Yukon College Attracts International Universities

Yukon College is attracting students from around the world and is fostering relationships with two of the most prestigious universities in Japan, which have a total of 87,000 students.

Last year Yukon College attracted 13 students from Waseda University, one of Tokyo’s leading private universities. The College has also established a Memorandum of Understanding, outlining a relationship with Meiji University, another of Tokyo’s Ivy League institutions. And this fall, Yukon College’s Yoshie Kumagae will be back in Japan recruiting more international students.

Kumagae is the College’s International Education Coordinator. She says the College has a well-established reputation in Japan and her contacts there continue to grow. “The College has a strong relationship with Japan and our Japanese student base continues to grow as a result of our reputation,” Kumagae says.

In the last two years, 23 students from Waseda University have taken part in Yukon College’s three-week wilderness education program, which was designed by Kumagae and is delivered by NOLS, the National Outdoor Leadership School. The program teaches leadership, communication skills and respect for the environment, during eight days of backcountry hiking.

Kumagae says outdoor education in Japan is uncommon, but officials at Waseda saw the program’s potential. “What wilderness can teach people is unlimited,” Kumagae says. “I saw it bring students together in spite of their cultural and physical differences.”

On October 10, Kumagae was presented with the NOLS Alumni Service Award in Wyoming for her dedication to promoting outdoor education.

Yukon College currently has 17 full-time international students from Japan, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Russia, Croatia, France, Brazil and others. Kumagae says international students help to bring diversity to the College and to the wider community.