Campus for Learning

What It Means to Be a Student on Campus

Many of the students who graduated from the university on March 25 of this year were students who entered in April 2020. That month was, needless to say, a time when COVID-19 infections was rapidly spreading throughout the world, causing serious illness and countless deaths. In January of that year, the university established a New Coronavirus Infectious Disease Risk Response Team to gather information and respond to the situation. Unfortunately, we had to cancel that year's matriculation ceremony, student orientation, and the Welcome Festival for new students, just as high school graduation ceremonies and various other events were canceled throughout Japan. In addition, we had to change the academic calendar and delay classes until April 27, and switch to online classes for the spring semester. Many students were unable to come to Tsukuba and had to remain at home and take classes online. In that year, all events such as the Yadokari Sai, the dormitory festival, Sohosai, the school festival, and the spring and fall sports days were cancelled. It is no exaggeration to say that the students who matriculated in AY 2020 were only able to experience traditional university events without restrictions in AY 2023; they were not able to experience four years of traditional university life due to pandemic.

Last year, the student representatives from all academic divisions, specialized academic groups, and the All-College Student Representative Council (Zendai-kai) voiced their strong desire to hold an entrance ceremony for students that had matriculated in AY 2020. The university wholeheartedly agreed and held an Entrance Ceremony for these students at the University Hall on March 13th of this year. Although not all students were able to attend the ceremony, it was a wonderful and heartwarming event. This event was made possible by the thoughtfulness and consideration of the younger students for their upper-class students who had matriculated in AY 2020, despite that they themselves were not able to experience many university events. The class which had matriculated in AY 2020 welcomed their incoming first-year students and took the lead in reviving events for them despite the restrictions of the pandemic. These younger students were very much impressed with their upper-class students, and spontaneously planned their belated matriculation ceremony.

This kind of mutual consideration is the epitome of student life on campus. Students from all over the country and the world gather together on one campus to take the same classes, hold discussions, eat and drink, spend the night talking, compete in sports, and enjoy music and art. They experience days of laughing, crying, and having fun with their friends, discovering their differences, questioning who they are, and establishing their individuality. Communication, cooperation, and leadership skills are nurtured. The friendships they develop will support them even after they enter society. Gathering on campus during adolescence has great significance. Even if you are a working adult studying at the Tokyo campus, you will find it invaluable to interact with alumni.

The Significance of Face-to-Face Classes

Of course, a university is a place of learning, not a place of leisure. If the only purpose is to gain and deepen knowledge, a campus is perhaps not necessary. Certainly, online classes have their advantages. On-demand classes that can be reviewed many times are useful, especially if all you want to do is acquire knowledge. At the request of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the University of Tsukuba developed the Japan Virtual Campus (JV-Campus), a Japanese online platform. We appreciate the advantages of online classes that allow students to learn across borders.

But is it really not necessary to have campus for university education? Is there is no need to have vast lands and buildings at the University of Tsukuba or at other education institutes? It may be enough for students from all over the world to attend online lectures by renowned researchers on demand. However, even if you attend many lectures by the world's best scholars, you will not have mastered any study of science unless you understand it deeply, internalize your learnings, and create something new with your newly gained knowledge. During the pandemic when students were encouraged to avoid unnecessary trips and to maintain physical distance, the issue of how to give credit for experiments and practical training in the sciences, physical education and fine art became important. Even in the humanities, a significant number of classes were rescheduled and delayed until the end of the fall semester because face-to-face classes were thought to be more highly effective for seminars and roundtable discussions of literature and other controversial matters. Online meetings and classes are not conducive to discussion as the standard practice is to mute one's microphone when not speaking. It becomes difficult to acquire or pass specialized techniques and skills. Until recently, academic ability has been measured by the amount of knowledge one has; however, humans are no match for AI in terms of knowledge. Therefore, we must emphasize unique human abilities such as creativity, curiosity, responsibility, persistence, empathy, and cooperation as elements of academic ability. But these cannot be acquired online.

Many students who entered in the AY 2020 requested that face-to-face classes be offered from April 2022 while the pandemic was still ongoing. They wanted something they could not obtain from online classes. After-class conversations are not easy to manage in an on-demand or off-line environment. The term friendly competition means striving to improve one's learning and human skills. Just as bones, ivory, jade, and stones become beautiful jewels when processed, peers cooperating and competing with each other improve their own skills. In other words, friends cooperate and compete with each other to improve their academic skills. Friendly competition on campus is one of the reasons why students come to campus for academic study. Why does it have to be at the campus of the University of Tsukuba? According to a survey of enrolled students (multiple choice), the top reason for choosing the University of Tsukuba was "Because it has the academic fields of my choice" (66.9%), followed by "Because it has a variety of fields," and "I can learn about a wide range of knowledge and specialties" (64.1%) and "Because the faculty has strong teaching and research capabilities" (45.4%). The results were similar to those of 2022. Although it should be noted that social desirability bias may have played a role in the responses, it is safe to assume that students are attracted to the university's research and education. Students come to the University of Tsukuba to engage in friendly academic competition with friends at our vast campus at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba and our traditional campus in Myogadani, Tokyo.

Campus for Researchers

Why do researchers need a campus? Research in the sciences is often conducted collaboratively, making it essential to have laboratories on campus where research colleagues can collaborate, repeat experiments, perform observations for days from early in the morning until late at night, discuss results and write papers. On-campus facilities are critical when a large number of researchers, including graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, conduct experiments using large apparatuses and equipment and various research materials. A stadium or gymnasium is also essential for physical education research. The arts also require on-campus ateliers, workshops, and studios. Even for the humanities, a campus with a library is indispensable.

Are space and facilities the only reasons for a campus? Even when researching individually, have you ever had the experience of meeting other researchers in your field on campus and having a conversation such as, "What do you think of the paper that was recently published in ______? You may also have had the opportunity to gain the latest information from other researchers and have them critique your interpretation to see if it is correct at regular campus research meetings. When you come upon a conversation about a topic in a field that you are not familiar with, you can ask for guidance from experts in the field on campus. In the journal Nature, Carl Benedikt Frey of Oxford University and Lingfei Wu and Yiling Lin of the University of Pittsburgh analyzed 20 million research papers and 4 million patent applications from around the world over the past half century. The study shows that the probability of making breakthrough discoveries is consistently lower for remote collaborations than for onsite collaborations, and that remote collaborations do not involve much conceptual collaboration, such as conceiving new concepts or designing new research (Yiling Lin, Cart Benedikt Frey, and Lingfei Wu, 2023, Remote Collaboration Fuses Fewer Breakthrough Ideas (Nature 623: 987-991. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06767-1). When you think about it, no matter how prominent researchers are, if they are complete strangers to each other, there will be no collaboration. In a community where diverse people come together to discuss different ideas, we see many failures and unexpected successes through mutual stimulation. In other words, serendipity is born. This is the reason why we need campuses. If this is the case, there is no need for a campus which main purpose is for studying. I am convinced that this will be true perhaps even 50 years from now. I strongly hope that the entire university will demonstrate this point.

Why conduct such collaborative research at the University of Tsukuba? When the staff of the Office of the Assistant to the President was asked this question, their answers were: "The university is the center for research in certain fields so it is natural that many excellent researchers would want to conduct research here," "Even tenure-track assistant professors are allowed to be PI's of laboratories," "Joint research can be easily conducted with the many research institutes clustered in the Tsukuba area," and "Research on government policies is possible." We believe that the most important factor in attracting many researchers to the university is to conduct unique, leading-edge research.

The Foundation for Existence as a National University

Purpose of the University

What, by the way, is the foundation of a university's existence? In other words, on what grounds are universities allowed to exist? Article 83, Paragraph 1 of the School Education Law (Law No. 26 of 1947) states that the university, as a center of scholarship, shall impart wide-ranging knowledge and conduct in-depth teaching and research in the arts and sciences, with the aim of developing students' intellectual, moral, and practical abilities. Paragraph 2 further states that to achieve this aim, universities shall conduct education and research and widely share their results to society, thereby contributing to societal development. In other words, it involves education, research, and social contribution. These are universal objectives pursued by all universities, whether national, public, or private.

Each university has its own objectives to pursue as well. Harvard University, founded in 1636 by Puritans from England seeking religious freedom, is the oldest university in the United States. In spite of this beginning, it is well known that it was created to train ministers for the community. The nameplate on the exterior of the Johnston Gate states that the purpose of Harvard University is "... to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches when our present ministers shall lie in the dust." Each private university in Japan also has a unique founding spirit that overflows with the thoughts of its founder who provided research and education opportunities based on this spirit.

Purpose of National Universities

Most national universities do not have a founding spirit. The University of Tokyo was the first imperial university established under the Imperial University Ordinance enacted on March 2, 1887. In December 1918, the Hara Takashi Cabinet established the University Ordinance to expand higher education in Japan. In addition to the imperial universities, government colleges and private institutions of higher education, such as the Tokyo University of Literature and Sciences, became universities. The University Ordinance stated that the purpose of a university shall be to teach scientific theories and applications that are essential to the nation, and to study their mysteries, while at the same time paying attention to the cultivation of character and national thought, and that the basic principles of teaching and studying the mysteries of the sciences essential to the nation remain unchanged.

Many national universities do not have a founding spirit. The current University of Tokyo was the first to be established as an Imperial University under the Imperial University Ordinance, promulgated on March 2, 1887 (Meiji 19). According to Article 1 of the Imperial University Ordinance, the purpose of an Imperial University shall be to teach academic and technical skills necessary for the state and to conduct in-depth research.

In December 1918 (Taisho 7), Prime Minister Hara Takashi's cabinet passed the University Ordinance to expand higher education. This allowed not only the Imperial Universities but also government-run specialized colleges such as the Tokyo University of Literature and Sciences and private institutions of higher education to become universities. According to the University Ordinance, the purpose of a university shall be to teach theory and application necessary for the state and to conduct in-depth research in these fields, while also paying attention to the cultivation of character and the fostering of national ideology. The basic purpose of teaching academic disciplines necessary for the state and conducting in-depth research in these areas has not fundamentally changed.

After the war in 1947, the University Ordinance and Imperial University Ordinance were abolished, and the School Education Law came into effect. In May of 1949, the Law for Establishment of National Schools was enacted, and 69 new national universities were created, with the aim of having at least one university in each prefecture to realize equal educational opportunities. The Law for Establishment of National Schools does not state the purpose of national universities.

Article 1 of the National University Corporation Law (Law No. 112 of 2003) stipulates that national universities shall be established to meet public demand for university education and research, and to improve the level and balanced development of higher education and research in Japan.

In any age, national universities are expected to conduct academic research and develop human resources to serve the nation and its people. Even when newly conceived, the University of Tsukuba was expected to fulfill this same mission.

Foundations of the University of Tsukuba

The foundation for establishing the University of Tsukuba is clearly stated in its Founding Principles, which were written 50 years ago in a mere 360 words which still stand the test of time. The first sentence establishes the mission of a national university. The third sentence defines internationalization as one of our missions, which is also a banner principle for our third mid-term plan period. The university's G30 application refers to "everyday internationalization" rather than to the promotion of internationalization. At a time when other universities were finally addressing internationalization, our university was aware of the need to go further to be an internationally open university. Our open university approach is a "beyond the borders" strategy. The fourth and fifth sentences state that the university will constantly reform its organization, education and research. The opening of the second sentence, coupled with the first, refers to the promotion of interdisciplinarity.

What has been overlooked, however, is the second half of this sentence which touches on the problem of rigidity. We interpret this as the reason why our university is called a New Concept University. We believe that the desired outcome of our activities is to change the inflexible systems of academia and organizations. We are currently promoting reforms such as the establishment of an overseas branch in Malaysia, the introduction of tutorial education, and new energy development research.

Although not explicitly stated in our founding principles, we believe that we must place importance on engagement with society. Half a century ago, industry-university cooperation was shunned as undesirable from the standpoint of prewar reflection. The university's "Founding One Hundred and Fifty-One Years: The Fifty-Year History of the University of Tsukuba, Historical Documents, Vol. 2" quotes the 1969 vision for a new concept university. It states that industry-university cooperation has been widely discussed in various newspapers and that the promotion of organic exchange of basic and applied research is necessary for an open university in an advanced industrial society in the midst of constant scientific and technological progress and development. In addition, to basic and applied research, large-scale development research is being conducted. It is impossible to overlook the fact that today's development research is giving new impetus to conventional basic and applied research as well as increasing the positive significance of scientific research. In other words, it was expected that the newly conceived university would take the lead in this area. We are now trying to emphasize not only Academia to Business but also Business to Academia research perspectives.

In today's environment of conflict between liberal democracies and authoritarian countries, ensuring peace and security in the world and protecting freedom, human rights, equality, democracy and the rule of law--which we consider supreme goals for our country and humanity--are vital pursuits for national universities.

Japan has avoided military affairs. This was for good reason, but in light of today's geopolitical environment, I cannot help but think that national universities must protect academic freedom to the maximum extent possible and avoid military research, while at the same time undertaking academic research related to national security. In this context, we expect the humanities and social sciences to play an extremely important role. The Council on Education and Research decided in December 2018 on the basic policy of not pursuing military research, while allowing for research on dual-use technologies that can be used for both civilian and military purposes that do not violate this basic policy. It was also confirmed that research on dual-use technologies that can be used for both civilian and military purposes will proceed after careful screening to ensure that individual research does not violate the basic policy. Our society has benefited from some developments in military technology, such as the Internet and GPS (Global Positioning System). Drones are also being used as unmanned weapons. It would be unwise not to conduct research and education on drones and AI, which we know will contribute to social advancement, on the grounds that these may be used for military purposes.

Transformation of Education System

School of Transdisciplinary Science and Design (Malaysia)

This September, the School of Transdisciplinary Science and Design will open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to become the first overseas branch of a national university to offer a Japanese university degree abroad. The School will be established based on an agreement made in 2019 between the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad when he was Prime Minister. Former Prime Minister Mahathir gave a congratulatory address at the 151^st anniversary of the university's founding and the 50^th anniversary of the University of Tsukuba's establishment on September 30^th last year. He stated that during his first visit to Japan in 1961, he was impressed by the Japanese attitude, and dedication and commitment to quality, and that since the implementation of his "Look East Policy," Malaysia has sent approximately 26,000 students to study in Japan. He went on to say that if a base for the Japanese education system is established in Malaysia, more Malaysians and people from around the world will benefit. The new School will undoubtedly be successful and groundbreaking.

This new academic group in Malaysia will have a foundation in data science and design thinking. It will not only deepen the study of the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences, but will also broadly apply their studies to social issues, such as protecting the environment and developing human resources who can creatively help solve today's global issues. This new institute was approved by MEXT on August 31, 2023, and the Malaysian Qualifications Authority—the government agency responsible for quality assurance of higher education—in December of the same year. Under the guidance of the Preparatory Committee for the new School, application guidelines were announced on March 15^th of this year. The first 40 students will be selected through entrance examinations based on recommendations and aptitude tests.

The new academic group is a showcase for new educational methodologies, as well as an export of the Japanese and Tsukuba-style education. We have received envious looks and offers of cooperation from other universities in Japan and abroad; we intend to take full advantage of this once the new academic group is fully established. We believe that we have promoted mutually beneficial cooperation with research universities and have contributed to the promotion of internationalization in our country. We would like to continue to do so while fully cooperating with the local community.

Tutorial Education and a System for All First-year Students to Live on Campus

We intend to transform our academic departments into true degree programs. Our academic departments and their heads will drive this reform. To this end, we intend to actively introduce problem/project-based learning (PBL) and tutorial education.

I would like to reiterate what I wrote in our fourth mid-term goal plans. Through a system of degree programs that offer deep expertise and broad education, students will learn how to set and explore issues. Our faculty members and students will set and discuss academic problems, acquire design thinking while fulfilling the internal quality assurance requirements of our bachelor's programs. We will also initiate a project to update student housing to accommodate tutorial education and co-creation with society.

We are preparing to introduce a Tsukuba-style tutorial education in our undergraduate program to help students truly discover their future goals. This program will be implemented consistently from admission to graduation with the goals of (1) deepening students' understanding of both their specialization and related fields through learning via dialogue and discussion, (2) equipping students with the ability to engage with society from a critical and creative perspective, and (3) fostering the ability to design solutions for social issues. The program is scheduled to begin in the 2025 academic year with approximately 40 students,

The 4^th Mid-Term Plan outlines our commitment to fostering students' independence and social skills by enhancing both the academic effectiveness of our educational programs and the quality of extracurricular activities and student housing. As part of this initiative, student housing is set for a complete renewal and will be designed to function as a space for tutorial education. It is crucial, as mentioned earlier, that students experience friendly competition while living on the same campus. To this end, all new students will, in principle, be placed in student housing surrounded by rich natural environments, similar to the boarding houses of universities in the U.K. and the U.S. Here, students will share meals and build a community enriched by diverse cultures and values from around the world. One of the goals of the 4^th Mid-Term Plan is to increase the occupancy rate of new students in student housing to 80% (including trial and short-term stays) by the end of AY 2027 academic.

In the dormitory area, we plan to construct the Design for Future Society Building, utilizing the university bonds, which were issued in 2022 after the University of Tokyo and Osaka University were the first two universities to do so, as an investment from society. The Design for Future Society Building will have a symbolic tower-like structure and will be used for tutorial education and collaboration with society. It will include free space for students, such as small and medium halls, learning commons, and individual study rooms. Additionally, it will house showcases for companies conducting joint research with the university, research institutions within the academic city, overseas offices, and the Global Commons, which will serve as a true one-stop service center. This will allow students to engage in activities with a constant awareness of their relationship with society and interaction with the local community.

2+4(3)+3 Curriculum System

For the past two years, we have been proposing to change the fixed educational program of 4 years for a bachelor's degree, 2 years for a master's degree, and 3 years for doctoral degree to one of 2 years for a liberal arts education + 4 years for an academic major + 3 years for an advanced research degree (2+4+3 system). There have been quite a few requests within the university to connect the bachelor's with the master's (pre-doctoral) education system. Of course, the academic system will be maintained, so those who wish to graduate with a bachelor's degree in 4 years will be able to do so. However, we believe that connecting the third and fourth years of bachelor's programs to master's programs to create coherent professional education programs will bring about a qualitative change in the nature of higher education in Japan. It will also be useful in fostering the next generation of researchers with advanced research capabilities. Depending on the field, it is also possible to devise a 2+3+3 system, which is already in place in some fields, allowing for a completion of a master's degree in one year.

This 2+4(3)+3 system has not met with any significant opposition from the heads of our science departments where students generally earn master's degrees, but also not from even the heads of our humanities departments. The Subdivision on Graduate Schools, University Division, Central Council for Education points out that while the percentages of the general population and business executives with degrees in the humanities and social sciences are much smaller than that of in Europe, the U.S., and South Korea. However, socioeconomic activities are shifting from an emphasis on functionality to meaningful value, increasing the expectations for nurturing advanced human resources in the humanities and social sciences. (Direction of Reform of Graduate School Education in the Humanities and Social Sciences (Interim Summary, The Subdivision on Graduate Schools, University Division, Central Council for Education, August 3, 2022)) In order to entice more students of the humanities to enter graduate school, it is necessary to reform curricula to attract and support a diversity of career paths.

Entrance Examination Reform

The number of applicants for the Common Text for University Admissions in 2024 decreased by 20,668 from the previous year to 491,913, falling below 500,000 applicants for the first time in 32 years. The annual number of applicants to universities, including private universities, is approximately 650,000. With the annual capacity for university admissions at approximately 620,000, applicants can secure a place at a university if they are not selective.

On February 27, preliminary figures from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Vital Statistics were released. It was reported that the number of births in Japan in 2023 (including foreign nationals) was 758,631, a historic low. This means that the university enrollment rate will have to reach 82% to meet the current university enrollment capacity (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Key Findings of the FY 2023 Basic School Survey, December 20, 2023, p. 5, https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20230823-mxt_chousa01-000031377_001.pdf. In the future, regional national universities will be compelled to significantly reduce their graduate programs in order to maintain undergraduate enrollment for the sake of regional maintenance and development. It is also likely that a limited number of research-oriented national universities will be required to shift undergraduate enrollment quotas to their graduate programs.

It is also obvious that it will be impossible to maintain the current admissions system and that reform of undergraduate programs must begin as soon as possible. However, it seems that awareness of this looming crisis within the university is still low. We must quickly design a system to select students who understand the university's philosophy regarding education and research and who are compatible with our curriculum and diploma policy. In doing so, it is important to increase the number of international students within our admission capacity. However, in an era when the ratio of foreign students exceeds 25%, quotas for Japanese and international students will become less of an issue. The selection process should assess students' enthusiasm for studying, and their problem-finding, critical thinking, analytical, and logical writing skills as well as their human nature, regardless of whether they are Japanese or foreign nationals.

Our university was the first national university to introduce recommendation-based admissions, which has now been adopted by most Japanese national universities. In accordance with our founding philosophy, we served as a model for other institutions by implementing a new model for admissions.

Developments in Mathematical, Data Science, and AI Education

Generative AI, exemplified by ChatGPT which was released in November 2022 and quickly gathered an explosion of users, has attracted a great deal of interest. Problems with generative AI have also been pointed out. However, there are many advantages of generative AI, and it is impossible to hinder its development. Last May, the university published basic guidelines for the use of generative AI. Basically, the guidelines state that while keeping in mind the problems associated with the technology, the most important aspects of education and research—originality and novelty—should be respected when using generative AI.

The fundamentals of mathematics and data science is said to be "reading, writing, and abacus" of today's digital society. Since its founding in 1973, the university has required all undergraduate students, including those in the humanities, physical education, arts, and other non-technical field, to take two courses on information processing and practical computer training. Furthermore, as society has come to demand objective decision-making based on data, we recently introduced a mandatory Data Science Literacy Program for all undergraduate students, which includes an Information Literacy lecture course, Information Literacy practical course and two courses of data science.

From FY 2021, the university and its Headquarters for Promotion of Interdisciplinary Mathematical/Data Science/AI Education are aiming to organically integrate mathematics/data science/AI education at the literacy, applied basic, and applied levels into the curricula of each undergraduate and graduate educational program. In August 2021, the Data Science Literacy Program was accredited by MEXT as one of the Literacy Level Plus programs across 11 universities, marking a significant and unique achievement in this field. Two years later, in August 2023, the Data Science Applied Fundamentals Program of the School of Science and Engineering received accreditation under the Accreditation System for Mathematics, Data Science, and AI Education Programs (Applied Fundamentals Level) Plus. Moving forward, we plan to develop the Applied Fundamentals Level Program across the entire university. Additionally, we have established the Data Science Expert Program (DSEP) and the Data Science Expert Program Plus (DSEP+) at the doctoral program, primarily targeting students in the Systems and Information Engineering Programs.

The Project for Strengthening the Functions of the University of Tsukuba to Develop Top Human Resources in the Information Technology Field on a Global and Social Campus, which focuses on education in mathematics, data science, and AI at literacy, applied basic and applied levels, was selected for the Support for Strengthening Functions to Secure Advanced Information Professionals in AY 2023. With this initiative, the university will increase enrollment by 90 students in our master's program from AY 2026, 31 students in our bachelor's program (an additional 18 spots for first-year admissions and 13 for third-year transfers) from AY 2025, and 16 students in the Doctoral Program from AY 2026.

We aim for our students to incorporate data science as a tool in their professional research to generate new insights. We are also considering the establishment of an educational program within the Business Science Research Group that focuses on management based on mathematics, data science, and AI. The university will continue to expand education in mathematics, data science, and AI across all levels.

We hope our students will integrate data science as a tool in their research to generate innovative results. Additionally, we are exploring the creation of an educational program within the Business Science Research Group that focuses on management based on mathematics, data science and AI. The university is committed to advancing education in mathematics, data science, and AI at all levels.

Interdisciplinary Creative Institute and Comprehensive Strategy Council for Institutes

We plan to consolidate our graduate schools into a unified academic institute to reduce learning barriers for our graduate students who will shape the future of academia. This reorganization will greatly enhance the flexibility of degree programs and foster graduate education that will transcend traditional organizational, disciplinary and institutional boundaries. The initial step in this process was the restructuring of the graduate school into three academic departments and degree programs in AY 2020. We also intend to establish the School of Interdisciplinary Research for Creative Studies to oversee and coordinate degree programs across these three institutes. As outlined in the Fourth Mid-Term Plan, a detailed plan will be developed by AY 2025.

The Humanics Degree Program within the Graduate Program of Excellence received an S rating in mid-term evaluation. This program features a comprehensive double mentoring system, where mentors from diverse fields collaborate on research supervision. It also has a reverse mentoring system that supports students with a bi-disciplinary approach that combines biomedical sciences and science, engineering, and informatics. We expect the Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Research and Creative Studies will develop innovative interdisciplinary degree programs, including a doctoral program in law aimed at cultivating researchers with fresh perspectives, and a master's program that integrates mathematics, data science, AI education, and academic domain expertise.

The concept proposed by the Faculty of Human Sciences has been adopted by the "Project for Establishing a Strategic Graduate School Management System to Foster Advanced Specialties and Research Capabilities Across Disciplines and Organizations" (AY 2023 budget request project), leading to the establishment of the Integrated Strategy Headquarters for Academic Institutes. This initiative aims to strategically manage graduate schools based on collaboration with society and a comprehensive analysis across degree programs with the goal of cultivating graduate students who will drive social change.

To promote the strategic management of each academic institute, subcommittees will be established within the three academic institutes, and each subcommittee will organize teams corresponding to the three functions of design, alliance, and management. In AY 2023, these subcommittees and an overseeing, coordinating committee were launched beginning with that of the Faculty of Human Sciences. We plan to request expansion of the School of Science, Engineering, and Informatics in AY 2025, and for the School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Business Sciences in AY 2026. Through the activities of the Integrated Strategy Headquarters for Academic Institutes, we aim to enhance and create degree programs by promoting industry-academia-government collaboration and analyzing and visualizing student research capabilities.

Reform of Research System and Strengthening of Research Capability

Promotion of Basic Research

Basic research is crucial for advancing research and education that will propel the rapidly evolving fields of science, industry, and society. The university acknowledges that understanding the universal principles of evolution and phase transitions, based on knowledge of the entire 13.8-billion-year history of the universe—from the creation of matter, the evolution of the Earth, and the origin of life to the emergence of humanity (intelligence) and the development of civilization—is fundamental for promoting various research areas.

When I was reading the 151 Years Since its Founding- The Fifty-Year History of the University of Tsukuba, Historical Documents, Vol. 2, I was surprised to find that the concept of researching evolution and phase transitions over the 13.8 billion years of history of the earth was discussed, if not exactly in the same manner over a half century ago. The basic concept of the research theme is depicted in Figures 1 and 2, highlighting two perspectives: the functional aspect of research activities and the structural aspect of research fields centered on individual disciplines of science. The second diagram illustrates this concept from a structural viewpoint, showing the evolutionary development from nature to organisms and humans. It also indicates that the various elements of nature become progressively more complex and diverse. This shows that complex and diverse entities are defined by simpler ones. Thus, the elucidation of the world (reality and culture) is achievable through the synthesis of all sciences. Mathematics studies the abstract universality of all existences, while philosophy studies the concrete universality. As indicated, we aim to integrate the strengths of the newly developed multiversity with the philosophy of the university (Tokyo University of Education, Vision for a New University in Tsukuba (Abstract), p. 94). We must recognize the importance of the Number Studies Group today.

In the past half century, scientific methods evolved to study the evolution and phase transitions of the earth, life, society, and civilization from the creation of the universe and matter. This includes using including space telescopes, large accelerators, genetic analysis, and high-precision dating technology. We will develop our research on the 13.8 billion years history of the earth through science based on mathematical analysis of quantitative data, chemical analysis, and statistical analysis. Combined with the emergence of AI technology, which is capable of extracting the relevance of quantitative big data accumulated from various fields, our research will trigger a big bang of knowledge that transcends the boundaries of existing fields and accelerate large-scale structural transformation of not only science but also of society and industry.

Research System Reforms

As a designated national university corporation, the university is committed to pursuing research that helps solve global issues. A perfect university in our opinion is not merely a collection of various fields or a place where academic disciplines cooperate to conduct joint research and education (a necessary condition for a comprehensive university), but also a university that tackles the unknown challenges of unpredictable times and creates new academic fields based on interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle issues that cannot be solved by existing academic fields alone. (These are the sufficient conditions that the University of Tsukuba aims for as a comprehensive university.) It is also necessary for the University of Tsukuba to create new academic fields based on interdisciplinary collaboration (a sufficient condition for a comprehensive university) in order to tackle the unknown challenges of an unpredictable age and to take on issues that cannot be solved by existing academic fields alone. With this in mind, the university will strengthen each academic field, promote cross-disciplinary collaboration that transcends the barriers between academic fields, create new academic fields, and promote research and education with this spirit.

Based on our concept for a designated national university corporation, we will strategically support the creation of new centers (research circulation system) through our existing academic centers, which are incubators for developmental and cross-disciplinary research, to promote the creation of new fields of study during our fourth mid-term plan period. In April of this year, the Organization for Strategic Research Initiatives was reorganized to further accelerate interdisciplinary research, strengthen international competitiveness, and foster human resources for realizing a truly comprehensive university. The Research Design Office is responsible for research planning, strategy and management.

The Research Design Office consists of the Research Strategy Planning Division and the International Collaboration Promotion Division and is responsible for planning and management of research strategy, organizational development, and measures to strengthen our international competitiveness.

The Research Management Office consists of the Division for Strengthening Research Infrastructure and the Division for Fostering Young Researchers. It is responsible for materializing and implementing measures that contribute to research strategy and management, acquiring external funding, improving the research environment, enhancing and strengthening the research promotion system, and implementing strategic development projects.

The university has developed a research cycle system in which research groups are classified into one of the following categories: RS (Research Center for World Leadership), R1 (World-Class Research Center), R2 (National-Class Research Center), and R3 (Research Center for Priority Fostering). University support is provided according to each level. Reclassification and continuation are considered every five years.

The Strategy Promotion Division is in charge of this system, while the Cross-disciplinary Innovation Division is in charge of the academic centers as an incubator for research entities. Our fourth mid-term plan calls for the establishment of three new academic centers, the first of which is the Organization for Organic-Inorganic Quantum Spin Science (tentative name ).

Development / Social Implementation Research

The university will continue to advance its societal contributions through development research and social implementation research, grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration. In Japan, many joint research projects with companies and university-launched ventures have traditionally been seed-driven. To facilitate the integration of these innovations into society, the university has established Development Research Centers that are funded entirely by external sources. One such initiative is the Center for Functional Materials with Zero-CO₂ Emission, which has developed hydrogen boride sheets to address challenges in hydrogen production, storage, and transportation.

In March 2023, the Transformation CONNECT Organization was launched to promote basic and applied research in areas ranging from AI development to artificial brains, solutions for energy and global warming, space utilization, and the creation of a society in harmony with robots. This organization serves as a command post for advancing and industrializing research, utilizing institutional research (IR) and trans-IR methodologies.

On the other hand, it is necessary to conduct development research for practical applications in the real world and conduct needs-driven research that transcends the boundaries of industry, academia and government in order to contribute to the realization of a better society. This will put the needs of companies and society first and will help solve social issues from a local to global scale. For this purpose, the university will establish B2A research institutes where companies can promote development and research with university researchers, facilities and equipment. The Imagine the Future Forum (ITF.F), with a total floor space of 43,170 m2 and which will be funded by university bonds by 2027, will house these institutes.

As I have repeatedly mentioned, the number of cited papers at top universities in the U.S. and U.K. is in decreasing order of industry-university co-authored papers, international co-authored papers, domestic co-authored papers, intramural co-authored papers, and single-authored papers. A high citation for an industry-academia co-authored paper is one indicator that the paper's topic was relevant in addressing the needs of society. They are also viewed as being important for advancing basic and applied research, as well as industry-academia joint research, which in Europe and the United States starts with basic research and attracts investment and donations. Additionally, the International Industry-Academia Collaboration Headquarters has built a venture ecosystem, enhanced its support system, and contributed to the increase in the number of startups created at the university. We strongly expect that this ecosystem, which returns fund to our education system through entrepreneur education and growth support for startups, will increase the number of our startups.

Strengthening Research Capability

One of the most commonly mentioned needs of our faculty members for strengthening research capabilities is to secure more time for research. To this end, we believe it is necessary to improve the efficiency of education and internal operations.

With regard to education, we are able to outsource the preparation of entrance exam questions to retired faculty members and delegate some of the duties of supervising entrance examinations to graduate students. We also believe that our academic subject group system, which has already been implemented in some departments, can be actively utilized. The academic subject group system is a system in which groups of faculty members are formed to select the subjects to be offered. Faculty members collaborate by taking turns in leading the teams in teaching these subjects. Since faculty members will take turns taking charge of courses, it will be possible for members to take sabbaticals once every few years.

Based on the recommendations of the Office for Educational Design denoted in its Management of Students' and Faculty Members' Time report (February 14, 2022), we propose measures to secure the quality of classes. These include streamlining courses, reducing the number of courses each instructor handles, and eliminating courses with zero enrollment. Specifically, we suggest the following approaches: ① Introducing multiple areas within a single course, allowing individual students to choose their area of study; ② Setting up large-credit courses taught in an omnibus format; ③ Extracting fundamental content common to degree programs into large courses and establishing a system where multiple instructors teach as a team. We believe each educational organization should adopt appropriate methods according to their academic policies.

Regarding internal management, it is necessary to consider measures appropriate to each department, such as reducing the number of internal meetings and fully delegating department management to department heads.

Selection of new faculty members is most important for strengthening research capabilities. Since the university has a low ratio of young faculty members, we should hire more young people with high research capabilities. If they have excellent track records, they should be hired at higher positions despite their age. A considerable amount of time should be spent in the selection process to determine whether they have sufficient originality and research ability, as well as the potential for growth. In addition, I fear that the standards for promotion and tenure review may be less stringent than those for the initial hiring process. If this is so, the screening process for hiring assistant professors is most important. We should dispassionately examine whether or not our candidates have the research capabilities of the highest order.

In order to strengthen research capabilities, it is also necessary to improve our research support system. One way to do this is to enhance the capabilities of our specialists in research support. In addition to University Research Administrators (URA), we currently have more than 300 highly specialized professionals in more than 22 positions, including technical staff, fund raisers, fund managers, technology transfer managers, creative managers, industry-government-academia co-creation producers, export control managers, conflict of interest advisors, information security risk advisors, sports administrators, athletic trainers, and clinical research data managers. The employment terms for these personnel have been a concern. We have recently added the position of professional and senior professional staff to our employment regulations, as well stipulations for their salaries and other employment conditions. We hope that these individuals will play an active role in supporting research in the future.

Strengthening Engagement

Community Engagement and Collaboration

Engagement is not about unilaterally promising something or unilaterally committing to something. It is about the mutual contributions of the university and its diverse stakeholders. It is an understanding of supporting and being supported. The geographic regions in which we should fulfill our responsibilities in education, medical care, industry and culture are naturally Tsukuba City, Tsukuba Science City, and Ibaraki Prefecture. In collaboration with the local government and the research institutes and businesses in the area, we have promoted education and research that leads to solutions for global issues, the achievement of SDGs, and the promotion of green recovery. In addition, as our founding philosophy advocates internationalization, we must fulfill our mission in the broader international community as well.

We were one of the first universities to launch a cooperative graduate school system. It is an education system in which researchers from research institutions serve as our professors or associate professors, while providing research guidance and making use of their institutes' research environment. In the Second System of Collaborative Graduate Schools, which started in 2004, researchers from research institutes are invited to join the university as faculty members (collaborative faculty members). In this system, curricula are taught solely by such collaborative faculty members, while our full-time faculty members providing guidance and support for students and collaborative faculty members. Currently, our collaborative graduate schools are supported by 31 national and private research institutes located in Tsukuba Science City, including the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), and the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK). In addition, we have developed a unique cooperative graduate school system, in which we form a consortium with national and independent administrative institutions (including national research institutes), private companies, and other research institutions. This system operates degree programs to foster human resources through cooperation among industry, academia, and government. We aim to expand the size and improve the quality of these programs.

Tsukuba Science City is developing into a testing ground for cities of the future. Tsukuba City was designated as one of the two Super City Special National Strategic Zones in Japan at the end of FY 2021. The Super City concept is an initiative to promote the use of data science and AI, as well as regulatory and institutional reforms, and to implement a variety of cutting-edge services in the local community with the aim of realizing a brighter future. The university will collaborate in the realization of the Super City concept led by our Open Innovation International Strategy Organization of the Industry-University Collaboration Headquarters and with the participation of the Research Center for the Development of Future Social Engineering.

It is important that the residents of Tsukuba City benefit from the innovations created in the city. The city must also develop into one that is closely connected to the international community. Tsukuba City is the only city in Japan to participate in the High Level Forum, an international conference where research institutes, universities, and companies located in science and technology cities around the world gather. The university hopes to contribute to the development of Tsukuba City into a platform for open innovation and a field for demonstrative experiments.

The vision for the new university in Tsukuba of over a half-century ago stated that "We will actively participate in giving back to society, especially in the construction of Japan's first city of brains (ideopolis) that will create an exciting cultural life for its citizens. With this sense of social responsibility, we will promote comprehensive research in collaboration with other universities and with research institutes in Tsukuba (Tokyo University of Education, "Vision for a New University in Tsukuba (Extract), p. 94). We must further promote the 'city of brains' through cooperation with various the research institutes in Tsukuba Science City.

International Strategy

Tsukuba Conference 2023 was held for three days from September 26 to 28 of last year. Since 2019 the conference had been held every other year. This year was the first time in four years that the conference was held face-to-face. Outstanding young talents from industry, government, and academia from around the world gathered in Tsukuba and participated in diverse sessions that included talks with Nobel laureates and lectures by young members of various international universities and research organizations. Our Center for International Cooperation in Educational Development co-hosted with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) a special event to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. The Center's activities resonate with the UN's SDG's principles. I look forward to further promotion of such activities in the future.

The Super Global University Project (Type A) has been officially completed, but we intend to continue developing reciprocal activities with universities, research institutions, companies, and local governments around the world through our Campus-in-Campus initiatives and overseas offices. We also aim to expand education programs that make overseas dispatch mandatory, support projects for sending students abroad, disseminate educational and research content globally, and secure additional research funding from overseas sources.

The University of Tsukuba is conducting tripartite joint research with Air Liquide through a double degree program with our CiC partner, the University of Grenoble-Alpes in France. Using the CiC system in this way, we hope to extend this tripartite collaboration between the University of Tsukuba - CiC partners - overseas companies to other countries around the world. We also need to develop joint research that meets local needs through our 12 overseas offices established around the world. On a related note, the Bureau of Global Initiatives has identified India and Africa as regions in which we need to strengthen our collaboration.

We will focus on recruiting excellent foreign students not only from local universities but also from secondary education institutions, and by exporting our education system overseas. The ratio of international students in our bachelor's and master's programs is the second highest among the seven former imperial universities. However, for our doctoral programs, the ratio is the third lowest and is on decline. At the end of 2023, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) offered cooperation in education and research to several Japanese universities, including ours. I hope our university will respond positively.

We will also continue to promote the International Tenure Track System and the Invitation Program for Overseas Education and Research Units to attract and foster excellent researchers from Japan and abroad and accelerate international brain circulation. These programs will lead to the enhancement of international joint research and an increase in the number of international co-authored papers, which will then improve our international reputation. These initiatives, created by our university, became the model for the JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, International Joint Research Acceleration Fund.

We must improve the English communication skills of our Japanese students and the Japanese communication skills of our international students so that they will be able to play an active role in academia and industry in Japan and abroad. CEGLOC is no longer a center merely for our university.

Affiliated Hospitals

One of our organizations that work in close connection with society is our affiliated hospital. Our University Hospital has two missions: to practice advanced medicine and develop medical technology; and to provide community health care based on advanced research as the only hospital designated as having special functions in Ibaraki Prefecture. The University Hospital has been generating revenue while accelerating investment in diverse medical fields and research-related equipment and facilities. The hospital may see an excess in expenditures in AY 2024-2035 due to the impact of work style reforms, but thereafter, the University Hospital is expected to secure an increase in revenue. We would like to thank our hospital for its active efforts in accepting and treating patients with severe and moderate COVID-19 infections during the four years of the pandemic, as well as for its active efforts in providing vaccines to our workforce. Once again, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the hospital staff for their dedication.

Regarding advanced medical care, it is necessary to establish a platform for co-creation aimed at the social implementation of cutting-edge medical research results by forming an ultra-advanced medical research and development hub and building a research and development infrastructure through data science, AI, and other technologies. In terms of the practical application of next-generation particle beam therapy devices, we are promoting the development of advanced treatment methods using proton and neutron beams, which have fewer side effects compared to X-rays. Recently, we have started the world's first physician-led clinical trial for intractable brain tumors (newly diagnosed glioblastoma) using a BNCT (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy) treatment device, which generates neutrons using an accelerator instead of a research reactor. We hope that a world-leading particle beam therapy research hub will be established in the future.

Our affiliated hospital serves as the cornerstone of local medical care, leading healthcare in the prefecture. Additionally, the hospital is vital for clinical and basic medical research and has the responsibility to train physicians and medical professionals with research skills. To meet these expectations, it is crucial for the hospital to function both as a core clinical research hospital and as a center for community medicine. With regards to the first function, the hospital must be certified as a core center for clinical research, an effort led by our Tsukuba Clinical Research and Development Organization (T-CReDO), and promote research on vaccine development and drug discovery. For second function, our Regional Medical Education Centers, which are located in 10 sites across five regions in Ibaraki Prefecture, are developing human resources for community medicine. By conducting integrated management of operations, including medical institutions scattered around the core hospital, significant effects can be expected. Institutions that have both research functions and train medical professionals, such as doctors, can provide functional and appropriate medical care through proper management. Additionally, by incorporating the functions of a community-based integrated care system, it is possible to establish a system where healthcare support is provided for both living and housing.

Affiliated Schools

Our affiliated schools maintain strong connections with society. They play crucial roles by collaborating with universities, advancing research on primary and secondary education, and by supporting primary, secondary, special education, and global human resource development both regionally and nationwide. Additionally, they are dedicated to building an inclusive education system. Although support for various disabilities is improving with the development of science and technology, difficult problems still remain, including support of emerging disabilities. The affiliated schools with special support functions are busy with their daily teaching, so we expect researchers at our university to understand the situation on the ground and provide support for the challenges they face.

Our 4^th Mid-term Plan outlines that our affiliated schools will "create a new model for high school-university connection by collaborating with universities and promoting advanced education based on research." This initiative includes establishing a system for pre-accredited courses for acceptance at universities including online courses. High school students will be able to earn university credits towards their university graduation requirements. The WWL Consortium Construction Support Project: Research and Development Project for Establishment of Optimal Individualized Learning Environment (AY 2022-AY 2024), commissioned by MEXT, aims to implement a system of credited auditing connecting high schools and universities using the JV-Campus and other platforms from AY 2025. Each university department and school will actively promote their academic programs to high school students nationwide, and not just those in our affiliated schools. Such integration of education is essential for fostering social change.

Networking of Alumni Associations, etc.

Our fourth mid-term goal states that "we will proactively disseminate information to stakeholders and obtain their understanding and support for the management of the corporation through two-way dialogue." Among the stakeholders, special emphasis must be placed on alumni (including those from affiliated schools). Alumni associations provide a platform for former students to stay informed about university trends, access various types of information, and strengthen their networks. For current students, these associations offer opportunities to seek advice from alumni regarding employment and career paths.

For educational organizations, it is essential to systematically consolidate alumni information as part of the initiatives for university education reform, which is one of the criteria for allocating operational grants based on performance. Both undergraduate and graduate programs must engage in the systematic and continuous implementation of follow-up surveys on graduates and the systematic use of the results from the follow-up surveys on graduates by converting them into a database to improve education. It is, therefore, essential to centralize the information of alumni.

In addition to the Meikeikai and Alumni Association, the university has alumni organizations for academic departments, specialized academic groups, graduate degree programs, student organizations, and affiliated schools. In October 2023, the Tsukuba Universal Alumni Network (TUAN) was launched, connecting alumni worldwide. Ngo Thi Lan from Vietnam was elected as its representative. While maintaining these alumni organizations, we will create a larger network that includes current students and other stakeholders and will regularly distribute information about the university and engage in two-way dialogue. This initiative will require the cooperation among various educational organizations and alumni associations.

Governance Structure for Autonomous Management

According to the revised National University Corporation Law enacted on October 1, 2024, each designated national university corporation or quasi-designated national university corporation should establish a management policy council to make decisions on matters such as mid-term goals, mid-term plans, budgets, and financial statements. Universities selected as a National University Corporation of International Excellence are required to have a management policy council.

We believe that in order to swiftly resolve various issues in an environment of fierce international competition, governance of academic and managerial affairs should be separated. As of April, university presidents may at their discretion may appoint a director (Provost) to oversee vice presidents in charge of academic affairs and plan basic policies related to education and research when necessary. To establish a solid financial foundation, the Business Development Promotion Office and the Fund Procurement and Management Section of the Finance Department will be reorganized into the Business and Finance Bureau in April of this year. This reorganization aims to promote the diversification of financial resources and the expansion of self-generated revenue through integrated creation and management of funds.

The Business and Finance Bureau will be overseen by the Director of Business and Finance, who took office in December of last year. Within this bureau, two new offices have been established: the Asset Management and Finance Office whose mission is to grow future assets and increase investment income, and the Business and Relationship Promotion Office whose mission is to expand investment resources and strengthen relationships by acquiring business and donation income. Both offices will collaborate closely to form and grow the university's assets. This marks the successful materialization of collaboration between industry, government, academia and finance.

The Business and Finance Bureau is charged with a number of tasks, the most important of which is to increase society's investment in education. Investment in research is relatively easy for society to understand if the issues to be solved are clear. On the other hand, education takes time to yield results.

There are various challenges at the individual level. In Japan, where religious backgrounds and social perceptions of philanthropy differ from those in other countries, attracting investment in education can be quite challenging. One potential solution to the shortage of faculty for digital education is to involve industry professionals, particularly those with doctoral degrees. We've previously offered endowed courses, such as one sponsored by UiPath. Now, we've started offering programs tailored to the specific needs of companies, funded directly by them, without the need to create new courses.

In Conclusion: A University of Adventure

At the beginning of this paper, I cited the words of one of our alumni: "The greatest adventure of my life was studying at this university." This statement may have a variety of meanings, but to the graduates of the early years, the University of Tsukuba was a university unlike any other. These students probably felt that enrolling at our university was an adventure. It must have been like studying abroad. We hope that our university will continue to live up to reputation as a university of adventure.

The University of Tsukuba remains committed to upholding research, education, and administrative policies that set us apart from other institutions. We will continue to tackle difficult challenges head on. Some of these efforts are outlined in this paper. Facing these challenges in academia, arts, sciences is a long-term vision and the effective continuation of our activities. Although we were not selected last year for accreditation as a university of international excellence, we believe we responded adequately. The process provided us with an opportunity to reassess the significance of our university's role. As we prepare for the next round of application, faculty and staff will collaborate to shape the path for the Next 50, creating a vision that will propel us toward becoming a world-class research university. This effort aims to reform established norms of both the university and society. We invite and encourage your active participation in this endeavor.

Back Issues

• Changing Entrenched Social Systems and Values

• Issues Pending from Our Founding Principles

• Aspiring Toward Our Desired Future

• To Demonstrate Uniqueness

• Toward Authentic Academic Credentials

• From Responding to Initiating