An agreement between UND and Tokai University in Japan to bring Japanese aviation students to UND will continue for another four years.

On Monday, UND President Robert Kelley, Dean of Aerospace Sciences Bruce Smith and Executive Vice President of the UND Aerospace Foundation Chuck Pineo welcomed representatives from Tokai University to sign a new contract.

The representatives included Tokai’s Dean of Engineering Katsumi Hiraoka, Chairman of Aviation Keiji Shibata, Satomi Omori of Academic Affairs and UND graduate and aviation staff member Daisaku Noma.

“It is a very great privilege for me to welcome visitors from Tokai University,” Kelley said. “We are very, very proud of the relationship that has developed over many years between Tokai University and the Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.”

The first contract between Tokai University and UND was signed in November 2005. The agreement sends Tokai University aviation students to UND for 15 months of pilot training. Since 2005, over 250 students from Tokai University have attended UND through the program.

“We appreciate UND’s collaboration of the Tokai University pilot aviation program,” Hiraoka said.

Shibata said there are new scholarships for aviation students in Japan because the need for pilots is high, and they are getting more students in its program.

“Next month, we have new students, and we expect about 45 students to come to our course,” Shibata said. “We expect to send UND about 40, and we are very happy.”

The speeches were followed by the singing of the new contract by Deans Smith and Hiraoka.

“It’s been over eight years that we’ve been together in this program,” Smith said. “And it’s been truly a showcase for us.”