuel Kim

The University of Melbourne: Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Mark Cassidy and Professor Jacqueline Dutton from the Faculty of Arts

The University of Zambia: Vice-Chancellor Mundia Muya, Dean of the School of Nursing Sciences Lonia Mwape, Director of the Vice-Chancellor’s Affairs Kenney Msusa, and Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Hokkaido University alumnus Muzandu Kamampwe

At the anniversary ceremony, UMA Chancellor Javier Reyes delivered a congratulatory address. The event also featured the premiere of A 150-Year Connection: Hokkaido University and UMass Amherst, a jointly produced commemorative video reflecting on the historical ties, shared legacy, and future prospects of the two institutions.

During the celebratory reception, guests were introduced to a special collaborative dessert: a Hokkaido cheese tart featuring cranberries sourced from the UMA Cranberry Station. Representatives of the four partner universities also took part in a traditional sake barrel-opening ceremony, symbolizing friendship and future collaboration.

To commemorate the gathering of all four institutions, Hokkaido University hosted an international symposium on the following day, September 27^th. Presentations were delivered by HU President Houkin, UMA Chancellor Reyes, SNU Executive Vice President Lee, UoM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Cassidy, and UNZA Vice-Chancellor Muya. The speakers introduced their universities and reflected on the history and evolution of their respective partnerships with HU. The symposium also featured a panel discussion titled “AI for Education: Education for AI.” University leaders, including UMA Provost Abd-El-Khalick, joined the discussion, exploring the opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence presents for higher education. The discussion fostered a lively exchange of ideas on one of the most pressing issues facing universities today.

As part of the commemorative program, the visiting delegates participated in a tree-planting ceremony. The sapling was propagated from an elm tree donated by the wife of Dr. Inazo Nitobe, a member of the second graduating class of Sapporo Agricultural College whose legacy of global citizenship continues to inspire HU. Planting the sapling gave participants a chance to envision the next 50 and 150 years of international partnership, friendship, and academic collaboration.

(Text and photos provided by the Office for International Collaborations)