50th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Yukiko Murakami Memorial Fund -Representing the history of student exchange between Keio University and Western Michigan University-
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Yukiko Murakami Memorial Fund at Western Michigan University (WMU) of U.S.A.. This scholarship was named in honor of Yukiko Murakami, who was a student at Keio University's Faculty of Economics and lost her life in a bus accident while participating in a summer program at WMU in the summer of 1962.
66 Keio University students including Murakami participated in a summer program held at WMU from June to August of 1962. The program included many lectures such as "Introduction to American Civilization" by Professor Dunbar who was Chair of the Department of History, English pronunciation lessons at the lab, picnic trips to nearby areas between classes and active exchange with local students in the dormitory, and the students enjoyed college life at Kalamazoo, home of WMU.
After completing the grogram, Murakami went on a trip to Washington D.C. and Philadelphia with her friends, and on her way back to Kalamazoo, unfortunately her bus got in an accident with a truck. Friends and family in Japan and in the Kalamazoo community who heard about her death immediately started a campaign to raise funds, and a scholarship was established at WMU in her honor.
The first award was made in 1963, and one student form WMU and a student from Keio University received full funding to study at the partner university as exchange students for the fall and winter semester. Since then, 39 WMU students and 50 Keio University Students have realized their dreams to study abroad by receiving the scholarship. It is hoped that this scholarship will continue to act as a bridge between WMU and Keio University and also between Japan and the U.S..
