Supporters of the Diamond Dinner at Westin Tokyo. Photos by Kerry Raftis
Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) held its annual Diamond Dinner on June 21, 2024, bringing together over 150 guests who gathered at the Westin Hotel Tokyo to celebrate TUJ’s expansion to Kyoto and raise funds for student financial aid.
This year’s event drew even greater excitement than usual, with the live and silent auctions conducted to raise scholarship funds. Student workers engaged with guests at the dinner and sold raffle tickets. These efforts, along with the participation fees, resulted in raising the biggest-ever proceeds from the annual gala.
Distinguished attendees included leading members of the Tokyo international business community, representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan, Setagaya City and the Costa Rican Embassy, as well as a former Japanese Diet member and a former Supreme Court justice.
Members of the local TUJ community including the Board of Overseers, alumni, senior faculty and administrative staff were also present. Supporters and friends visiting from the United States contributed to the festive atmosphere of the annual event that brought the university’s many diverse constituents and stakeholders.
TUJ Dean Matthew Wilson opened the gala by expressing gratitude to the Tokyo business community for their ongoing generosity while highlighting the university’s many recent milestones and accomplishments including its rapidly expanding enrollment and growing institutional partnerships in Japan and abroad. Undergraduate enrollment alone has nearly doubled over the last four years and is expected to surpass more than 2,500 students in the upcoming fall semester in early September. By comparison, in the fall semester of 2014, the full-time undergraduate student enrollment was 809.
Wilson also reflected upon TUJ’s community outreach and service, including its multi-year commitment to house and educate Ukrainian evacuees — students who have been able to continue their studies at Temple Japan despite the ongoing crises in their home country. TUJ currently hosts nine Ukrainian students on campus who are attending the university on full scholarship. Additionally, the university supports several Japanese public high school graduates each year through its Mochida-Stronach scholarship program.
The Diamond Dinner celebrations culminated in news regarding the launch of TUJ KYOTO scheduled for January 2025. Dean Wilson provided a detailed introduction to the school’s new satellite location in Kansai and the university’s burgeoning partnership with Kyoto-based Seibo Jogakuin School Corporation. The new outpost on Seibo Jogakuin’s campus is just a short walk from the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine.
A special video was premiered at the gala showcasing the new facilities and outlining the program that will allow new students to commence their university studies in the Kansai region. TUJ KYOTO will also welcome students from the Tokyo campus and visiting students from abroad wishing to study in Kyoto for one or two semesters*.
Click here to see the TUJ KYOTO video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivqDIWvhaGk&t=16s
The annual Diamond Dinner plays a crucial role in generating funds to support student scholarships and is an important community-building event. Natalia Makohon, representing her fellow Ukraine students at TUJ, appeared in a video message with other students who shared their experience at TUJ stressing the invaluable impact scholarship funds have had upon their lives, while all appealing for further assistance from the many donors in the room.
* The length of study at TUJ KYOTO depends on the major, the progress of the curriculum, and the type of visa.
Take a glimpse at the photo below during the annual gala (Photos by Kerry Raftis) :
TUJ Dean Wilson speaks at the Diamond Dinner.
Administrative staff and TUJ student workers prepare for the raffle and secret auction.
Participants listen to Dean Wilson’s speech at the main gala.
Other related stories
- Temple University, Japan Campus Awards Inaugural Leadership Scholarship to Five Students (June 5, 2024)
- TUJ Honors Outstanding Alumni During Second Annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration (March 5, 2024)
- Temple University, Japan Campus Unveils New Kyoto Satellite Campus Commencing from January 2025 (February 9, 2024)