University Accreditation Results(Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation for university)

St. Catherine University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Ehime, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2021
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.1.2022 – March 31, 2029）

St. Catherine University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor St. Catherine University

Overview
St. Catherine University adopts a philosophy based on “love and truth” in the
Catholic faith, and has defined its purpose as developing, on the basis of character
education, individuals who can contribute to the welfare of humanity and thedevelopment of culture.
The University aims to fulfill its philosophy and objectives through the “GrandDesign” and “(University) Medium- and Long-term Management Plan” drawn up bySt. Catherine School Corporation in conjunction with the University, as well as theUniversity’s “Annual Faculty Plan.” The Faculty of Human Health and Welfare,based on the educational and research objective of “pursuing human health andwelfare,” previously consisted of the Department of Social Work, the Department ofHuman and Social Studies, and the Department of Health and Sports, but a newDepartment of Nursing was added in AY2017.
The university-wide internal quality assurance efforts are centered on theUniversity Assessment Committee, which conducts checks and reviews of the “FirstSemester Annual Faculty Plan” and “Second Semester Annual Faculty Plan” drawn
up by each department, committee, and other responsible body, and visualizes andsubstantiates the PDCA cycle of improvement and enhancement based on the resultsof these checks and reviews.
Regarding education, the University (“Faculty of Health and Welfare HumanServices”) and each of its four departments have established degree award policies(diploma policies) and curriculum design and implementation policies (curriculumpolicies) in accordance with the University’s philosophy and objectives. Specifically,university introductory courses and liberal arts courses are positioned as general
education courses for students to “acquire basic knowledge, skills, and abilities as amember of society” as stated in the degree award policy, and departmental basic
courses, development courses, specialized seminar courses, and related courses arepositioned as specialized education courses for students to “acquire values, ethics,
knowledge, skills, and abilities in specialized education fields” as stated in the same
policy, thus forming a systematic organization.
Taking advantage of its status as a small university, the school provides
generous student support, with extensive interviews conducted by faculty advisors,1St. Catherine University

and both the repeat year and dropout rates are lower than the national average. Inaddition, a scholarship program has been established in cooperation with the alumni
association.
However, there are issues that should be improved. With respect to student
enrollment, there are several departments that are not able to meet their capacity. Thisshould be corrected to ensure proper undergraduate student quota management.
The JUAA hopes that, in order to improve these issues and further pursue
educational and research activities in accordance with its philosophy and objectives,
the University will tirelessly to conduct self-study and develop and strengthen its
internal quality assurance system, thereby enhancing its effectiveness.
Suggestions for Improvement
University Management and Finance For both the university division and the corporation as a whole, the ratio of
personnel costs is high, the operational income and expenditure balance ratio islow, and the ratio of the financial assets to the required reserve fund is low anddeclining, indicating that the financial base necessary to carry out theUniversity’s educational and research activities has not been sufficiently
established. From now on, the University should strive to establish a financialbase by setting forth and implementing specific measures under the “Third
Medium- and Long-Term Financial Plan (2021–2025).”
Recommendation
Student Enrollment
 The average ratios of freshman enrollment to the freshman enrollment cap overthe past five years are low at 0.88 for the Faculty of Health and Welfare HumanServices (the University as a whole), 0.64 for the Department of Social Work,and 0.81 for the Department of Nursing. Meanwhile, the ratios of student
enrollment to the student enrollment are low at 0.84 for the Faculty of Healthand Welfare Human Services (the University as a whole), 0.62 for theDepartment of Social Work, and 0.78 for the Department of Nursing. This should
be corrected to ensure proper undergraduate student quota management.

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