After 40 years and multiple long-term stops in cities across the world, Nobuhiko Tsuchihiro ’82 still considers St. Norbert College his second home.

Globetrotting Alum Returns to Campus to Rekindle Lifelong Love for SNC

Forty years have passed since Nobuhiko Tsuchihiro ’82 left St. Norbert College with an economics degree in hand. He has traveled the world for his career, with multi-year stops in Houston, Dusseldorf, Paris and Edinburgh — yet he still calls De Pere his second home. In his first trip to SNC since the mid-’90s, Tsuchihiro was amazed by the changes. But he said he was equally amazed at how things felt comfortingly the same.

Life as an international student in the ’80s
A third-year English language student with wanderlust at Sophia University in Tokyo, Tsuchihiro leapt at a chance to study in the United States after receiving a generous scholarship. Stepping off the plane in Los Angeles, he got his first dose of American culture, noting first and foremost that music was everywhere. He was amazed at all the FM stations, as Tokyo had only two at the time.

A connecting flight to Chicago and his first encounter with a Christmas tree in-between, he arrived in snow-covered Green Bay and hailed a taxi to the priory on campus, where he would spend much of his time over the next few months. As part of his scholarship requirements, Tsuchihiro washed dishes at the priory after breakfast, lunch and dinner each day.

He lived in Mary Minahan McCormick Hall (MMM) on the sixth floor. He remembers his neighbors fondly: “They were so curious about me. I couldn’t speak English well, but they helped me a lot. They invited me to the Abbey Bar every Friday; they really welcomed me.”

He also made fast friends with other international students, including two brothers from Ethiopia, Girish Shah ’81 and Prakash Shah ’82 — still good friends of Tsuchihiro’s today — and Song-Young Kim ’83, a Korean art major whose aunt taught art at SNC.

The difference inside the classroom was a welcomed change as well. “In Japan at the time, the professor stood in front of the class and just kept talking, one-sided. … But at St. Norbert everybody concentrates in bilateral conversation. All the students are aggressive, they raise hands and ask questions,” says Tsuchihiro.

Tsuchihiro studied at SNC for three semesters to earn a double-major in English and economics. “Thanks to SNC, I could speak English with no problem and had a global mind to communicate to others,” he says.

A return to his “second home”
That grand welcome Tsuchihiro carried with him all these years was replicated during a return visit to St. Norbert College in September 2023. And it wasn’t just pleasure that brought him stateside, but business.

After a distinguished career with the Sumitomo Corp., a global trading and investment company, Tsuchihiro is now a professor of international relations at Keiai University in the Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo. Near Keiai is Chiba University, a state institution that serendipitously has a standing exchange program with the pharmacy department at Concordia University in Mequon, Wis.

Relationships across the two Japanese universities eventually led to a visit to Concordia by a Keiai sports business and tourism professor and his students. Tsuchihiro and a Japanese language professor were also invited along on the trip. With input from Tsuchihiro and assistance from SNC’s Gail Cornelius (Center for Global Engagement), the trip was modified to include a stop at St. Norbert to attend some Japanese language courses taught by Huang-wen Lai (Modern Languages), and to learn a little about the economic impact of the Green Bay Packers.

The Japanese contingent was also treated to a full tour of the campus, including a stroll past Burke Hall, which reminded Tsuchihiro of his old friend the Rev. Dennis Burke. “Father Burke was alive and active at the time; he helped me a lot,” he says.

While many historic structures still stand, a lot has changed since he last visited campus. “I was very surprised that there was a sushi bar,” Tsuchihiro says with a laugh. “And I understand that St. Norbert is taking good care of the older students, so they can feel at home.”

Nov. 27, 2023