President’s Message

Cultivating globally aware students who can impact society and shape the future

NAMBA Masanori, President of Jissen Women's University

Introduction
Jissen Women’s Educational Institute, made up of Jissen Women's University and Jissen Women's Junior College, was established in 1899 by Utako Shimoda, our founder, who inspired us with the motto: “when women change society, they change the world.” Our educational philosophy is “Fostering self-confident women who can be independent and self-directing. ” This spirit and philosophy have been faithfully passed down to this day. We will continue to build on this foundation, aiming to enhance education and research further, and to create new educational values rich in tradition and innovation.

On Education
Globally, social, economic, and scientific systems are deeply connected and undergoing major structural changes. Countries are increasingly interdependent, facing common issues such as poverty, conflicts, refugees, human rights violations, and environmental damage. In Japan, population decline due to low birthrates and aging raises challenges like labor shortages and care issues. Growing relative poverty worsens education gaps and fuels discrimination, including gender inequality.

In this complex globalized society, we need individuals who can view the challenges outlined in the SDGs as their own problems and address them starting from their immediate surroundings. By doing so, they can generate new ideas and actions that lead to solutions, thereby creating and maintaining a sustainable society. We need, what are commonly called, social entrepreneurs. To do this, broad knowledge, deep expertise, problem-solving ability, language skills, cultural understanding, interdisciplinary logical thinking, and basic AI and data science literacy are essential. Our university aims to nurture these skills and the social entrepreneurship mindset both inside and outside the classroom.

These skills become practical through overseas activities like study abroad. To expand learning from classrooms to local and international communities, we have developed educational platforms, introduced systems like the quarter system. We will also provide learning opportunities within campus classrooms for working adults and international students, and actively accept overseas students to create a truly global campus environment.

On Community Engagement and Globalization
We have focused on promoting social collaboration and globalization as key pillars in education and research at both the university and junior college. Along with broad knowledge and deep expertise from our careful educational tradition, we help students realize the social significance of their learning through social collaboration, fostering skills to contribute to social change and progress. In global learning, students are encouraged to recognize themselves as members of the international community and to cultivate practical skills to succeed on the international stage.
To promote this, we have implemented problem-based learning (PBL), internships at home and abroad, and volunteer activities both domestically and internationally.

In social collaboration, we have expanded courses and extracurricular programs linked with companies and local governments. Regarding globalization, we have rapidly grown international exchange programs, including long- and short-term study abroad and overseas internships. We will work to make agreements more effective and programs more substantial.

We also offer unique programs where students learn “in a foreign language,” such as credit-bearing six-month overseas internships. We support students in global career paths including working or starting businesses overseas, joining foreign companies in Japan, studying abroad further, or working holidays. We plan to develop programs with an emphasis on social collaboration, globalization, and career development.

On Research
Research in higher education plays a vital social role by accumulating knowledge that contributes to social development and world peace, and by fostering intellectual inquiry leading to personal reflection. Today, research is also expected to generate new knowledge and value. To achieve this, research needs to go beyond specialized fields and become interdisciplinary.
We will continue to promote humanities and science integrated research, including contract and joint research. For example, we will build on findings from projects like the “Interdisciplinary and International Research Hub for The Tale of Genji.” We will keep supporting individual research through public research grants and graduate research assistance, while also encouraging unique research that represents our university.

On Student Support
The relationship between people and higher education is changing significantly in today’s globalized society. The timing of going to school, students’ academic levels and interests, and their career paths after graduation vary widely. More students are going on to university or graduate school.
In this environment, we offer learning opportunities suited to each student’s needs. Our Student Support Center works with faculty and staff to provide personalized support and maintain a good learning environment. We also provide individual support for working adult students and both long- and short-term international students.

On High School-University Collaboration
High school-University collaboration offers benefits such as sharing unique university research and program information with high schools. This helps high school students better understand universities and reduces mismatches in their university or faculty choice. Students who clearly know their learning goals tend to be motivated, and universities can recruit students who fit their admissions policies. Our university particularly promotes the “Jissen 10-year Education” collaboration with its affiliated junior and senior high schools. Moving forward, we will continue to deepen this cooperation and make it more effective.

Conclusion
In this era, where the world is divided by conflicts, it is more important than ever to build a society where people are not discriminated against because of their age, gender, race, or nationality, and where everyone can fully use their abilities and be respected as individuals. In these difficult times, it is essential to revisit our founding spirit and educational philosophy, clarify our vision for the university in the next ten years, and share this plan widely. With this shared understanding, we will continue to provide innovative and high-quality education and research, while respecting our traditions.