New Year's Greetings from the President
Jan. 01, 2015
This is the third New Year since I assumed office as the President. Let me first take this opportunity to extend to you my greetings and best wishes for the New Year.
Last year, Meiji University established the Graduate School of Global Governance as a doctoral course. On the Ikuta Campus, we also completed construction on Ikuta Area 1 Building No. 6, which is equipped with the latest facilities, and otherwise worked for further improvement of the education and research environment. Similarly, on the Nakano Campus, which entered its second year, the School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences welcomed its second crop of students and is attaining even higher levels of vibrancy.
Amid these developments, Meiji University was selected for the Top Global University (SGU) Project in September. That can be no doubt that our selection under this project is a critical turning point in the further internationalization of Meiji University. The vision behind the SGU Project has two major components: approaches to establish learning by students on their own initiative, and global campuses to nurture such learning. The foundation for these components is laid by comprehensive educational reform. This reform, which I have been contemplating since my instatement as President, will induce a qualitative conversion of education and realize an international character on a higher level by incorporating more flexible arrangements as regards the teaching schedule and school year calendar. A basic agreement has been reached on the reform as a result of internal deliberations, and I intend to implement measures in proper succession. With the intensification of competition among universities on a worldwide scale, we must dramatically advance the educational capabilities of Meiji University and produce graduates with excellent skills for opening up the future, who are capable of dynamic action in the global community. To these ends, I am determined not only to surely execute the SGU program but also to have Meiji University lead the internationalization of universities throughout Japan, by resolving each and every issue that must be addressed.
A leap in the research aspect is also indispensable for the qualitative improvement of our school. Last year, the Meiji Institute for the Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences on the Nakano Campus became the first organization in Meiji University to be certified as a Joint Usage/Research Center by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Meiji University also saw an increase in the preliminary determination of scientific research expenditures, won consignments for several large-scale research projects, and saw its rank rise to ninth nationwide in terms of funding received from corporate enterprises for joint research. As this indicates, our research capabilities are steadily rising, and their rating in society as a whole can now bear comparison with those of any other universities. This year, too, we hope to scale even greater heights by sure deployment of research activities, which are the cornerstone of Meiji University, and induction of synergistic effects with education.
Society is expecting more and more of Meiji University with every passing year. To respond to these expectations, I am committed to our bold embarkation on another round of advancement as a university that paves the way to the next age and communicates its ideas and findings to the whole world. Now is precisely the time for transformation from “Meiji Daigaku” into “Meiji University.” We are counting on the support and advice of all concerned as we prepare for this new departure!
Last year, Meiji University established the Graduate School of Global Governance as a doctoral course. On the Ikuta Campus, we also completed construction on Ikuta Area 1 Building No. 6, which is equipped with the latest facilities, and otherwise worked for further improvement of the education and research environment. Similarly, on the Nakano Campus, which entered its second year, the School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences welcomed its second crop of students and is attaining even higher levels of vibrancy.
Amid these developments, Meiji University was selected for the Top Global University (SGU) Project in September. That can be no doubt that our selection under this project is a critical turning point in the further internationalization of Meiji University. The vision behind the SGU Project has two major components: approaches to establish learning by students on their own initiative, and global campuses to nurture such learning. The foundation for these components is laid by comprehensive educational reform. This reform, which I have been contemplating since my instatement as President, will induce a qualitative conversion of education and realize an international character on a higher level by incorporating more flexible arrangements as regards the teaching schedule and school year calendar. A basic agreement has been reached on the reform as a result of internal deliberations, and I intend to implement measures in proper succession. With the intensification of competition among universities on a worldwide scale, we must dramatically advance the educational capabilities of Meiji University and produce graduates with excellent skills for opening up the future, who are capable of dynamic action in the global community. To these ends, I am determined not only to surely execute the SGU program but also to have Meiji University lead the internationalization of universities throughout Japan, by resolving each and every issue that must be addressed.
A leap in the research aspect is also indispensable for the qualitative improvement of our school. Last year, the Meiji Institute for the Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences on the Nakano Campus became the first organization in Meiji University to be certified as a Joint Usage/Research Center by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Meiji University also saw an increase in the preliminary determination of scientific research expenditures, won consignments for several large-scale research projects, and saw its rank rise to ninth nationwide in terms of funding received from corporate enterprises for joint research. As this indicates, our research capabilities are steadily rising, and their rating in society as a whole can now bear comparison with those of any other universities. This year, too, we hope to scale even greater heights by sure deployment of research activities, which are the cornerstone of Meiji University, and induction of synergistic effects with education.
Society is expecting more and more of Meiji University with every passing year. To respond to these expectations, I am committed to our bold embarkation on another round of advancement as a university that paves the way to the next age and communicates its ideas and findings to the whole world. Now is precisely the time for transformation from “Meiji Daigaku” into “Meiji University.” We are counting on the support and advice of all concerned as we prepare for this new departure!
Kenichi Fukumiya
President, Meiji University