SMU Sun and Star Program
TOWER CENTER
SUN AND STAR PROGRAM
SUN & STAR 1996 ORIGIN
Named after Japan's Rising Sun and the Texas Lone Star, Sun & Star 1996 was a collaborative program between cultural and business leaders on both sides of the Pacific. This behemoth of a project was 4 years in the making and involved more than 100 funders. It was comprised of more than 60 exhibitions and events that displayed the rich culture of Japan, educating more than a million people on visual and performing arts, popular culture, and sports. At the center of the program was the desire to establish strong and long-lasting bonds, something that can be seen today through all the remaining Legacy Programs.
If you would like to learn more about the program, here is a digital recreation of the original commemorative book from 1996.
SUN & STAR JAPAN AND EAST ASIA PROGRAM
In 1996, SMU Tower Center’s Sun & Star Japan and East Asia Program began with a grant from the Sun & Star Foundation to increase awareness of the economic, historical, political, and social trends of Japan and East Asia. Today, the program has grown to provide Asia-related programming, faculty fellowships, academic opportunities, on-campus speakers, and an annual symposium held in both the United States and Japan.
None of this would have been possible without the help of Diana Newton, the first Director of the Sun and Star Program on Japan and East Asia, and Hiroki Takeuchi, Director of the Sun and Star Program on Japan and East Asia. They combined the Japanese academic and political realm with the U.S. policy realm, addressing topics that reflect the changing dynamic in Japan, the United States, and the Asia-Pacific region. Over time, the program has grown to incorporate multiple speakers and events throughout the school year, facilitating some of the brightest thinkers in the world on these topics, and placing the SMU Tower Center’s Sun & Star Japan and East Asia Program in the global spotlight.
THE ANNUAL SUN & STAR JAPAN SYMPOSIUM
Every year, the Tower Center hosts a symposium with some of the best and most brilliant speakers to shed light on some of the most important developments in Asia. The Sun & Star Symposium has undergone many milestones, one of the most important being its 20th Anniversary, when the inception of the program was celebrated by hosting a conference at Keio University in Japan. That was the first time the Tower Center could sponsor a conference not in Dallas but in Tokyo.
Since 2016, the Tower Center has hosted a conference in Japan every other year. Even now, there is a desire to expand the program further and potentially publish the research presented at these conferences. It would be difficult to be where we are without the gracious support of our many contributors.
COLLABORATION WITH THE SMU-IN-JAPAN PROGRAM AND THE MCFARLAND SCHOLARSHIP
SMU-in-Japan is a six-week summer program based in Kansai, Japan. The program is a partnership between SMU and Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU). In addition to coursework, students will be able to go on excursions which may include places like Kyoto, Toyota Motor Corporation headquarters and its Tsutsumi Plant in Toyota City, Matsuyama Castle, Dogo Onsen Honkan (the onsen that inspired the Anime Movie Spirited Away), a museum visit to JR Central—the company that is collaborating with the Texas Central Partners building the high-speed railway between Dallas and Houston, and much more. This program has served to embody the spirit of Sun & Star 1996 by continuing a cultural exchange between the U.S. and Japan. Even more so thanks to the McFarland scholarship which has helped dozens of students to experience Japan.
SMU's ties with KGU were established and developed by late Dr. H. Neill McFarland (former SMU Provost and Professor at SMU Perkins School of Theology), who passed away on July 14, 2017. He had visited KGU 13 times since 1956, and at KGU, those who knew him all talked about him fondly, especially Dr. Ken Takeda, former President of KGU who stayed at SMU as a visiting scholar in the 1980s. Thanks to their fond memories of Dr. McFarland, they are very supportive of our program and enthusiastically welcome our students every year. As a result, the SMU-in-Japan Program is one of the SMU Abroad programs that is well subsidized by a hosting institute.
To know more about these programs click the following links:
- SMU Abroad Scholarships
Last updated June 24, 2024