Doctor of Business, Honoris Causa

An honorary degree of doctor of business will be bestowed on Nikkaku, chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Toray Industries Inc. and a visionary business leader. Nikkaku embraces the Toray Group’s philosophy of “contributing to society through the creation of new value with innovative ideas, technologies and products.” For Nikkaku, business growth is inseparable from sustainable business practices. He guides Toray to build sustainable, low-carbon, recycling-based communities by developing innovative technologies that address global environmental issues.

Under Nikkaku’s leadership, Toray pledged $2 million toward construction of URI’s College of Engineering complex and endowed $2 million in engineering fellowships and scholarships. Toray consistently extends internship opportunities to students and remains actively involved in the International Engineering program. In fact, of the more than six dozen engineers employed at Toray, 23 are URI graduates.