The Nippon Foundation to Support Establishment of Minerva University’s New Global Rotation City in Tokyo (1)
The Nippon Foundation has signed an agreement with Minerva University of San Francisco, ranked in 2022 and 2023 as the world’s most innovative university, to make Tokyo the institution’s latest global rotation city.
The U.S. university, which does not have a physical campus, is known for its unique program fully utilizing its state-of-the-art online learning platform. After spending their first year in San Francisco, some 150 students from 100 countries move in cohorts to an additional six cities around the world each semester where they reside during their undergraduate program.
With the addition of Tokyo, they will study in San Francisco, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Hyderabad, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo, participating in hands-on, location-based projects while earning their undergraduate degree, the university said.
Tokyo will join the global city rotation in September 2025.
At the signing ceremony in Tokyo on April 22, Mr. Jumpei Sasakawa, executive director of The Nippon Foundation, said that the foundation will support the university because “if students from various countries engage in Japan-based activities every year, the Japanese people they interact with will grow and become more aware of global issues."
"The students will also become fans of Japan and one day they will work together to build the future of Japan,” he said.
To support the Tokyo rotation city project, the foundation plans to provide $50 million over the next decade, he added.
Minerva University President Mr. Mike Magee said: “We’re excited to add Tokyo to our students’ global rotation in collaboration with The Nippon Foundation. Tokyo will become our first donor-funded rotation city offering students an immersive year-long study opportunity. We look forward to our students learning about Japanese culture and contributing to positive social change through this program.”
The Nippon Foundation will play a pivotal role in providing financial support as well as facilitating partnerships with Japanese universities, businesses, and nonprofits. Additionally, the foundation will foster internship opportunities with start-up companies, enabling students to gain hands-on experience in innovative industries.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, I stated that the objective of Minerva’s innovative program of having students spend four years in several different countries is to have them acquire diverse values and skills for addressing social issues around the world, adding: “I look forward to working with the university to develop human resources of the highest quality.”
(To be continued)
