学長からのメッセージPresident's Position Paper for 2025

The book of Psalms in the Old Testament contains prayers to God for various situations in life. One such prayer, which requests assistance from God in the face of significant challenges, is as follows: "May the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psalm 90:17)

In September 2025, we will mark a significant milestone in our history as the Society of Divine Word, the founding parent organization of the Nanzan School Corporation, celebrates its 150th anniversary. This momentous occasion serves as a reminder of our enduring commitment to our mission, as articulated by our founder, Arnold Jansen. His words, "If anything comes from the missionary seminary, it is because of God's grace; if nothing comes, we beat our breasts and admit that we were not worthy of that grace. If our efforts are fruitless, we acknowledge our unworthiness," remind us that the outcome of our efforts is not within our control. Our focus should be on understanding the current situation comprehensively, formulating a strategic plan, and implementing it effectively.

In recent years, the global challenges we face have become more serious due to the uncertain global situation. We are committed to supporting efforts to respect and promote human dignity by presenting the Nanzan University Human Dignity Award. We have also undertaken several important initiatives to fulfill our unique social mission. Additionally, we are planning several further ambitious initiatives. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for our shared vision, thoughtful consideration, and collaborative efforts. I am optimistic that these initiatives will be successful and that the "work of our hands" will yield substantial results.

This year, we will continue implementing reforms in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the university's founding in 2046, approximately 20 years from now. As part of these reforms, we will further clarify the university's mission through the "Global Concern, Our Contribution" initiative outlined in the "President's Policy". This initiative, along with the 3Ds (Dignity, Diversity, Dialogue) practices initiated last academic year, will guide our collective efforts towards a common goal.

In FY2024, we took the following initiatives regarding Dignity, Diversity, and Dialogue.

Concerning Dignity, the 3rd Nanzan University "Human Dignity Award" showcased the University's educational motto, "For Human Dignity," from a more multifaceted perspective. Additionally, the "YAMAZATO60 project" was launched to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the relocation of the university campus to Yamazato-cho, aimed to foster a sense of shared ownership among students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We are also positioning the "Yamazato Campus" as a catalyst for the advancement of the "For Human Dignity" initiative.

Regarding Diversity, measures were implemented to foster an inclusive environment, including an open recruitment process exclusively for female faculty members and the promotion of a barrier-free campus through the renovation and installation of additional guidance blocks for the visually impaired.

Regarding Dialogue, we developed an internal quality assurance system to promote dialogue between students and faculty members in education, and we also moved forward with steps to promote dialogue within the university through teaching and learning IR activities. We also established a new student support fund project to strengthen ties between alumni and students as well as between local communities and Nanzan University.

Building on these achievements, we encourage all staff at Nanzan University to continue the following efforts to practice the 3Ds.

1. Initiate the formulation of a new grand design that will show the path forward for Nanzan University in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of Nanzan School Corporation in 2032 and the 100th anniversary of the university's founding in 2046.
2. Initiate the formulation of a teaching and learning vision to promote quality assurance of education and enrich extracurricular activities in addition to the vision for internationalization based on the new grand design.
3. Continue dialogue from a financial perspective, such as obtaining donations and grants, to sustain and develop fulfilling education, research, and extracurricular activities.

1. Consider better collaboration with "Human Dignity Courses" and similar initiatives to ensure the "Nanzan University Human Dignity Award" is better recognized by students.
2. Develop and implement a plan to promote further penetration of the Nanzan identity with people inside and outside the university through the new platform site "YAMAZATO60+" so that the significance of campus-based university activities can be shared among students, faculty, and staff.

1. Promote efforts that consider diversity not only in recruitment, hiring, participation in meetings and decision-making processes but also in students' extracurricular activities.
2. To foster a conducive work environment, consider the natural environment by making efforts to save energy and electricity, and promote dialogue among departments regarding the promotion of DX and the use of AI.

1. Encourage dialogue between university constituents, including faculty, staff, and students, and internal executives, with the objective of enhancing the university's effectiveness.
2. Establish a platform to facilitate interaction between students and alumni and to ensure that alumni can continue to engage with the university.

In FY2024, we implemented the following initiatives. First, we established a committee to promote globalization and the Center for Global Strategies. Second, in Africa, where there are few partner universities, we concluded exchange agreements with universities in the Republic of South Africa and Kenya.. Third, we established a new program to promote short-term study abroad, which supports students participating in short-term study abroad programs. Fourth, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of establishing the Center for Japanese Studies (CJS) and strengthened our network with alumni. Based on these achievements, we continue with the following initiatives to promote the university's globalization this year.

Taking the opportunity to establish the committee for promotion of globalization and the Center for Global Strategies, we will further facilitate student mobility and international exchange while internationalizing the curriculum in education and strengthening international research collaborations at various levels.

1. Promote negotiations with universities in new countries to diversify study-abroad destinations.
2. Initiate concrete discussions on the possibility of a new service-learning short-term study abroad program to deepen our Catholic University partnership.

1. Develop NaSIP activities through study abroad advising and student internship programs while promoting the newly established language exam assistance system to support students preparing for study abroad as early as possible after enrollment.
2. Begin to discuss programs that promote preparation for study abroad prior to enrollment for those accepted by the end of the year.
3. Effectively administer the program to promote short-term study abroad.
4. Promote collaboration within the Nanzan School Corporation and with Catholic high schools, focusing on international education.
5. Develop strategies to promote exchange programs for graduate students.

1. To promote the university's globalization, encourage students to participate in exchange programs, and expand opportunities for international collaborative education activities while promoting dialogue on what role the Center for Japanese Studies (CJS) should play to support all these activities.
2. Explore ways to expand the animation study tour, which creates opportunities for on-campus exchange and a profit, and increase the number of similar inbound programs.

1. Initiate dialogue between the Center for Global Strategies and other parts of the university to increase the number of international students in undergraduate and graduate schools. Promote discussion of initiatives to increase the number of outstanding international students taking entrance exams. For example, recognizing selected Japanese language schools in Japan as designated schools, promoting cooperative department-to-department agreements regarding graduate school admission.
2. Departments such as faculties and graduate schools will further improve international public relations in cooperation with the Center for Global Strategies to attract more international students.

Consider measures to involve students more to further activate international exchange at Multi-cultural Exchange Lounge "Stella", World Plaza, Japan Plaza, and Janssen International Residence.

In FY2024, we took the following measures to address issues and policies related to educational quality assurance. First, the university's three policies (Diploma Policy, Admission Policy, and Curriculum Policy) and those of faculties and departments were reorganized into a form of expression more suitable for "educational quality assurance" in content. Second, based on the three reorganized policies, the curriculum map, curriculum tree, and syllabus were reorganized to clarify the organization of the educational curriculum. In addition, we made efforts to provide more substantive educational content, such as establishing a policy to promote active learning. Third, we developed a unique system for visualizing and understanding the results of academic training and also studied how to use this system in faculties and departments.

This year, we request to activate the FD/SD activities that support the quality assurance of education. Also, consider a new structure for the Institutional Research (IR) Promotion Office, prepare for more effective information disclosure, and promote the following efforts to provide even richer educational content.

1. Establish a mechanism to involve students in education quality assurance and university management activities.
2. Promote efforts to achieve quality education based on the assessment plan, such as curriculum renovation, effective use of assessment tests, and revision of grading criteria.
3. Re-establish a university-wide SD and FD system with our sights on "cultivating religious sensibility" through the university's founding principles and educational philosophy.
4. Conduct FD to promote the smooth implementation of the learning outcomes visualization system.
5. While considering the linkage between subjects in general education and major courses, consider enriching education, including "Mathematics, Data Science, AI Smart Higher Education," entrepreneurship education, and service learning.
6. Continuously consider the effective use of AI in classes and well-organized live and on-demand courses to further improve educational effectiveness under a new "Management of Teaching and Learning" framework. In addition, we should review the curriculum in graduate schools to establish the university policy on graduate education.
7. Establish a new education and research promotion system to plan and manage on-campus events, cooperating with course subjects to substantiate the Learning Commons function.

The new internationalization promotion project will expand opportunities for international co-curricular activities by increasing the number of courses using the COIL method and open courses for international students. Through networking among faculty members involved in these international co-curricular activities, international co-curricular activities will be improved both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Consider introducing an entrepreneurship-related minor or certificate program.

Consider the feasibility of recurrent education for employees to acquire new knowledge and skills to advance their careers in each graduate school in light of trends such as the "Recurrent Education Ecosystem Development Support Project" of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Implement substantial quality assurance of education through internal quality assurance subcommittees in each department and faculty, and through the committee for the Management of Teaching and Learning, which was newly established.

The graduate committee and internal quality assurance subcommittees in each graduate school will reorganize the three policies of graduate school and promptly establish a teaching and learning management system suitable for graduate schools. We will also conduct self-inspection, evaluation and improvement of research guidance performance.

Promote initiatives that enable high school students to participate in the university's educational activities and consider improving the education of prospective students. For example, consider high school-university cooperative education that includes educational materials to learn how to study at the university and the essence of the university's educational motto "Hominis Dignitati (For Human Dignity)".

In FY2024, we implemented the following new initiatives. First, we established two new student support programs: a scholarship program encouraging clubs to participate in national tournaments, and the Freinademetz Scholarship for students with social needs. Second, we held a sports tournament in March as a high school and university collaboration event with Catholic high schools.

In addition, we implemented the following initiatives regarding career support and education. First, to start career education as early as possible, we held company information sessions for first-year students as a new project to match students with companies. Second, we set up interview booths on campus to help students balance their job search activities with attending classes on campus. Third, we established a working group to improve entrepreneurship education and discussed the use of STATION Ai, an open innovation center. In addition, NANZAN SPARK was expanded, and various lectures, workshops and pitch competitions were held to motivate students to take on new challenges. Based on these achievements, we request that we continue promoting the following initiatives to support students this year.

1. Strengthen the function of the Student Exchange Center (Centrum) as a volunteer center and encourage efforts to contribute to local community activities, such as disaster prevention and mitigation, as volunteer activities.
2. Continue to promote the efforts of the Nanzan Challenge Project.

1. Promote sports, cultural, and social activities on campus, and consider revitalizing extracurricular activities as part of learning. In particular, consider developing an environment where students can grow through sports.
2. To promote the Sophia-Nanzan Sports Festival (Johnan-sen), which is a tradition of the university, both inside and outside the university as an even more attractive content, and to develop the efforts of this event.

1. Promote exchanges with other universities, junior high schools, and high schools through extracurricular activities.
2. Continue the sports competitions that were tried in FY2024 to improve high school-university cooperation with Catholic high schools.

1. Expand online interview booths and provide more information to students about career events.
2. Strengthen career education in the first year and consider introducing job training programs of two weeks or longer.

1. Identify "hidden" entrepreneurship education that has been implemented latently in the current curriculum and envision a unique entrepreneurship education course for our university as part of the review of general education courses.
2. Further develop NANZAN SPARK, an entrepreneurship education initiative unique to Nanzan University that combines "Internationalization" and "Hominis Dignitati (For Human Dignity)" and attract the interest of more faculty and students, as well as companies and others outside the university.
3. Through STATION Ai and other programs, to collaborate with various companies to develop attractive programs to lay the groundwork for the widespread promotion of entrepreneurship aimed at solving various social problems, and to support students' entrepreneurial activities.

In FY2024, we achieved the following initiatives. Academic events hosted by the research institutes at the NANTO Room in the Nanzan University Reiners Central Library included industry-academia collaborations with alumni and the participation of students, creating opportunities for intellectual exchange among faculty, staff, and students. At the symposium held by Nanzan Academic Society, a forum for interdisciplinary research exchange at the university, our faculty members had the opportunity to engage in cross-disciplinary discussions with people from Studio Ghibli. We also tried out an industry-academia collaboration project for students between official partners of Ghibli Park. Furthermore, to establish a system for effectively communicating the activities of the university's research to the public, we conducted a public relations campaign to communicate the "Nanzan's Research Power" to reach the communities. In addition, the International Center took the lead in organizing a meeting to exchange views between management and international students and discuss ways to promote the internationalization of local companies. Faculty members actively sought external funding, such as Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research. Based on these achievements, we request everyone to continue to promote the following efforts for research promotion and community and social cooperation this year.

Initiate discussions on creating an intellectual exchange space centered on the Nanzan University Reiners Central Library and organically linked to related facilities such as the Student Seminar Room and the Learning Commons, with faculty, staff, and students contributing ideas to realize such a space.

Under the newly established administrative organization, the Research Promotion Office, the goal is to increase the number of external research funds, such as Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, promote research fairness, and improve the system to support industry-university cooperation.

Through the Internationalization Promotion Program, we will support the research activities of individual faculty members and promote educational and research exchanges with overseas partner institutions.

In collaboration with official Ghibli Park partner companies, we envision industry-academia-government co-creation projects involving the university, companies, and local governments.

1. Reorganize the university's research promotion system, including developing a new publicity system, to make the activities of the university's research institutes and research centers more appealing.
2. Establish a university-wide system to promote social cooperation, with the goal of collaboration and co-creation by the university with various entities, including businesses and government agencies.
3. Further promote social collaboration, such as exchanging opinions between international students and local business leaders, using NANZAN SPARK.

Promote the collection and effective sharing of information about research results of our university's faculty members.

Enhance the value of Nanzan Extension College, which serves as one of our university's windows to the community, by improving its management structure and course content.

In FY2024, we expanded the comprehensive admissions system and developed agreements with Catholic high schools as part of high school-university cooperation.

Firstly, the number of faculties that have introduced comprehensive entrance examinations has increased from the previous three faculties (the Faculty of Foreign Studies, the Faculty of Policy Management, and the Faculty of International Studies) to five with two new faculties (the Faculty of Business Administration and the Faculty of Science and Technology). In addition, a unique website has been set up to publicize this new entrance exam system. Second, we established partnerships with four new Catholic high schools, in addition to the four existing schools, and made preparations to implement the school recommendation-based selection (for special partnership schools) beginning in FY 2025. Fourth, in addition to our open campus and on-campus university tour, we held a national holiday university tour in October for our special partnership schools. Based on these achievements, we request everyone to continue to promote the following initiatives for admissions and high school-university cooperation this year. We have promoted the university's attractiveness to prospective students and developed a campus where enrolled students can thrive. We are also reforming the admission system to enroll students with various possibilities and abilities.

Under the newly established Admissions Center, we review the university's admissions system comprehensively and continuously to make the university more attractive to more significant number of applicants.

After reviewing the results of the FY2024 entrance examination held before year-end, all eight faculties will implement a comprehensive entrance examination.

High school-university cooperation courses with eight Catholic high schools, including four new ones, are offered from FY2025. In addition, we review the status of the recommendation-based selection for Catholic schools.

Continue to review the general selection process, considering the link between the university admission policy and the diploma policy.

Continue to expand the comprehensive partnership agreements with Catholic junior high schools and high schools that have been promoted since FY2024. Develop specific initiatives for high school-university partnerships based on the comprehensive partnership agreements with Catholic high schools.

Consider a project for successful applicants of the entrance examination held before year-end to visit the university to communicate the university's founding principles.

With the establishment of the Admissions Center, the existing public relations activities for the entrance examination will be strengthened to communicate the attractiveness of university education to prospective students. In addition, we will consider public relations media and methods to promote the attractiveness of Nanzan's entrance examination, which integrates the entrance examination held before year-end and the general selection process.

I mentioned "the work of our hands" at the beginning. Our efforts in education, research, social cooperation, and more are unavoidably influenced by the prevailing times and the environment. It is not feasible to predict the eventual outcome of these efforts with certainty. However, we are committed to doing our best. Our educational motto, "Hominis Dignitati (For Human Dignity)", embodies a universal philosophy transcending temporal and environmental constraints. It will brighten the future of our country and the world. In collaboration with our university's members who share this philosophy, we will conduct a thorough review of our institution's current status, formulate plans, and systematically execute them.