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Associated Press
12-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Rutgers Business School launches initiative to help students graduate on time
A pilot program, funded by alumni and corporate partners, is already helping students reduce the time they spend working so they can stay on track to graduate in four years. NEWARK, N.J., May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brittany Rodriguez has regularly sacrificed sleep and 'friend time' so she can keep up with her classes at Rutgers Business School, maintain her grades, and spend at least 20 hours a week working to help pay for school. After transferring into Rutgers from Union County College, she took five classes her first semester in order to get on track to graduate in two years. She juggled her class work around an administrative job in a dentist's office and part-time work as a tutor. 'It became a little overwhelming,' said Rodriguez, who is a junior. A pilot of Rutgers Business School's On-Time Graduation Initiative eased some of the pressure on her during the past semester. Rodriguez is one of 10 students at Rutgers Business School-Newark who received a $1,800 scholarship so they could reduce the number of hours they are working around college classes. The scholarships were created through alumni giving and donations from corporate friends of the business school. 'We created the On-Time Graduation Initiative as a way of providing well-performing students with some relief from the burden of working one or two jobs while they're trying to finish college and prepare for a career,' said Lei Lei, dean of Rutgers Business School. Luke Greeley, associate dean of the undergraduate program at Rutgers Business School-Newark, said he first realized the significance of the issue about three years ago when he was teaching a mandatory business forum class. Students who were working 20 hours or more a week had trouble keeping up with assignments and maintaining their grades. 'I worked through college,' Greeley said. 'I know the what the struggle is like. I know it's real.' The concern that Lei and Greeley have isn't limited to the effect on academic performance but also the additional years that some students spend earning their degrees while they juggle classes and the number of credits they take each semester around work schedules. Only about half of students attending Rutgers Business School-Newark are graduating college in four years, according to information from the undergraduate office. And Rutgers Business School isn't alone. Across the country, public research universities show high rates of delayed graduations. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the University of Maryland, the University of Texas-San Antonio and Temple University have 4-year graduation rates that average around 40 percent. At Rutgers University-Newark overall, the 4-year graduation rate is 42 percent. 'The initiative is a good way to help the Newark program,' Greeley said. Alumnus Frank Palumbo, a retired Cisco sales executive, was quick to become a supporter of the pilot. Palumbo worked part-time on afternoons and weekends as an undergraduate, but he said he knew others had a more difficult juggle. One classmate, he remembered, worked all night and then came straight to class afterward. 'As a Rutgers-Newark alumnus, it is a privilege to be part of empowering students to graduate on time,' Palumbo said. 'This allows them to focus on their education and personal growth and paves the way for their future success.' The $1,800 scholarship Rodriguez is receiving as part of the pilot allowed her to drop her work hours one day a week. She uses that day to focus on studying and concentrate on several group projects that she has this semester. David Ruiz, a junior studying supply chain management and fashion, typically works 24 hours as a concierge at an upscale residential building on Hoboken's waterfront. 'It can be hard,' he said of juggling work with classes. 'Sometimes, it feels like too much. I try to push through.' Ruiz said this semester one of his family members became ill, making his financial situation tougher. 'If it weren't for this scholarship, I probably would have had to drop out so I could work more,' he said. Instead, he has been able to keep Thursdays and Fridays clear of work to focus on class assignments. 'I'll be able to invest more time on my class work instead of just doing what I have to get by,' he said. The results of the pilot will be reviewed by Rutgers Business School leaders. The plan is to launch the initiative on a larger scale in the fall. Efforts are also underway to expand the initiative to help working students attending Rutgers Business School-New Brunswick. Rutgers University alumnus Keith Banks, who is a long-time champion of the business school, and his wife, have backed the initiative. 'When I learned about students taking six years to graduate due to their need to work, I was inspired to get involved,' said Banks, former vice chair at Bank of America. 'The goal is to ensure that all motivated students have the ability to graduate on time irrespective of their financial circumstances.' Joanna Mulford, a managing director and senior portfolio manager at PGIM Real Estate who sits on the dean's advisory board as well as the scholarship committee for the Rutgers Center for Real Estate, praised the On-Time Graduation Initiative. Her company is supporting the pilot. In her work for the Center for Real Estate, Mulford said scholarships have been awarded regularly to help ease the burden on students. 'I have seen first-hand the positive impact this support has had on students and their ability to work fewer hours while pursuing their degrees,' she said. Dean Lei said the results of the pilot will be measured to provide justification for continuing the scholarships. 'We are grateful to our alumni whose generosity and empathy are making the pilot program possible this semester,' she said. 'We hope to make an even greater impact on the lives of our students and their families with a permanent On-Time Graduation Initiative.' View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Rutgers Business School
The Mainichi
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Will Japan lose all pandas after scheduled return of twins at Ueno zoo to China in 2026?
TOKYO -- Panda fans in Japan are keeping their eyes on Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, twin giant pandas at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens, after it was decided that all four of the bears at the Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, will return to China. Pandas at Ueno zoo, the country's very first to have the animals, have historically symbolized the Japan-China friendship, but will we see the day when the beloved bears disappear from Japan? Pandas first arrived in Japan in 1972, when China sent two named Kang Kang and Lan Lan upon the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and the pair were kept at the zoo in Tokyo. Then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Susumu Nikaido reportedly summoned the zoo director and others at the time and told them, "Whatever you do, don't let them die." China has engaged in "panda diplomacy" not only with Japan but other countries by gifting the animals. In 1984, however, pandas were classified under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, commonly known as the "Washington Convention," as one of the most endangered species, and international trade for commercial purposes was banned. As a result, the pandas at Ueno zoo shifted from being "gifts" to being "loans" for breeding and research purposes. Under the pretense of conservation, a "rental fee" also began to be charged. Although there has been no official announcement, the fee is said to be around 100 million yen (roughly $700,300) per year for a male-female pair. The zoo has kept a total of 15 pandas over the past 53 years, including periods when it had none of the animals. Seven cubs have been born, and five of them -- Tong Tong, You You, Xiang Xiang, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei -- were raised there. The latest pair, Xiao Xiao, male, and Lei Lei, female, were born in June 2021 and are growing steadily. According to the April 24 announcement, as of April 17, Xiao Xiao weighed 95.7 kilograms and Lei Lei was 93.1 kg. They mainly eat bamboo, along with carrots and apples, and during this season, they also enjoy bamboo shoots. Since July 2023, the twins have been working hard at "husbandry training," which involves learning behaviors necessary for health management. The return deadline for the twin pandas is Feb. 20, 2026. This date was set in accordance with the original deadline for their father Ri Ri and mother Shin Shin, who were sent back to China in September 2024 for hypertension treatment and other reasons. However, there have been cases of extensions in the past, and a Tokyo Metropolitan Government official expressed hope, saying, "The specific return date for the twins has not yet been decided."
South China Morning Post
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Sorrow in Japan as 4 pandas prepare for China return amid ‘panda politics' accusations
The impending return of four of the last six pandas in Japan to China this summer has sparked an outpouring of sorrow among animal lovers, alongside accusations that Beijing is wielding 'panda politics' as a subtle form of diplomatic pressure on Tokyo. Advertisement Adventure World, a theme park in Shirahama, Wakayama prefecture, confirmed on April 24 that all four of its giant pandas would return to China in late June. Although the loan agreement for the pandas does not expire until August, their early return has been scheduled to avoid Japan's sweltering summer heat. The pandas' impending departure triggered an outpouring of emotion on social media. 'I almost cried watching the news,' one user wrote. Television personality Matsuko Deluxe, appearing on the Tokyo MX channel, lamented the loss: 'It's sad. What kind of country does not have pandas? Koala bears are not enough. Isn't having pandas like part of a country's power?' By next year, Japan could face the unthinkable: a future without pandas. The last two remaining pandas in the country — three-year-old siblings Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao, currently living at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo — are scheduled to return to China when their loan agreement ends in February 2026. Advertisement Efforts by several Japanese zoos and government officials to secure replacement pandas from China have reportedly gone unanswered, fuelling speculation that the lack of response is more than a simple bureaucratic delay.
Asahi Shimbun
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Local areas in Japan scramble to procure lucrative pandas
A giant panda named Lei Lei, left, and her mother, Shin Shin, are kept at the Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo. This photo was taken in March 2022, before Shin Shin was returned to China in 2024. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) One day late last summer, a lively festival in Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, celebrated the lovable panda. The festivities, full of panda-themed events, including a dance competition for children to mimic the mammal's cute moves, drew in 19,000 visitors. An awards ceremony for a panda art contest was also held to commend the winners selected from among more than 2,000 paintings from both in and outside Ibaraki Prefecture. But the "guest of honor" was nowhere to be found in the flesh. The festival's nonprofit organization organizer, the Japan-China Friendship Association of Ibaraki, explained that the aim was to boost the prefecture's efforts to bring in pandas from China. 'We may be the only prefecture that is so aggressive over the project, even though we don't have a panda yet,' said Takashi Kawazu, a prefectural assemblyman from the Liberal Democratic Party, who also serves as the vice chairman of the NPO. 'Momentum in the local community is growing.' Ibaraki Prefecture is moving to invite pandas to the Kamine Zoo in Hitachi. Taking office in 2017, Ibaraki Governor Kazuhiko Oigawa has been committed to the endeavor to 're-energize the prefecture's northern area.' Oigawa visited China last year. As the prefectural government estimates pandas' economic benefit at billions of yen (tens of millions of dollars), an Ibaraki official expressed high expectations, saying that the project can provide a major 'catalyst for regional revitalization.' Ibaraki is one of the many regional governments across Japan seeking to attract giant pandas under the banner of local revitalization. Pandas are expected to produce a significant economic impact, and there appears to be no end to the number of regions seeking the rare bears. The challenge lies in the lack of clear strategies to persuade China, which is believed to be shrewdly taking advantage of pandas for diplomatic purposes. NO PANDAS ON THE HORIZON Local governments nationwide are similarly working to lure in pandas. Sendai city embarked on a project to invite pandas for providing 'mental encouragement' to children affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. Akita city followed suit, too. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang agreed in 2018 to 'proceed with negotiations to present new pandas' during their summit. Following the agreement, officials in Shobara, Hiroshima Prefecture, proposed plans to promote Japan-China friendship via the animals. A candidate in the mayoral election in Okinawa's Nago has vowed to make every effort to bring pandas available there. Many local governments want the bears due to the expected economic benefits. An estimate by Katsuhiro Miyamoto, a professor emeritus of economics at Kansai University, shows that the pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei produced an economic ripple effect of as much as 30.8 billion yen ($211.2 million) for their one-year public display following their births in 2021 at the Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo. After Ri Ri and Shin Shin were presented to the Ueno Zoological Gardens in 2011, there are no signs of Beijing shipping any additional pandas to Japan in sight. PAST ACCEPTANCE OFFERS NO CLUES How have recipient zoos in Japan succeeded in embracing pandas? Kobe city-run Oji Zoo accepted a pair of pandas in 2000. Kobe said it had long deepened friendship with China's Tianjin, resulting in zoological facilities in the cities signing a mutual animal exchange deal during the 1970s. Kobe requested a panda lease in 1993, and the Chinese side reportedly approved it in 1998, three years after the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck the Kobe area. Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, started caring for a panda in 1994. The facility's operator pointed to the abundant availability of bamboo for food, among other apparent reasons, behind its selection as a panda keeper. However, the amusement park operator admitted it had 'no idea about the decisive reason.' The Ueno Zoological Gardens received two pandas for the first time in 1972 in commemoration of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. A total of six later arrived or were born at the establishment. One month after the last panda had died at the Ueno Zoological Gardens in April 2008, then Chinese President Hu Jintao reportedly announced a new panda lease during his visit to Japan. 'Our long history of looking after pandas was likely taken into account,' said a Tokyo representative. 'However, the final decision lies with the Chinese side, and we know no details about the panda program.' Devoted to inviting pandas, Ibaraki assemblyman Kawazu noticed the limitations to regional efforts. 'There is no straightforward way to go about it, leaving us at a loss over what to do to become successful,' said Kawazu. 'Only the Japanese government can inspire the Chinese government. Private initiatives are important, but ultimately, what matters is politics.' POSSIBLE REQUIREMENTS Masaki Ienaga, a professor of Chinese politics at Tokyo Woman's Christian University, who has authored a book about Beijing's panda diplomacy, stated that China initially sent pandas as gifts on particularly important diplomatic occasions. Signing the Washington Convention agreement in the 1980s that regulates the international trade of endangered plants and animals, Beijing beefed up its panda protection activities. For now, China exclusively leases pandas to other countries for breeding research. The objective of the so-called panda diplomacy is to support and promote pro-China sentiment in recipient nations. Improving the country's image is likewise among its diplomatic aims. With this in mind, Ienaga emphasized that there is 'no guaranteed method to obtain pandas' for Japan's central and local governments. The three facilities in Japan that have successfully acquired pandas have yet to disclose their negotiation tactics or contracts, meaning that the details of the discussions remain shrouded in mystery. Still, Ienaga believes that specific criteria must be met, including 'historical intercity friendship,' 'visits by senior officials' and 'the potential for pandas to help foster a friendly environment.'
