President

It is said that we live in the age of the “flat world.” It is a world in which one is able, if he/she so wishes, to find equally and fairly all the information that he/she needs on the internet at his/her finger tips. The formidable challenge that the university faculty face today, though perpetual it may seem, is in what ways and means instructors inspire their students with sufficient motivation to study and with the academic enthusiasm to keep on studying. No doubt the key to the problem is largely in the hands of individual faculty members. At the same time, an equally helpful clue might be found in instructor-student ‘collaborative work’ in class that is based on mutual trust, as well as in students’ daily campus life from which a spontaneous burning desire to learn arouses from the students themselves.

Here a proper emphasis needs to be placed on campus life, because I believe that a university campus is a “space” where students are assisted in discovering their ‘self’ and in determining their identity in their own way, while at the same time their four-year campus life is the most important period of preparation for “self-realization” in their life.

In this globalizing world, one is expected to gain broad knowledge, not to mention a good command of a foreign language, with which world affairs can be seen and grasped from a wide perspective with the help of background information in history and culture, as well as with the ability to initiate a dialogue with peoples in distant lands to solve problems with them collaboratively.

To meet such needs, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies and Kyoto Junior College of Foreign Languages are proud to have so far produced a good number of distinguished graduates, following the ideas and the ideals of Dr. and Mrs. Ichiro Morita, the university founders, expressed in our motto, “World Peace through Languages”. To bring the twin institutions of Kyoto Gaidai further progress from now on, I wish to see our institutions transform themselves into ones that are “clearly and genuinely distinguishable from other Japanese universities and colleges” and also into ones in which “students are able to have the first-hand experience of ‘foreign countries and cultures’ through their daily campus life, while living in Japan, in order to learn about world languages and cultures.”

It is my sincere hope that each individual student will be assisted in finding a job of his/her own choosing more effectively than previously so that he/she may live a full and happy life after graduation. It is my earnest determination that no stone shall be left unturned so that Kyoto Gaidai may make steady progress with the crucially indispensable help of the faculty and the office staff. Lastly, it is my ardent wish that all of you students will say that “I am very happy and pleased that I was admitted to study at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies and Kyoto Junior College of Foreign Languages.”

I wish every one of you the best of luck in your future careers. Thank you very much.