The University of Massachusetts Boston has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kumamoto University in Japan. The Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC) has been in conversations for several years with Professor Hironori Ito, dean of the university’s Graduate School of Social & Cultural Science and his colleagues regarding potential collaborations.

Now, with the involvement of Schuyler S. Korban, Vice Provost of the Office of Global Programs and McCormack Graduate School’s Dean David W. Cash, UMass Boston and Kumamoto University have agreed to an exchange of students, faculty, and staff for joint research and educational programs.

As a first step to cementing this partnership, MOPC Associate Director Madhawa Palihapitiya visited Kumamoto University this month to present MOPC’s work in public policy dispute resolution and collaborative governance, with a focus on local government.

Kumamoto University has taken a great interest in MOPC’s work and has expressed an interest in replicating it in Japan where a variety of public disputes have emerged following the Fukushima disaster and the recent earthquakes there. In addition to MOPC’s visit to Kumamoto University, Dean Ito will lead a third delegation to UMass Boston this October.

See this interactive map with many of our other educational and research partnerships.