February 3, 2020
External Evaluation Report for the 2018 Project
Name: Miho MitsunariThis document reports the results of external evaluations for each item from (1) through (6)under the section, “2. Achievement Status of Project Goals,” described in Exhibit, the Report ofInitiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment (Advanced Type).
(1) Achieve a recruitment rate for women researchers of 30% or moreRemarks:(1-1) New personnel governance* The establishment of new highly transparent personnel governance should receive high marks,
especially implementing inspections twice a year and the attempt of visualization on the website.
* The website clearly shows the project goals based on the causal analysis, which can also achieve
high praise.
(1-2) The Goal of 30%* A good point is that the university achieved both goals of the retention rate and the hiring rateof female researchers.
* The charts on the website consist only of numbers, which makes it difficult to understandchanges and to forecast the future. Graphical charts, such as those in report documents, should bebetter.
* Hiring is the easiest area to achieve numerical results (to reflect efforts made). The university
realized this area which had remained on a plateau and successfully increased the numbers at astroke in 2018. This effort deserves high marks. We can expect that this area will make steady andconsistent growth.
* On the other hand, the goal of achieving 30% has the following problems. Setting a goal ofachieving 30% across the university might easily make it difficult (1) to differentiate fixed-term
employment and full-time employment (the ratio of fixed-term employment is generally high),(2) to differentiate employment by job rank (employment in lower job ranks is generally highregardless of whether in humanities or sciences), and (3) to visualize the difference in the ratio ofhiring female researchers by area (the ratio of hiring science professors tends to stay low). Theuniversity is expected to verify this data to deploy their efforts carefully.

(1-3) Website* The university could make additional efforts, for instance, by arranging a button or banner on
the top page to drive awareness of the diversity website. Currently, the website has a triple-layer
structure (the top page of the university website > Gender Equality > Diversity), which makes it
difficult for the outside of the university to know what efforts have been made.

(2) Improve the percentage of women holding higher-ranking positions
Remarks:(2-1) Generally, it is easy to improve the ratio of hiring female employees. However, it is not thecase with improving that of female employees’ getting promoted. From this perspective, theuniversity’s setting the goal in the promotion ratio gains significantly high marks. The university
successfully exceeds the goal set. This is also a good point.
(2-2) The numerical targets vary depending on the job rank. The higher the job rank becomes, thelower the target reaches. These numerical targets, which seem to be realistic within the reasonable
range, have the following two issues.
First, setting reachable goals in the light of the current situation is highly effective in sharing a
sense of accomplishment within the university. However, these are not step-by-step goals basedon long-term goals set. There remains a feeling of setting “ad-hoc” goals.
Second, the ratio of hiring female professors (10.2%) is lower than the average ratio of nationaluniversities (the ratio of hiring female professors in national universities is 10.3%, as of May 1,2018). This means that the goal set (9.5%) is too low.
(2-3) We can put an extremely high value on the PI Training Program for International
Collaborative Research. The promotion ratio of PIs (see the website) is also high, which showsthat the program is tailored to the purpose. More empowerment of such younger middle-ranking
female researchers is desired.
(2-4) The university needs to promote female researchers actively. Currently, male researchers
completely occupy the posts of president and directors within the university. This fact would bein direct conflict with the basic principles of achieving gender equality and diversity. A set ofgoals is also necessary for executives.
(3) Increase the number of next generation early career researchers
Remarks:

(3-1) Our evaluation appreciates that both the International Human Resource Exchange Program
and the International Collaborative Early-career Researcher Training Program effectivelyfunction. Whereas the number of program participants seems to be small when compared to thesize of the university, there is the right balance in those who are selected and sent between theirjob ranks and study fields. It is highly desired to increase the number of participants. Also, theuniversity should follow-up the participants sent after the program while sharing information that
includes the publication of promotion results and research achievements.
(3-2) The university invites many overseas female researchers, which must receive high marks.
This fact raises expectations for serving as an essential opportunity to promote personnel
exchange and empowerment of female researchers. The university can maximize educational
effects by introducing some specific exchange achievements on the university website to share
information with the students and graduate students. In that sense, this program is evolving anddevelopmental.
(3-3) Another point that receives recognition is the university’s open recruitment based on
consideration for providing research budgets and hiring.
(4) Enhance the diversity environment and expand it beyond the university
Remarks:(4-1) Our evaluation gives high marks for the university’s Diversity Co-creation Network builtwith companies.
However, the website seems to fail to make this effort known to the public. Does the website haveany specific page or portion for this effort?
(4-2) We appreciate the university’s efforts to hold forums and make an official statement fordiversity promotion, entitled “Kobe University Diversity Statement.” Through this Diversity
Statement, the university clearly states its goal of eradicating SOGI discrimination and by which
it will create an environment for individuals where each person is treated with respect and canexpress their individuality and talents “regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity,ethnicity, culture, religion, language, background, age, educational background, physical ormental characteristics and/or other affiliation and/or identity.” This must receive high marks. In
this statement in Japanese, however, there is a question that “gender, sexual orientation, andgender identity” are cited as a set here. In English, each term is delimited with a comma. Theseterms in Japanese should follow the English version by using commas.

(4-3) Visualization of repercussions toward the outside of the university needs more work.
(5) Initiatives particular to this project
Remarks:(5-1) The university’s support system for sending female researchers overseas deserves highmarks. Through this effort that practically matches with the needs of female researchers, theuniversity offers specific and immediate support, while reassuring them.
(5-2) The Diversity Education Program assumes an issue of how to dispel unconscious bias, which
deserves high marks. The university’s efforts related to international cooperation should also
receive a high evaluation. This has been pending as a plan so far, though, and the future progress
is very much expected.
(5-3) In terms of education, the university seems to provide a course of classes as part of theefforts made by the gender equality office (no classes specified after 2017). It is really desired toclarify the continuity and cooperative relationship with this course.
(6) Issues to be addressed with respect to this project
Remarks:(6-1) Overall, our evaluation confirms that the university has diligently been working on thisproject while setting specific issues.
(6-2) Major issues that should be worked on were already mentioned above, while the followingshows a summary.
* Set a goal ratio for hiring female teaching staff and analyze the current condition more finely indetail.
* Set a goal ratio for hiring female professors, which at least exceeds the average of the ratios ofnational universities to a certain degree. It is desirable to calculate backward from this goal to set
the goal for each of the ratios of hiring and promotion. Here, a more persuasive approach is toposition the goal for each year by setting long-term goals on a decade basis.
* Improvement of the ratio of promoting female researchers is desirable to be incorporated in thefoundation of all the efforts made.
* International efforts made by the university certainly produce steady and specific achievement.
Future progress is expected. When compared to the size of Kobe University, however, the numberof project participants should be more increased. Funding should be welcomed. If the number ofparticipants needs to be limited, to gain the ripple effects, it is recommended to actively visualizeeach individual’s achievements while sending out such information inside and outside theuniversity by using the website or other similar ways.
(6-3) The following two issues remain as the issues which the university can immediately workon.
(1) Effective use of the designated website* Though the university launched the designated website, the website contains too littleinformation.
* The designated website is nondescript. More efforts should be made to make this website
known and recognized.
(2) Coordination with the efforts made by the gender equality office* The university needs to more actively show that it coordinates with the gender equality office.
(7) Remarks regarding the overall project(7-1) Overall, our evaluation confirms that the university has diligently been working on thisproject while setting specific issues. The university has consistently achieved numerical goals,
which deserves a high evaluation.
(7-2) The university applies international exchange to support female researchers, which should
be extremely well-received. The support system also receives high marks for its concreteness
which can serve as a model for other universities.
(7-3) The issues mentioned above to be worked on do not indicate that the university’s efforts forthis project are inferior in quality. Instead, the comments made show the expectations for future
development. In other words, the university has conducted classes to a certain degree to clarify
the issues to be worked on, while raising our expectations for the future efforts made.
End of document