Nagoya University and North Carolina State University (NC State) celebrated the 40th anniversary of their partnership with special events held on September 22–23 at NC State. Following the February ceremony in Nagoya, a group of 25 representatives from Nagoya University traveled to North Carolina for these events.

The first day featured the “40th Anniversary Symposium: Past, Present and Future.” Chancellor Kevin Howell, together with vice chancellors, vice provosts, deans, and many other faculty and staff members from NC State, joined the event. In his remarks, President Sugiyama looked back on the four decades of exchange between the two universities and expressed his hopes for expanding collaboration and embracing new challenges.

The program also included talks by NC State students who had studied abroad at Nagoya University, as well as a special session on Ryugaku Academy, a short-term study abroad program that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Their stories brought to life the close ties that continue to connect the two institutions.

On the second day, a ceremony was held at the NC Japan Center, where participants gathered to celebrate three cherry trees symbolizing the past, present, and future. Under clear skies, these trees were introduced as a new emblem of collaboration between the two institutions. President Sugiyama expressed that, just like the dogwood tree planted at Nagoya University in February, he hopes these cherry trees will grow into symbols that foster the bond between our universities.

This visit was not only a chance to celebrate 40 years of partnership but also an opportunity to look ahead to the next generation of collaboration.