Former Japan Illini Club president Hachiro Koyama received his Master of Arts degree from UIUC’s School of Labor and Employment Relations in 1980 and was a prominent businessman in Japan, once serving as Vice President of the Japan Federation of Employers’ Association (Nikkeiren).

The School of Labor and Employment Relations is one of the top three labor and employment relations programs internationally and attracts students from around the world, who like Hachiro Koyama, often take their education back to their home countries to improve local employment practices. Gifts will support a newly renovated building that improves accessibility and incorporates technology for teaching in the 21^st century.

The overall campaign goal for the building project is $3.5 million of which we aim to raise $25,000 through the CBCC partnership in order for the Japan Illini Club to name an office space in memory of Hachiro Koyama.

Saburo Muroga earned his Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo in 1958 and visited Illinois that summer while doing research at MIT. He noticed that the Illinois professors were very kind to their students and he eventually became a professor at UIUC. Muroga was known for the mentoring of his graduate students. This fellowship was established by an alumnus (a former Toshiba executive) to honor Professor Muroga, with whom he studied in 1962-1963. It is awarded to outstanding graduate students in computer science. In 2020-2021, seven students received this fellowship. Since 2002, over 60 students have been awarded a Muroga Fellowship. Additional support for this fellowship will help carry on Dr. Muroga’s legacy for future generations.

The roots of UIUC’s Japan House go back to 1964 and the current structure was built in 1998, funded primarily through private contributions. Donors to that facility included the Urasenke Tea School (which donated two tea rooms), the Japan Illini Club, the Japan Expo Foundation and the Japan Foundation. The focus of the Japanese-style structure on the UIUC campus is its three authentic tea rooms surrounding a large class and activity room. Many community members outside the University are engaged in Japan House programs, and the House welcomes over 300 visits daily in peak season.

An annex is planned to make the facility and gardens more accessible to visitors with disabilities, and it will expand instructional spaces and storage. Japan House is dedicated to upholding the legacy and vision of Mr. Tim Nugent, the first Director of the University’s Disability Resources & Educational Services (DRES), who is credited for leading the University to its status as a national leader for disabled access.

Carle Illinois College of Medicine revolutionized medical school by fully integrating the medical sciences and engineering.  This empowers our students to tackle global healthcare challenges by leveraging advanced technology and data science. Carle Illinois is a catalyst for innovations such as the University’s well-known SHIELD plan to contain the spread of Covid-19. The SHIELD program is now being deployed at other universities and in other countries, showing the broad impact of Carle Illinois innovations.  The success of Carle Illinois depends upon raising $100 million in endowment in the Phyllis M. Wise Innovation Fund.

The College of Law allocates this fund to be used by the Associate Dean for Graduate and International Programs to support the college’s international activities, such as attracting international visiting faculty and students for the LLM program. The Japan Illini Club has a long history of members devoting their time and talent to teaching College of Law courses and hiring law students as summer interns and associates. As a result of this continuing support, graduates of the College of Law’s programs are in leadership roles in global law firms and educational institutions around the world, actively contributing to the legal profession worldwide.