Message form the President

Greeting

Kiyohito Yamasawa, President

Last year (2009) Shinshu University celebrated its 60th anniversary, thanks to your support and the efforts of those who have preceded us. As we, the heirs to this tradition, set our sights on future development, we are determined to build upon and better the endeavors of the past.

Here, in the hope that our intentions might become clear to all concerned, let me outline the basic principles underlying the University’s second Mid-Term Objectives and Strategy policy statement, which we began to implement in fiscal year 2010.

Shinshu University is located in the midst of the rich natural surroundings and local culture of Nagano Prefecture. The strategy outlined in our “Shinshu University Vision 2015” blueprint was conceived to enable the University to pursue its mission through promoting academic excellence. Our aim is to promote research which will help to protect the environment, create new forms of cultural expression, improve people’s health and welfare, and promote and invigorate industry. This vision provides for initiatives enabling individual faculties to collaborate on research with the aim of consolidating the University’s role as the cornerstone of this uniquely productive and attractive region. To this end, our current mid-term objectives are focused on the following four concerns.

Our first goal is to put into effect an educational policy that will foster the kinds of talent that will best serve the society of the future. We aim to provide for our students the best support possible as they work to acquire the technical knowledge needed to become skilled professionals. The University hopes to cultivate resourceful and enterprising graduates fully equipped to make their contribution to society as problem-solvers and leaders.
 
Our second goal is to develop a research culture rooted in the local yet oriented towards the global society. We hope thus to open up the frontiers of human knowledge and to support innovative research that aims to promote sustainable development and a society which exists in harmony with the natural world. By making the results of such research widely available, the University aspires to contribute both to the local region and to the world. And by concentrating the expertise of the institution as a whole on this initiative, we hope too to enhance the standing and reputation of Shinshu University. Our aim is to develop a research culture encompassing, among others, the following areas: culture, tradition, and social structures; the manufacturing industries; medical care and welfare; food production; the environment and energy; and, in addition, to strive to expand the knowledge base through research activities that draw on the social sciences.

Our third aim is to cooperate with and contribute to the creation of a prosperous regional community. As the only national university in Nagano, Shinshu University is actively involved in the development both of education and culture, and of manufacturing and industry throughout the region.

Finally, we aim to promote a management culture able to adapt to a changing society. Under the President’s leadership, the University has undertaken to create a more efficient and effective organizational management able to respond flexibly to the changing demands of society, while staying true to our educational and research philosophy. As the backbone of the University, the existing institutions of the eight faculties will be consolidated. At the same time, we will also promote the establishment of departments which have perceived new needs in society, as we endeavor constantly to ensure that the University continues to grow.

This is the essence of what I would like to say here. There are now many talented and capable alumni from the University working actively in various walks of life. We will redouble our efforts to ensure that the graduates and researchers of today, who will follow in their footsteps, are similarly filled with an ambition to play their part on the world’s stage. Your continued support as we take this next step into the future will be much appreciated.

VISION 2015 (Digital Pamphlet)