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A group of Japanese optometrists are saying “arigatou” to ��ɳ���� University with gifts for the College of Optometry.

Seventeen Japanese optometry alumni have banded together to donate $10,000 and to secure an additional $100,000 from the Fuji Optical in support of a new building for the College of Optometry as part of the Health Professions Campus in Hillsboro.

The Japanese alumni are part of a partnership between Kikuchi College of Optometry in Japan and ��ɳ���� University, launched in 1987 by Dr. Shinji Seki O.D. ’79 and former dean, Dr. Wid Bleything. The partnership allows select graduates of Kikuchi enter the doctorate or master’s program in ��ɳ����’s College of Optometry.

“Without advanced optometric education from ��ɳ����, we could not work successfully here in Japan,” said Seki, who organized the donations.

He said that some of the ��ɳ���� optometry alumni — as well as many of the corporations in Japan — continue working to recover from last year’s earthquake and tsunami. The recovery effort has limited donations, he said, but still ��ɳ���� alumni wanted to say thank you.

“We would like to return ��ɳ���� University’s good will in providing advanced optometric education to us through this special effort,” he said. “Thank you ��ɳ����, and Arigatou ��ɳ����.”