④Hosei U., ⑤Konan U.) International students Konan offers a program for international students through the Konan International Exchange Center or KIEC. This program runs from September through May for students from North America and Europe, and from January to December for students from Australia and New Zealand. The program, which is usually made up of between 30 and 45 students, includes rigorous language study, Japanese studies classes on topics of Japanese culture, business, and society, and a homestay in which the student lives with a Japanese family. In previous years the homestay was a mandatory part of the program, however, due to increasing numbers of international students in the academic year 2008–2009, a dormitory option was made available for non-Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs students. Konan offers exchange opportunities with the following universities: Australia Murdoch University Edith Cowan University Canada Carleton University University of Victoria China Northwest University Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications France François Rabelais University, Tours Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 Germany Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Cologne Business School, Köln Korea Hanyang University New Zealand University of Waikato Taiwan National Taipei University Tunghai University United Kingdom Leeds University United States of America University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign University at Buffalo, The State University of New York In addition, students from the Illinois Consortium are welcome. This includes the University of Hawaii, the University of Arizona, and the University of Pittsburgh. Notable faculty Ueno, Susumu: representative director of the Asia-Pacific Management Accounting Association (APMAA); chief editor of Asia Pacific Management Accounting Journal (APMAJ); the 2014 Japanese Association of Management Accounting Special Award Recipient. Notable alumni Hiro Matsushita - Businessman, former driver in Champ Car series, Chairman of Swift Engineering & Swift Xi Reiko Okutani - Businesswoman Tomoki Yokoyama - Professional shogi player Mai Mihara - Figure skater See also Lycée Konan: Japanese boarding school in France operated from 1991 to 2013 under the Konan Foundation References External links Konan University Konan University Buildings and structures in Kobe Education in Kobe Kansai Collegiate American Football League Private universities and colleges in Japan