The Japanese government awarded $5 million to the University of Montana to permanently fund a professor of Japanese and Indo-Pacific affairs. The grant is in honor of longtime Senate majority leader from Montana and ambassador to Japan, Mike Mansfield.
University of Montana President Seth Bodnar stood beside Gov. Greg Gianforte at a ceremony on May 2 and raised a champagne glass to Makoto Iyori, a Consul General of Japan.
“I want to offer a toast to you, Mr. Counsel General, in gratitude for everything you have done for us,” Bodnar said. “Cheers.”
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center’s executive director, Deena Mansour, thanked the Japanese government for the gift, touting the strength of the bond between the University of Montana and Japan.
“It’s really an exciting opportunity to do more than just support in the classroom, but provide experiential opportunities,” Mansour said.
In addition to establishing UM’s first endowed professorship, Mansour said the grant will help fund student travel scholarships to Japan and outreach to Montana’s public schools.
Mansour said conversations about the endowment began as far back as 2019, when UM’s President Bodnar made an official visit to Japan. The Japanese and Indo-Pacific affairs professor will be shared between the university’s political science and history programs, separate from its existing East Asian studies major.
Mike Mansfield represented Montana for more than 30 years in Congress. Afterward he became the nation’s longest-serving ambassador to Japan.
The grant was first mentioned in a joint statement from the White House and Japan following Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s official visit to the U.S. in April.
