(L-R): Yukimori Akanoma, Kyoko Utsumi Akanoma ’67, H’18, and Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities Kevin Shorner-Johnson
Elizabethtown College celebrated the 2024-25 Educate for Service – Service To The College Award recipient, Kyoko Utsumi Akanoma ’67, H’18 at the institution’s annual Leffler Lecture on Oct. 24.
Kyoko was recognized for the award, which is among the most distinguished presented to alumni of Elizabethtown College who demonstrate a commitment to the institution’s motto, Educate for Service, to open the event in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. She was also honored in a celebratory video shared with the audience.
“The impact that Kyoko has made on countless Elizabethtown College students by providing them with transformative study abroad experiences is immeasurable and inspiring,” Elizabethtown College President Betty Rider said. “She exemplifies our College’s Educate for Service motto through her remarkable generosity, passion, and dedication to Etown.”
Serving as a member of the Elizabethtown College Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2018, and then in an advisory capacity until 2021, Kyoko, who earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Etown, has also been a longtime supporter of the College.
She was instrumental in the establishment of Etown’s exchange program with Nihon University, the largest university in Japan. Since the creation of this exchange, Nihon University has sent more than 500 students to Etown to study, while Etown has sent over 250 students to Japan to study Japanese and culture. To help offset the needs of students intending to study abroad, Kyoko worked with the College to create the Kyoko Utsumi Akanoma ’67 International Study Fund.
“I feel I could not have accepted this Educate for Service Award without the support of my fellow academia, the Board of Trustees, and the Alumni Association in Japan,” Kyoko said. “I gratefully and humbly accept this award.”
Kyoko and her husband, Yukimori Akanoma, a former Board Chairman of the United Nations of High Commissioner for Refugees in Japan, currently reside in Tokyo with their two children. She received an Honorary Degree – Doctor of Public Science from Elizabethtown College in 2018.
Embodying the Educate for Service mission of Elizabethtown College, Kyoko spent her time serving several organizations dedicated to Japanese-American relations, including serving as president of the Japan America Women’s Club, vice-president of the College Women’s Association of Japan, and Chairwoman of the Culture Committee at the Tokyo American Club.
Presented annually since 1966, the Educate for Service Awards recognize alumni who exemplify the foundation of the Elizabethtown College spirit and legacy of education. The awards are categorized in three unique areas which include, Service Through Professional Achievement; Service to Humanity; and Service to the College.
Recipients of the two additional 2024-25 Educate for Service Awards, Service Through Professional Achievement and Service to Humanity will be recognized and celebrated, respectively, at the upcoming Lefever Lecture on Feb. 6 and Ware Lecture on April 10. Learn more about Elizabethtown College’s Educate For Service Awards.