SENDAI UNIVERSITY（仙台大学）
Evaluation summary
Standard 1. Mission and Objectives, etc.
Based on the University’s founding principle of “Practical Science and Ingenuity based onOriginality” and basic principle of “Sports for All”, human resources development objectives andeducation and research objectives are defined simply and in concrete terms for each faculty,department, and graduate school and, in addition to being stated clearly in the University Regulationsand Graduate School Regulations, are made available to the public through the University Guide andwebsite.
Executives, faculty, and staff are all involved in the formulation of these objectives, with hearingsof opinions conducted within the Faculty Council and other university organs, as well as the Boardof Councilors playing an advisory role and the Board of Directors making decisions. Furthermore,
to enable the University to respond to social changes, the Self-Inspection and Evaluation
Implementation Committee inspects and evaluates the University’s mission, goals, and educational
objectives, endeavoring to achieve new objectives through measures such as increasing the numberof departments. Furthermore, together with three policies (diploma, curriculum and admission
policies) consistent with the University’s mission, goals, and educational objectives, organizations
for conducting educational and research activities have been created and an appropriate operational
system has been put in place.
Good points
 The University can be highly evaluated for clearly stating its basic principle of “Sports for All,”
using this individuality and distinctive quality in its mission as the only university specializing inphysical education and sports in the Tohoku region, and also for spreading this principle amongst
students.
 The University’s Sports and Health Sciences Research Practice Institute is working in close
collaboration with the local community while being engaged in activities for multifacetedly
maintaining and enhancing residents’ health, and it can be highly evaluated for its distinctive roleas an education and research institute conscious of the social role played by a physical educationand sports university centered on “physical activity”.
Standard 2. Students
In accordance with the admission policies of each department and graduate school, selection
methods are prescribed for each entrance examination category and student admission procedures
are carried out appropriately, ensuring that students are secured in an appropriate manner.
Relevant centers have been established in order to respond to students’ diverse needs, and a system
for supporting students, including students with disabilities, has been established through faculty andstaff working in collaboration. In addition, the University provides a broad range of student support,

including career education, support for volunteer activities, a scholarship system, and support for
maintaining physical and mental health through the Health Care Center. Furthermore, appropriate
environmental improvements have been made to university facilities, including introducing barrierfree designs, maintaining a healthy learning environment, and providing spaces such as libraries
where students can gather and undertake independent activities. Students’ opinions and requests arealso incorporated into these initiatives.
Good points
 The University can be highly evaluated for its success in maintaining a low dropout rate byappropriately handling students for whom dropping out, taking a leave of absence, or repeating ayear of their course is a possibility through measures such as the Learning Support Committee,
which is chaired by a faculty member who is a certified clinical psychologist, conducting
individual interviews with students with notable class absences for the courses that they are taking.
 Internships under the Project to Create a Regional Revitalization-type Sports Society Model
Based on an Academic Partnership with a Professional Baseball Team (FY2018 Private University
Research Branding Project) are extremely effective in the formation of students’ future career andcan be highly evaluated.
 The University can be highly evaluated for its contribution to not only education and research
related to sports medicine but also the maintenance and improvement of student athletes’
competitiveness through the installation of a fully equipped athletic training (AT) room.
 The University can be highly evaluated for holding annual group discussions attended by bothfaculty and students on the theme of “The form taken by classes that realize deeply independentand interactive learning” as part of FD training workshops aimed at developing student-centeredclasses, and publishing the results of these discussions every year as the SUFD Report.
Standard 3. Educational Curriculum
Diploma policies for each faculty, department, and graduate school are prescribed based on theUniversity’s educational objectives; curriculum policies consistent with these diploma policies aredefined and made known both within and outside the University through syllabuses and other media.
The educational curriculum is systematically organized, and performance evaluations are carriedout appropriately based on standards for awarding credits, evaluating performance, and certifying
graduation and completion. Systems have been created for providing support to students whose havenot acquired sufficient number of credits and enabling high-achieving students to undertake extra
study for additional credit.
The University endeavors to improve class content and teaching methods, carrying out FD (FacultyDevelopment) activities centered on committees and councils regarding effective implementation ofliberal arts education and education improvement. In addition, assessment policies are classified into
three levels, with inspections and evaluations of learning outcomes carried out in accordance with
the University’s three policies, and the results of these inspections and evaluations are made known
to all faculty.

Good point
 With regard to English language education, the University can be highly evaluated for creatingand using original textbooks incorporating many topics related to sports in order to provide classcontent in line with students’ interests.
Standard 4. Faculty and Staff
Appropriate systems have been put in place to enable demonstration of leadership in theUniversity’s decision-making and education and learning management, such as the decentralizationof authorities and clear definition of responsibilities, as well as the stipulation of rules on importantmatters regarding which the President needs to ask the Faculty Council and Graduate School Council
for their opinions. Furthermore, staff organization, career ladder, and division of duties are clearlyprescribed, with administration structured in such a way that faculty and staff are mutually involved
in university operations. The University has established unique mechanisms for maintaining andimproving this system, such as conducting SD (Staff Development) training workshops andproviding young staff with opportunities to enroll in master’s programs.
Continual efforts are being made to improve educational content and methods, with personnel
assigned in accordance with the University’s educational objectives and performance indicators forfaculty clearly stipulated. Moreover, improvements to the educational and research environment aswell as ethics education required for research are carried out appropriately, and in addition to its
efforts to secure external funding—such as selection for participation in the FY2018 Private
University Research Branding Project—the University endeavors to procure independent researchfunding and invigorate its research activities.
Good point The University can be highly evaluated for providing young staff with opportunities to enroll inmaster’s programs as part of efforts to enhance staff quality.
Standard 5. Management, Administration and Finance
The University endeavors to maintain management discipline and integrity, with compliance withlaws and regulations clearly stipulated in the University’s articles of endowment, and items
pertaining to organizational ethics and human rights clearly prescribed in the University rules. Inaddition, the Executive Committee facilitates communication between the Board of Directors andeducation and learning organizations, and ensures the everyday activities of the University’s
incorporated entity are carried out promptly, of which task are entrusted by the Board of Directors
acting as the final decision-making body.
The role of the Chair of the Board of Directors—who is the representative of the University’s
incorporated entity—is clearly prescribed in the articles of endowment. The President and Vice
Presidents are appointed as directors, and close cooperation and coordination is carried out between
the University and its incorporated entity, with consideration given to balance between leadershipand bottom-up management.
The Board of Councilors appropriately performs its role as an advisory organ, while auditors also
perform their auditing role appropriately, maintaining healthy financial operations in accordance with
the University’s med-term management plan.
Good point The University can be highly evaluated for its efforts to set a financial goal scenario and a financial
limit scenario in its long-term financial plan and carry out operations so that the University’s
financial status falls between these two scenarios, stabilizing the University’s financial structure.
Standard 6. Internal Quality Assurance
A system has been established whereby inspection items have been clearly prescribed and selfinspection and evaluation activities are carried with the Self-Inspection and Evaluation
Implementation Committee working in cooperation with the University’s internal executive division
as well as the faculty, graduate school, and affiliated centers. In addition to each organization headsetting and reviewing work targets for their respective organizations and duties, all faculty members
set targets and record results for their research and educational activities, and these targets and theirresults are made known to all faculty and staff.
The IR Office provides support for the survey analysis activities of all university committees,
providing data required by each organization as well as ascertaining the state of the business
implementation of each administrative division and promoting a system of cooperation amongdivisions.
Under the above systems, a system for promoting internal quality assurance PDCA cycles iscreated while incorporating various external evaluations.
Good points
 The University’s establishment of its Third Party Evaluation Committee in May 2018, thereby
also incorporating the opinions of external higher education experts into the University’s selfinspection and evaluation system, can be highly evaluated.
 The University can be highly evaluated for the fact that it started to utilize IR functions organically,such as the University’s selection for participation in the Japan Sports Agency’s FY2018 Projectfor Promoting the Advancement of University Sports, with the University’s proposal formulated
based on data from surveys conducted and data collected mainly by the IR division.
In summary, while its foundation is physical education, the University aims to nurture humanresources capable of contributing to a diverse range of social activities and industries, and has
established an appropriate governance system for realizing this objective. The University has also
constructed a self-inspection and evaluation system for constantly brushing-up its preparedness
for accepting students and educational and research environment, as well as the content of its
education and research. In future, the University can be expected to construct even higher-levelassessment policies related to educational and research curriculum and involvement in society andexpand its PDCA activities.
Note that with regard to the University’s unique standards, the general comments on “Standard A.
Social contribution/collaboration” and “Standard B. International interaction and collaboration”
should be referred to.
It should be noted that the University has cited the following remarks.
1.

Advanced initiatives aimed at the invigoration and healthy management and operation ofuniversity sports

2.

Empirical research based on the Project to Create a Regional Revitalization-type SportsSociety Model Based on an Academic Partnership with a Professional Baseball Team selected
as a FY2018 Private University Research Branding Project