[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 68 (Tuesday, May 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S3047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DR. ERIC GANGLOFF

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Dr. 
Eric Gangloff, who has served the American people for more than 25 
years at the Japan-United States Friendship Commission. He has served 
in numerous roles, including as the director of the Commission's Japan 
office, as associate executive director, and currently as the 
Commission's executive director.
  Dr. Gangloff has, through his work at the Commission, contributed 
substantially to research, training, and student exchange programs with 
Japan, and supported the valuable projects of countless scholars, 
students, and artists through Commission grant programs.
  Throughout his tenure as executive director of the Commission, Dr. 
Gangloff has worked with the leaders of several professional 
organizations of Japanese language educators, encouraging them to join 
forces and work together in order to provide maximum support for 
Japanese language teachers at all levels in the United States, from 
kindergarten through college. As a result of his efforts and continuing 
support, the Alliance of Associations of Teachers of Japanese was 
founded in 1999 as a coalition that represents and serves two 
previously separate organizations.
  Dr. Gangloff also spearheaded a movement to create the North American 
Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources in 1991 to meet the 
demands of the American library community for Japanese research 
materials. The creation of the NCC brought the activities of the Japan 
studies library community into a clearinghouse that focuses on 
resource-sharing through cooperative collection development, 
information literacy at all levels within the Japan studies field and 
fosters close collaboration and consultation among librarians, the 
academic community and funding agencies in both countries.
  In addition, Dr. Gangloff is responsible for the strengthening of 
long-term positive relations between the two countries through his 
creation and long-term support and guidance of the U.S.-Japan 
Legislative Exchange Program which brings together on a semi-annual 
basis, a core group of United States Congressional Members and Japanese 
Diet Members for in-depth and informal discussions on a broad range of 
political, economic and security issues. Discussions such as these 
cement the bonds between the two countries at the highest levels, which 
is especially important at times of great stress, such as the recent 
tragic events in Japan.
  Dr. Gangloff was the driving force behind the creation in 1998 of the 
United States Japan Bridging Foundation, a charitable organization that 
expands opportunities for American undergraduate students to study in 
Japan. This public-private partnership, directed by Dr. Gangloff, has 
raised over $4,000,000 and awarded over 1,000 scholarships to American 
students since its inception.
  In short, Dr. Eric Gangloff has provided inspired leadership 
throughout his career in cultural, educational, and scholarly dialogue 
and exchange between Japan and the United States. On behalf of the 
congressional Members serving as Commissioners of the Japan-U.S. 
Friendship Commission--Senator Murkowski, Congressman Tom Petri, 
Congressman Jim McDermott, and myself--I would like to express our 
deepest gratitude for these contributions and assure Dr. Gangloff that 
the positive results of his hard work will be felt for years to 
come.

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