It’s a historic act of atonement, as the university presents families from around the world diplomas in the names of Japanese American USC students who were forced into detention in 1942. The three and four syllable surnames spoken the evening of April 1 share phonic characteristics: Ochiai, Kondo, Fujioka, Sasaki. They are the names of […]
Quest for honorary degrees ends as President Folt confers diplomas upon Nisei students
April 14, 2022 by Leave a Comment
CSU films recognize honorary degree recipients
October 13, 2011 by 1 Comment
The California State University (CSU) Office of the Chancellor announced in an Oct. 7 statement that it had completed six videos to honor Nisei who had received honorary bachelor’s degrees from the university’s board of trustees. The former students were forced to leave CSU campuses during World War II, and were among the some 120,000 […]
Former San Jose State University students return for honorary degrees
June 10, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Chitoshi Akizuki was a San Jose State University freshman and a member of the basketball team when his studies and those of other Japanese American students were interrupted by World War II. “I was just beginning,” said Akizuki, 87, a San Jose resident. Akizuki was one of 24 former Nisei students recognized with honorary degrees […]
For UCLA Nisei, ‘a dream deferred has now been achieved’
May 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — For 48 Japanese American students whose dream of acquiring an education at UCLA was cut short in February 1942, more than two months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, their dream was finally achieved when they received honorary degrees in a traditional graduation ceremony May 15 on the UCLA campus. Nineteen of […]
SF State honors Nikkei with honorary degrees
May 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Nineteen students of Japanese descent were among those honored at San Francisco State University’s (SFSU) 109th commencement held on May 22 at Cox Stadium. More than 8,000 students — including 115 veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces — received their degrees before an audience of more than 20,000 guests. SFSU President Robert A. Corrigan said, […]
Wartime Sacramento Jr. College students return for commencement
May 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment
SACRAMENTO — After almost 70 years of waiting, former Sacramento Junior College students and their next of kin completed some unfinished business at Sacramento City College. Representing the 224 Nisei that once attended, 12 of the former students and 35 of their next of kin were present to receive their honorary diplomas in accordance with AB […]
Wartime Nikkei Students Still Being Sought for Honorary Degrees from Universities, Colleges
April 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The California Nisei College Diploma Project is still looking to identify Nikkei who are eligible to benefit from Assembly Bill 37 (AB 37). More than 2,500 students of Japanese descent were enrolled at California institutions of higher education in 1942, with the majority being Nisei. AB 37 became law on Oct. 11, 2009 and required […]
Seven Decades Late, Japanese Americans to Get their College Diplomas
November 19, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Prominent members of the Nikkei community gathered in San Francisco’s Japantown on Nov. 12 to address “unfinished business” and announce a statewide project to confer honorary degrees to former students of Japanese descent who were forced out of college campuses nearly seven decades ago. Run by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, […]
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