A group of students and faculty from a Japanese university recently spent a week at a local college.

The group from Hokuriku Gakuin University, HGU, visited Cornerstone University for a short-term English as a second language, or ESL, and American culture program by Cornerstone’s TESOL, or teaching English to speakers of other languages, program.

The week-long program for HGU, which began in 2003, was born through connections with Cornerstone alums, Bob Cunningham and Berti Cunningham, who are connected with Hokuriku Gakuin University. Bob Cunningham is the former president of HGU.

The visit was coordinated by Michael Pasquale of Cornerstone, a professor of linguistics and director of the school’s M.A. TESOL program.

The visit

This year, 20 students and two faculty members from Hokuriku Gakuin University visited Cornerstone.

Four Cornerstone students and four faculty members participated in the program and taught classes on topics such as American culture and literature.

The visiting Japanese students spent their mornings taking ESL courses, and after lunch, they were free to explore the area. Pasquale said the students visited an apple orchard, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and Lake Michigan, as well as volunteered at local ministries.