Columbia College announces establishment of Nobuhisa and Marcia Ishizuka Global Fellowship in East Asian Studies

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Columbia College has announced the establishment of the Nobuhisa and Marcia Ishizuka Global Fellowship in East Asian Studies, a summer study abroad grant for students studying Japanese language and culture, or other East Asian languages and cultures, whose research and interests include Japan.

The grant was created by Nobuhisa Ishizuka CC’82, LAW’86, leader of Skadden’s Tokyo office, and his wife, Marcia Ishizuka GSAPP’86. It is part of a gift to the College’s Core to Commencement campaign, which seeks to provide a funded summer experience to all students.

“We are so glad that Nobuhisa and Marcia Ishizuka are supporting our students to take advantage of global opportunities,” said James J. Valentini, dean of Columbia College and vice president for undergraduate education. “This fellowship offers students the chance to engage with East Asian cultures and languages abroad, to pursue their interests and passions around the world, and it helps us achieve our goal of providing all Columbia College students with a funded summer experience.”

The inaugural recipient of the grant will be Dylan Rothman CC’19, who will spend his summer at the Kyoto Summer Programs in Modern and Classic Japanese.

Mr. Ishizuka represents U.S. and international clients in a broad range of corporate and financial matters, including mergers and acquisitions and investment and corporate finance transactions. He has been listed as a leading individual in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2015 and Chambers Global 2015, and as a leading lawyer in IFLR1000 2015, Asia Pacific Legal 500, 2014, and Best Lawyers in Japan since 2013.

“The rigor and demands of the undergraduate East Asian Studies program at Columbia instilled in me lasting knowledge and skills which opened the door to tremendous opportunities,” Mr. Ishizuka said. “By establishing this fund I want to open a similar door for future generations of deserving students.”