Cultivating an environment in which errors and criticism become positive opportunities to incorporate new perspectives and integrate them into one’s path to success. Supporting forays into uncharted domains of scholarship and the creation of new academic fields through diverse interdisciplinary collaboration.
"O" stands for Original and Optimistic. In practice, ideas that rewrite conventional wisdom are generally formed by bringing together the views and experiences of a large number of people. To generate such inspirational ideas, it is necessary first to engage in a process of becoming familiar with the words and actions of people that have impressed you personally, sharing and discussing them with your peers, and thereby deepening your own insights. This requires the mental fortitude to break through dead-ends in your own thinking and to be unperturbed by criticism. You need to develop a capacity to respond positively to failure and criticism—using them as opportunities to incorporate perspectives different from your own to further your success. I aim to create an environment at Kyoto University that offers as many opportunities as possible to engage in this process.
Strategic Priority 5-1
We will develop high-quality education befitting a comprehensive university, and create an environment in which all students and faculty members feel secure in devoting themselves to their study, teaching, and research.
- Developing complementary relationships between education and research
- 1.We will take concrete steps to develop a complementary relationship between education and research, with a view to preventing situations such as education being overshadowed by research, or a conflicting relationship developing between the two. To this end, we will develop mechanisms for the accurate evaluation of faculty members’ contributions, not only to research, but also to education and the management of educational systems.
Strategic Priority 5-2
We will advance projects to foster links between high schools and universities in order to develop the best admission policies for a comprehensive university, support the career choices of high school students, and facilitate a smooth transition between senior high school and university education.
- Transition from high school to university
- 1.In order to attract talented applicants in accordance with our admission policy, we will conduct ongoing reforms of our entrance examination systems, including special entrance examination methods focused on fundamental academic abilities and the transition from high school to university.
- High school-university partnerships
- 2.In order to achieve a smooth transition between senior high school and university education, we will utilize partnership agreements with local education boards as the basis for developing collaborative projects with high schools, Kyoto University summer schools, and the Kyoto University Science Festival (a research showcase featuring teams selected from different prefectures in Japan). We will also employ initiatives such as the Experience-based Learning Course for Advanced Science (ELCAS),* and the Learning Coordinator Initiative (courses coordinated and taught by graduate school students)* to deliver education programs that utilize superior education and research resources to cultivate intellectual excellence in highly-motivated, intellectually-curious high school students. We will work to create networks with high schools to facilitate a smooth transition from high school to university.
Strategic Priority 5-3
We will promote research in creative fields of scholarship distinctive to Kyoto University.
- Exploring uncharted domains of academic endeavour through the promotion of interdisciplinary research
- 1.In order to break new ground in uncharted domains of academic endeavour, such as the creation of new disciplines, we will promote interdisciplinary research, and through our Faculty Consort/Platform system of academic staff organization, we shall implement flexible and effective reorganization that removes the boundaries of existing academic departments (education and research organizations).
Strategic Priority 5-4
We will employ a funding strategy that ensures that freedom of thought and creativity are unhampered by external constraints, and which will strengthen the university’s ties with wider society and benefactors.
- Independent procurement of funds and enhancement of support based thereon
- 1.We will work to procure our own funding sources and use them to enhance support for students, including our Student Projects for Enhancing Creativity (SPEC)* scholarship, and the Omoro Challenge.* We will also use the funds to strengthen assistance for young researchers venturing into new and emerging research areas.
- Links with the university’s supporters in Japan and abroad
- 2.In order to expand the university’s base of support, we will strengthen our links with alumni, bolster our support of alumni associations, including international alumni associations, and provide facilities for alumni and international researchers to gather together, such as the Rakuyu Kaikan, the Kyoto University Tokyo Office, and the Kyoto Academia Forum.
-
An ELCAS class for high school students -
Class being taught by a graduate school student at a high school as part of the Learning Coordinator Initiative -
Students presenting their work on the Student Projects for Enhancing Creativity (SPEC) program -
A reunion meeting of the Kyoto University European Alumni Association