DETROIT-Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid is participating in Japan's prestigious "Government Invitation Program," an honor extended to only 15 people annually from the United States and Canada.

Invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Reid will be involved in several high-level meetings during his 10-day visit including representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In conjunction with the program activities will be sessions with the Fulbright Commission; Japan Foundation; Rikkyo University; Nissan Motor Company; Minatomirai21 Area, a technology park development in Yokohama; Kyoto University and Yokohama City University.

Reid's visit will also include meetings with Wayne State students currently participating in the Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU) program in Shiga Prefecture. JCMU was established in 1989 to commemorate the 20thanniversary of the establishment of sister-state relations between the State of Michigan in the U.S. and Shiga Prefecture in Japan.

The purpose of the Japan Center is to develop closer ties of friendship between Michigan and Shiga, as well as between the U.S. and Japan; to promote mutual understanding and recognition of the cultures, languages and customs of Japan and the U.S. and to serve as a focal point for international educational exchange open to the local community.

President Reid enters his fifth year as president of Wayne State, a CarnegieI research university located in Detroit. One of the 21 largest universities in the nation, Wayne State has the largest graduate/professional enrollment in Michigan and the fifth largest in the country. It also has the largest single-campus medical school in the country.

Under Reid's leadership, Wayne State has undertaken major initiatives in global education, expansion of honors studies, integrating technology into the curriculum and development of a long-range facilities master plan.

A strong advocate of regional economic development, Reid was instrumental in earning designation for the university as a SmartZone by the state of Michigan. The designation is key to the university's development of a research and technology village that will include collaboration centers, incubators, high-tech companies, a science/technology theme school and residential facilities on an expanded campus. The university also is a major partner, along with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, in the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor announced by Gov. John Engler.

Reid serves on the boards of several international, national, business and community service organizations, including chair of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, Michigan Economic Development Corp., Detroit Economic Growth Corp., Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, Detroit Urban League, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Presidents Council, Michigan Opera Theatre and Detroit Symphony Orchestra, to name a few.