UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 27, Page 3
April 13, 1995
Among top 40; Senior president Chris Matthews to visit Japan

     Lowell "Chris" Matthews, senior class president and a business
administration major from Knoxville, Tenn., will achieve a longtime
ambition this summer when he visits Japan.
     Matthews is one of 40 college students chosen from across the
nation to participate in the 47th Japan-America Student Conference
(JASC), taking place in Sendai, Kansai, Hiroshima and Tokyo.
     The 1995 theme is "Reflecting on the Past: Forging Our Future,"
to commemorate 50 years of peace between Japan and the United States
and to emphasize the importance of studying the past in shaping the
future.
     Students from American colleges, such as Harvard, Stanford and
Columbia universities and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
will convene in Honolulu in mid-July and fly to Japan. They will
remain there until late August with their Japanese counterparts.
     "Japan is a country that has fascinated me," Matthews said. "In
my business courses, Japan is always discussed at length. Now I have
an opportunity to learn about the country and culture firsthand. I
have taken a semester of Japanese at the University, and I am brushing
up on it now to prepare for the trip."
     JASC was initiated in 1934 by a small group of Japanese
university students, who were concerned with the deteriorating
relations between the two countries and who wished to promote better
understanding. The conference was revived in 1947 after World War II
with the United States and Japan acting as alternate hosts.
     The program consists of forums with outside speakers, workshops
where JASC delegates interact and discuss issues, home visitations,
field trips and receptions with leading government, business and
cultural figures.
     There also will be special days such as Ethnic Day, Gender Day,
Volunteer Day and Peace Days, which include a trip to Hiroshima and a
short homestay with families there.
     In addition, there will be table discussions on various topics
with presentations that each delegate has prepared before attending
the conference. Matthews chose to participate in the session on ethnic
co-existence in the international community and will discuss ethnic
cleansing in Bosnia. Some of the other issues are education, business
in the global community and philosophy and human potential.
     The offices of the Vice President for Student Life and
Affirmative Action and Multicultural Programs have contributed funding
for Matthews' participation in the conference.
     During his junior year, Matthews received the William and Judith
Langkammerer Grossman Award from the College of Business and Economics
in recognition of outstanding contributions to campuswide, co-
curricular programs and demonstrated leadership and organizational
ability.
     A founder and president of the University's Black Student
Theatre, Matthews is currently directing and starring in its
production of Driving Miss Daisy. He also helped found Phi Mu Alpha,
an honors music fraternity; sings with the Golden Blues; is a Blue Hen
Host for admissions; and was past treasurer of the Cultural
Programming Advisory Board.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure