Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation for Junior CollegeTsu City College

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: PublicLocation: Mie, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2017
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.01.2018 – March.31.2025）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Tsu City College
Overview
Tsu City College (hereafter, the College) was founded by Tsu City in April 1952 as ajunior college with the Department of Law and Economics Night Course and theDepartment of Home Economics based on the mission statement: “Japan’s postwar
restoration begins with school.” The Department of Law and Economics Day Coursewas later added in 1969 and the Department of Home Economics was renamed theDepartment of Science of Living in 1990. At present, the College consists of twodepartments that include the Department of Law and Economics (Day and NightCourses) and the Department of Science of Living (major in Food and Nutrition andmajor in Science of Living).
The remarks (areas of improvement) in the previous accreditation by theNational Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation’s (currentNational Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of HigherEducation) in 2010 included (1) low quota fulfillment in the Department of Law andEconomics Night Course, and (2) failure to upgrade the College’s facilities andequipment. These issues were addressed with improvement measures demonstrating acertain level of achievement.
This latest accreditation review confirms that the College specifies its
educational missions, goals, and policies while undertaking various initiatives ranging
from education and research to community contributions. In March 2008, the College
formulated the “College Missions” comprising the three areas of education andresearch, community contributions, and college management to engage in its activitiesas a higher education institution. In terms of education and research, the Department ofLaw and Economics Day Course has organized educational programs offering basic toadvanced classes in law, economics, and business administration, helping students
deepen their understanding through small-group seminars. The Department of Law andEconomics Night Course admits a diverse group of students from high school
graduates to adult learners of all ages, creating a unique environment to interact withdifferent generations. The Department of Science of Living’s major in Food andNutrition has produced nutritionists who play an active role in hospitals, welfare
facilities, and local governments. The Department of Science of Living’s Social

3Welfare and Psychology Course offers programs for its students to acquire basic
practical knowledge on welfare as well as obtain basic qualifications for the certifiedsocial worker examination after gaining practical experience. The Department ofScience of Living’s Housing and Environmental Design Course has organizededucational programs that apply to the designated subjects for the first-class andsecond-class architect examinations. In these ways, the College emphasizes practicaleducation while contributing to human resource development for supporting the localcommunity.
In addition, after establishing the Research Laboratory for Comprehensive
Regional Studies to realize its mission of community contributions, the College has set
up different organizations, including the Regional Collaboration Committee, the Centerfor Community Collaboration, and the Institute of Regional Studies, to promotevarious social contribution and collaboration activities throughout all departments.
On the other hand, there are challenges that need to be addressed. First, evenat the time of site-visit, the purpose of each department had not been set in the schoolcode or equivalent regulations, and also the regulations pertaining to student
disciplinary procedures had not been stipulated. Despite improvement measures being
implemented for these issues after the site-visit, a system for properly responding tochanges in the legal requirements has yet to function effectively. This situation requires
improvement, including developing an appropriate organizational structure. In terms ofeducational aspects, the “reverse cap system” has been introduced to ensure credit
validity, but this initiative has proven insufficient. Further improvement is required inlight of the purpose of the credit system. Moreover, the College’s education andadministration buildings are deteriorating. For the College to play a role as a humanresource development base in the local community, this issue should be addressed bydiscussing specific solutions such as new construction or renovations. To meet thesechallenges, the College first needs to thoroughly discuss its future vision both within
the school and with Tsu City.
In the coming years, the College is expected to make further progress in eacharea of education, research, and community contributions by clarifying theresponsibilities of the advisors to the College’s president and encouraging
collaboration between the top management and all academic/administrative staff
members to articulate and realize its future vision.

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Notable Strength
Social Cooperation and Contribution
 It is commendable that based on its mission statement the College has establishedorganizations such as the Regional Collaboration Committee, the Center forCommunity Collaboration, and the Institute of Regional Studies to promote a wide
variety of social cooperation and contribution activities across all departments.
These activities include (1) offering lifelong learning opportunities; (2)collaborating with high schools; (3) cooperating with industry and government; (4)cooperating with municipal governments; (5) collaborating with local universities;and (6) supporting student volunteer activities. Above all, it is highly
commendable that to combine educational activities with community contributions,the College plays a role as a training institution for local government officials, andthat its students majoring in food and nutrition participate in joint productdevelopment with local bakers.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeThe “reverse cap system” has been introduced in the Department of Law andEconomics Day Course and the Department of Science of Living, but this measuredoes not effectively ensure credit validity. In addition, no measures are taken for
credit validity in the Department of Law and Economics Night Course. Thesesituations should be improved in light of the purpose of the credit system.

Education and Research Environment

The College’s education and administrative buildings were constructed 48 years
ago, and there are concerns about the deteriorating conditions of these buildings.
This issue should be addressed by discussing specific plans for renovations.

5Internal Quality Assurance Until improvements were made following the site-visit, the purpose of thedepartments was not stipulated in the school code or equivalent regulations, andthe regulations on student disciplinary procedures were not specified as required in
the partial revisions of the School Education Act and the Ministerial Ordinance forEnforcement of the School Education Act (overhaul and revisions of internal rules).
In light of these problems, the system for properly responding to change in legal
requirements is not operating adequately. This situation requires improvement,
including the development of an appropriate organizational structure.