Courtesy Visit by Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, University of Montana
On October 24, 2025, Ms. Deena Mansour, Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana, paid a courtesy visit to Kumamoto University and met with President Hisao Ogawa. Executive Vice President Jun Otani also attended the meeting.Ms. Mansour expressed her great pleasure in visiting Kumamoto University for the first time, warmly sharing her delight at meeting President Ogawa and reconnecting with Executive Vice President Otani. The meeting was conducted in a cordial atmosphere, during which Ms. Mansour conveyed her intention to further strengthen collaboration between the University of Montana and Kumamoto University, as two of the world's universities with facilities related to the Maureen & Mike Mansfield Foundation, through various initiatives, including student exchanges.
President Ogawa reflected on the achievements of the joint lectures conducted in collaboration with the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation during the past academic years. He expressed his appreciation for the longstanding partnership and his expectations for its continued growth and development.
Following the meeting, Ms. Mansour engaged in a discussion with Special Assistant to the President Lander Sims, Associate Professor Shino Yokotsuka, and Distinguished Professor Kazuki Takashima regarding this year’s joint lectures and student exchange programs. The discussion included lively exchanges of ideas on expanding opportunities not only for study abroad but also for internships and other new forms of academic collaboration, making the session a highly meaningful one.
Subsequently, the delegation visited the Mansfield Foundation–Kumamoto University Liaison Office on campus, where they exchanged views on future directions for concrete cooperation.
During the discussion
Group Photo
(From right: Executive Vice President Otani, Executive Director Mansour, and President Ogawa)
During the discussion
(Left: Executive Director Mansour, Right: From the back, Prof. Takashima, Sims, and Yokotsuka)
Group Photo in front of the Mansfield Foundation Liaison Office