Message from the President

Universities once concerned themselves solely with educating their students and with the creation of new knowledge. More recently, however, in Japan as in many other countries, there has emerged an awareness of the need for universities to engage more actively with society at large, in part by making the results of their research more freely available.

We are firmly committed to making such a social contribution. One of our principal aims is for Shinshu University and the local community to become increasingly integrated so that regional human resource needs can be better met. To achieve this goal, we will continue to focus on creating an environment in which the relationship between teaching staff, administrators and students can become closer and more collaborative.

In today's rapidly changing world, it is increasingly important to integrate different branches of learning in order to create innovation. On the one hand, there is the coming revolution in digital technologies enabled by AI and 5G, and the rapid progress of research in the life sciences. But at the same time, the humanities remain as indispensable as ever if human societies are to develop in truly sustainable ways.

As a comprehensive university, we are well positioned to contribute to the building of such a future. One of our great strengths lies in the wide range of disciplines that we are able to teach and across which our academic staff pursue their research. Before beginning their studies at one of our eight faculties (Arts, Education, Economics and Law, Science, Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, Textile Science and Technology), all of our undergraduates spend their first year in the School of General Education, where they choose from a broad spectrum of subjects, participating in a unique set of interdisciplinary programs.

In Japan, the importance of innovation has been recognized in part through the creation of a new legal framework to facilitate the promotion of technology and the sciences. The promotion of technological innovation lies at the center of Shinshu University's many collaborative relationships with regional industries and local administrations. Our goal is to play an increasingly integral role in the development of the region, working in close partnership with the citizens of Shinshu, this prefecture renowned for the beauty of its mountains and valleys.

We hope you will join us, support us, or follow us as we face together the challenges of the future and strive to build a regional university which is a vibrant, world-class center for education with a solid research culture.

Soichiro Nakamura, Ph.D.