Lyon College has signed an exchange agreement with Akita International University in Akita, Japan.

The agreement will allow students to study at the host institution for a single semester or a full academic year. Under the agreement, exchange students will pay tuition and admission and registration fees only to their home institution. Students will be responsible for other expenses, including travel, accommodations, food, books and insurance.

Each institution may send up to six single-semester students or three full-year students annually. Students from either institution can also enroll in winter or summer programs/terms at the other institution. A student enrolled in a winter or summer term will be counted as half of one single-semester student. An attempt will be made to maintain a balance of incoming and outgoing exchange participants each year.

Students who have completed their one or two semesters of study may receive extensions for additional study if they obtain permission from both institutions.

The home institutions will nominate the students who will be selected for the exchange program. The students must have successfully completed at least three academic semesters at the college/university level before they can participate in the program. Nominations will come from the study abroad offices of AIU and Lyon College. The host institution has the right to refuse a student nominated by the other school.

Exchange students may take any available course at the host institution provided the students satisfy all prerequisites. The exchange students may take up to 17 credits per semester at the host institution.

All exchange students are required to live in campus housing at the host institution and to participate in the host campus’ meal plan.

While the agreement primarily concerns the exchange of students, it may also involve the exchange of faculty members, if desired by both parties. For exchange faculty, campus-owned housing will be made available, when practical, at normal cost.

Lyon President Walter Roettger and AIU President Mineo Nakajima signed the agreement in November, 2005.

“This agreement demonstrates the commitment of Lyon College to provide its students with educational experiences that prepare them to live and work in a diverse and global society,” said Dr. John Peek, vice president for academic services and dean of the faculty.

Akita International University was established in April 2004 as the first public university corporation in Japan. It has 42 full-time faculty members and an enrollment of 309 (as of September 2005).

President Nakajima describes AIU this way: “We are a small, liberal arts college with a global orientation, located in beautiful Akita Prefecture on the northern Japanese seaboard. Except for our Japanese language courses for international students, all courses at AIU are taught in English and every AIU student is required to study abroad for a period of at least one year.”

Lyon College is one of only four colleges/universities in the state to offer Japanese studies, and Lyon’s Japan Studies Program, established in 2002, is the only one in the eastern half of the state that provides advanced courses so students can learn about the culture as well as the language of Japan.

For more information about the exchange program, contact the Office of International Programs at (870) 612-6474.