Michael Alan, Managing Director of Cyber College Maki Nibayashi

Temple University Japan offers residents an American education on their home turf. Maki Nibayashi speaks to TUJ Dean and Professor of Political Science Dr Richard Joslyn about staff positions at this unique institution.

Tell us about your organization.
Temple University Japan is a branch campus of Temple University, a public university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The degree-granting programs are replicas of the programs in the US-same admission standards, language of instruction and curriculum-and students who complete a degree in Japan earn the identical degree as students in Philadelphia, Rome or any of the other places Temple offers courses. TUJ also offers non-degree Corporate and Continuing Education Programs designed to meet the educational needs of Japan. The campus was founded in 1982 as a pre-college English program to prepare Japanese high school graduates for transfer to a university in the US. As Japanese society and the economy have internationalized, however, Temple has been in an excellent position to provide other educational opportunities for the residents of Japan. Consequently, we have diversified our programs and now offer the typical classes of an American university. During our 20-year history, 3000 students have earned Temple University degrees at the Japan campus, 800 have transferred to our main campus, and 1000 American students have come to TUJ to study about Japan.

What makes TUJ distinctive?
What sets TUJ apart from most other universities in Japan is our identity and approach to education, consistent with our accredited status in the US. TUJ students are Temple students in every way. We have the same expectations as we do in the US, our courses are taught in English, classes are small so that extensive discussion of ideas can take place, and we emphasize the development of both oral and written communication abilities.

What sets us apart from other non-Japanese educational programs is that TUJ has a full array of continuing education as well as undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Therefore, one can earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees in selected fields, from Temple without ever leaving Japan. In short, imagine an American university program, with a multinational student body and an experienced and dedicated faculty, for whom the common language of discourse is English, which just happens to be located in the middle of Tokyo.

What kind of people are you seeking to hire?
Basically, we hire people for three kinds of positions. One is at the program director level, where we look for persons with significant experience to provide leadership for an academic program at an American university and usually an advanced degree in his or her field. For example, we just hired a new director of our Computer Center, which is a key position at any American university. Second, we are always looking for faculty members who can make a positive contribution to one or more of our programs. Most of our faculty are native speakers of English, many are bilingual, and all have the requisite academic credentials and experience to teach at an American university. Third, we hire staff persons in the various academic programs and support offices who help us provide a high-quality educational experience for our students. We may need to hire staff in our library, computer center, student recruiting or business offices, or in one of our academic programs. Generally our staff are bilingual and familiar with American universities. Also important is a cooperative attitude, being self-reliant and proactive, and having a student-oriented point of view. Working at TUJ provides an opportunity to help students of all ages benefit from the educational opportunities we provide. For many students, deciding to attend an American university is a life-changing decision, which is a joy to observe.

Contact information:
For further information about employment opportunities at Temple University' Japan Campus please contact Ms Miyuki Shoju, Human Resource Manager at jobs@tuc.ac.jp

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