Messages from the President and the Vice Presidents

Learner-centered education in the spirit of “Do for Others”

Guided by the principles of Christian education and academic freedom, Meiji Gakuin University upholds the vision of its founder, Dr. J.C. Hepburn, who lived the philosophy of “Do for Others.” These values are needed more than ever in a world that faces numerous challenges: the rapid development of technology, worldwide pursuit of profit and efficiency, and the worsening of social inequalities, conflicts, and global warming.

In these unpredictable times, it is difficult to find solutions to complex social issues through compartmentalized study in individual faculties and departments. At Meiji Gakuin University, we are dedicated to helping our students develop diverse and flexible thinking skills that transcend discipline and specialty. We offer a learner-oriented education in an environment that enables students to set clear educational goals and achieve real academic success.

Right now, our society needs people capable of thinking from multidisciplinary perspectives. As the recent global pandemic made clear, a general education must encompass digital literacy so that students can learn how to use qualitative data to find solutions to problems for which there is no right answer. Accordingly, we have collaborated with the new Faculty of Mathematical Informatics to make AI and data science programs available to all students. As a result, students of the humanities and social sciences can now experience firsthand the importance of attaining competence in mathematics, AI, and data science as they study these topics. Conversely, students in the Faculty of Mathematical Informatics can also study areas of interest in the humanities and social sciences.

In addition, we must also think about values that are not apparent in numbers and data alone. A true general education must help students learn to think about people and society, what it means to lead a fulfilling life, and how to be open and tolerant. People continue to learn throughout their lives. It is my hope that students will view their general education as the basis of their whole four years of study at the university, rather than something that concludes after just one or two years.

In this way, Meiji Gakuin University is using its strengths as a university to prepare students to contribute to society in the spirit of “Do for Others.”

　

Serendipitous Encounters and One’s Self-Construction

The winds of freedom are breezing through Meiji Gakuin University. More than 12,000 students from Japan and overseas feel this comfortable breeze as they, together with a diversity of researchers, faculty members, and administrative staff in a variety of specialized fields, come together to enrich campus life. A good number of our students also engage in overseas study.

University life provides students with opportunities to discover new concepts and ways of living, and in the process construct oneself. Often these opportunities materialize as serendipitous encounters. Such an encounter may come when you open up a book you picked off the library shelf, or when you are inspired by a casual remark made by a professor during a lecture, or even when you are just walking along looking at the clouds and thinking about nothing in particular. A university campus is therefore a place for these encounters.

It is through such encounters that one’s self is re/constructed. It is my dearest wish that you will seek to construct a self that is capable of thinking tenaciously, and caring both for oneself and others and indeed the global environment.

Opportunities for you to grow

Meiji Gakuin University provides a variety of learning opportunities that will help you shape your future career. Every day, new ideas and knowledge emerge as academic research around the world continues to advance. What is considered cutting-edge today may eventually become common knowledge, or it may be superseded by new ideas. In that sense, the true purpose of a university education is not simply to acquire knowledge. Its real value lies in learning how to acquire knowledge, examine it critically, and carry it forward into your future. With your future in mind, I encourage you to take on the challenge of deepening your expertise.

In recent years, the development of generative AI has made it easy for us to obtain answers that appear plausible. However, we must judge for ourselves whether an answer is in fact correct and whether it truly has meaning for us. AI is no substitute for thinking. The more we delegate to AI, the fewer opportunities we have to think for ourselves. That is why, when studying at university, it is important not to settle for an easy answer, but to keep asking, “Why is that?” and “Are there any other ways of looking at this?” Since you will spend your precious years at university in such an era, I hope you will devote yourself to honing your own ability to think.

How will you spend your four years at university? And how will it differ from your high school years?

A distinctive feature of university is that it is the students who decide their own courses of study. Depending on the department, there may be some compulsory subjects, but other than that, students must decide for themselves what they will study.

Universities offer both liberal arts and specialized education. I know that students have a strong desire to “take specialized courses as soon as possible.” However, learning about something other than one’s own specialty can be a source of future personal growth. Knowledge of fields other than your own, different methods of analysis, and varying methods of argument can also be applied to your own field. When you are in a teaching position, you realize just how important such perspectives are.

Through to graduating from high school you will have learned many things within the school environment. At university too, you will gain even more knowledge through campus life. Depending on your department, you may go out and conduct research using seminars and other activities. This kind of experience is of the utmost importance. Other than seminars, you can also engage in various activities during vacations (summer, winter, spring). You can also make your own plans and gain practical experience.

Why not aim to further improve yourself at university, in an environment very different from your high school years?

Building a foundation for your future working life

Welcome to Meiji Gakuin University. During your time here at Meiji Gakuin University, your studies will help you cultivate a deeper understanding of society and its workings. You will also have many opportunities to enhance your people skills through extracurricular and volunteer activities undertaken in the spirit of “Do for Others.” Your studies, encounters, and experiences here will shape your character. The self-insight that you gain will, in turn, serve as a basis for understanding others and finding fulfillment in your future professional life.

As you will come to see, problems do not always have a single answer. This can be confusing, but it is important to face such challenges proactively, for the fearless pursuit of challenge is the foundation for success in any field. It is the springboard from which you will contribute to our increasingly complex and global society.

You will meet various people during your time here, including professors, administrative staff, friends, and fellow students. Together, you will learn and have new experiences. Now that you have enrolled at Meiji Gakuin University, I hope that you will make the most of your time here and build a foundation for your future working life, which will be much longer than your student life. All of us here at Meiji Gakuin University are here to support you as you take on new challenges.

Serendipity at Meiji Gakuin University

I wonder if you have heard of the word “serendipity.” It refers to the ability to make unexpectedly fortunate discoveries and is associated with the story of three princes of Serendip (the ancient name for Sri Lanka) who possessed just such a gift. If you constantly hone your sensibilities, even without being consciously aware of doing so, the meaning of chance encounters can become apparent, and this realization can bring good fortune in your life. Meiji Gakuin University began life as the Hepburn Academy, founded by Dr. James C. Hepburn, who came to Japan in the waning years of the Shogunate. During his time here, he made tremendous contributions to the modernization of the this nation through Christian missionary work, educational activities, medical services, and the compilation of Japanese-English dictionaries. It is at this institution where you have the opportunity to make so many unexpected discoveries. I invite you to use and sharpen all five senses as you explore the Shirokane Campus, with its grand historical buildings, and also the environmentally themed Yokohama Campus, in a rich natural setting. The library, standing as a symbol of knowledge, the chapel, with gentle light streaming through its stained glass windows, and the sound of conversations among faculty, staff and students that can be heard throughout our campuses will surely be a source of inspiration for you. Perhaps you already have a feeling that great discoveries await at Meiji Gakuin University?