President’s Position Paper for 2015

Ⅰ．Basic Position
Founded as a Catholic institution of higher education, Nanzan University's
curriculum has always included required courses on religion, especially Christianity. At
times, the importance and practical use of these courses has been discussed – andquestioned – by both students and faculty, but throughout this discussion one fact
inevitably comes to the forefront that is true for any educational institution: courses
required for all students demonstrate, in a very specific way, what the curriculum ofthat institution is all about. While students applying for entrance exams will probably
focus on the brand value of a university and specific popular courses of study, one also
hopes that required courses (especially in the general education program) will be one of
the factors that helps students decide on which university they want to enter.

1. Function of Required Courses in a General Education Curriculum
Required courses in the general education curriculum have two important functions.
As an official statement of the university, they spell out the common goals andobjectives of courses offered by the various departments and faculties, providing an
overarching direction in what otherwise might be nothing more than smorgasbord of
unrelated academic subjects. At the same time, these courses also provide a framework
which allows each student to move into new directions through his or her own
individual choices.
A somewhat different perspective derives from the more literal connotations of general
education. General education stands not only for what the individual student needs forfully participating in society, but also for what connects people with very different
knowledge and abilities. The study of one’s own language and foreign language(s) is agood example for the first aspect; to learn the values which individuals hold in common
is a good example for the second aspect. These are not mutually exclusive. In otherwords, the knowledge of foreign languages needs a firm rooting in human values, andthe belief in values needs a good command of language to express itself.
12. Required Courses on Religion and Christianity
This discussion of general education allows us to reflect on what the common courses
on religion and Christianity add to the Nanzan University education experience. In an
era where religion is quite often (and, one has to admit in the light of recent events, withsome justification) seen as a divisive force in the global society, there is a definite needfor learning the “language” of religion, and to come to a personal decision on values andreligion. This includes learning how to answer to these challenges not with violence andthreats but with concern and reason, and how to find, through the various religions andreligious thoughts, the thread that holds us together as a human community.
Needless to say, a narrow focus on matters of religious doctrine and morality will not
be sufficient. Pope Francis voices this view in his September 2013 Interview. “... theproclamation of the saving love of God comes before moral and religious imperatives.
Today sometimes it seems that the opposite order is prevailing.” Churches are prone toemphasize the universal claim of doctrines and moral teachings thought to be central totheir respective religious traditions, even though the real message of Christianity is thesaving love of God that has many faces and manifestations and reaches human beingsin many different ways.

3. A New Vision of General Education
While an emphasis on common courses taken by all students is an essential aspect ofgeneral education, what is needed now is more than just the establishment of an
updated canon of liberal education. A general education program that envisions bothcommon purpose and individual choice has far greater meaning than offering the samerequired courses for students in all departments, which might merely result inuniversity education becoming a body of separate courses of study connected by ageneral education curriculum. Rather, in the spirit of unceasing self-reform, such a
program calls for a re-examination of the very separation of general education andspecialized course work.
What can Nanzan University offer? What should Nanzan University offer? What is itthat we as an institution want our students to learn? The task before us is to lower thebarriers that exist among the various departments and faculties and to truly become
one campus, a learning place where there are no national or departmental borders, a2

campus that challenges students and faculty to strike out into new directions in order tobuild a better, more peaceful, global society.

Ⅱ．Priority Issues
1. Reorganization of Faculties and Integration of Campuses
Our first priority issue, a natural consequence from engaging in the process of
unceasing self-reform, is to adapt the education offered at Nanzan University to theneeds of the world and, in particular, to the wishes of students who might want to study
at Nanzan University.
This means, very specifically, that the reorganization of faculties is something that theentire university must pursue. It is particularly important that we establish new
faculties that aim to produce graduates capable of contributing to an internationalsociety. As a part of this process, we need to disestablish the Junior College so that abetter organization may be formed. We must also reorganize the Faculty of Foreign
Studies and set an appropriate cap on the number of students in the Faculty of Policy
Studies. In other faculties, we must look at issues such as the structure of departments
and courses and rethink our curriculum in order to make sure that our faculties haveeven greater appeal. I request that you reconfirm your understanding of the intent of
the Nanzan Grand Design and (in keeping with the vision of “empowering theindividual to become a power in and for the world”) that we cooperate on auniversity-wide scale to consider how to achieve this reorganization of faculties and how
to make further progress on this matter during this academic year. To accomplish this,we will review and revise the Nanzan University admissions policy, curriculum policy
and diploma policy.
We are currently moving ahead on the integration of our campuses, but this will notstop at merely creating one campus. Integration will bring about a change to theeducational environment, so we need to prepare and apply various measures andpolicies in order to maximize the potential benefits that result from this. To be specific,
in addition to reorganizing faculties and making adjustments to the campus
infrastructure, I would like you to consider setting up and developing a system thattranscends the current boundaries of our faculties. I request that you consider which of
the specialized courses in your faculties and departments could be shared throughout
3the university, and which might be linked to other faculties and departments. In
addition, I hope that by bringing the University all together on one campus we canfurther strengthen the general education that, together with Christian education
subjects, is shared throughout the entire University. Acknowledging the role thatgeneral education has to play, as outlined above in the Basic Position, I request that you
design a curriculum that supports independent learning. To facilitate this, we will needto think of how subjects are numbered to best allow students to visualize theconnections between subjects and to create effective curriculum trees, which detail whatcourses students must take and the order that they take them.

2. Promoting Further Internationalization
Internationalization is again an important issue for Nanzan University this academic
year. Our international character is one of the key aspects that make up the Nanzan
brand. In order to strengthen this, we must expand the range of opportunities that weoffer to study overseas and carry out further measures to enhance our system forwelcoming foreign students into our midst. Following the Vision for Internationalizationthat was created based on the Nanzan Grand Design we will strive to promote further
internationalization of our University.
On the education front, for example in classes in which foreign languages are used as
the medium of instruction, we need to create more opportunities for students to use that
language by doing things such as providing handout materials in that language. It isalso important that we strive to enhance both the quality and the quantity of ourinternational courses, so please consider making these courses part of the required
curriculum in each of our faculties. With regard to students in the Center for JapaneseStudies, along with the introduction of the quarter system, please also consider
increasing the number of courses that can be taken in the faculties with regularundergraduate students. In goes without saying that in order to strengthen ourinternational character we must increase the number of students we send overseas andthe number of foreign students whom we accept at Nanzan University. Short-term
study-abroad programs are also important. But in terms of our offering an educationthat fosters international character, I ask you to consider adding more diversity andflexibility to your educational programs. By this I mean ideas such as promotinginternships either in Japan or overseas that involve the use of a foreign language, or4

making use of the network of Catholic universities or the like to set up courses that
include service learning; the planned incorporation of the Logos Center into the
University campus, which will provide opportunities to support learning that involves
volunteer activities either in Japan or overseas, is one such example.
Besides the educational program for our students, it is also important to further
strengthen our collaboration and ties with Japanese and foreign universities andresearchers in order to bring internationalization to our research activities andprograms. Individual instructors who broaden their international research networks
will not only benefit by doing so, but this will also contribute to the internationalizationof the University. For this to happen, we consider that it is important to encourage andoffer organized support for international joint research. For example, from thisacademic year, the third round of the Promotion of Internationalization Projects willcommence. However, we request that you look beyond internal funding and strive tosecure outside funding, too.

3. A Learning Environment that Encourages Self-Directed Learning
These days, establishing a learning environment in universities that promotes
self-directed learning is required. With the introduction of the quarter system ahead, weneed to consider reforming our courses in order to adapt them to this new environment.
Also, it has become common knowledge that the introduction of active learning, as seenin the flipped classroom, will likely serve to encourage students to be self-reliant. In
addition to the reform of our courses, we also need initiatives aimed at enhancing ourlearner support, such as setting up an educational space for independent joint learningoften known as a “learning commons,” and introducing learning portfolios, which help
students reflect on their learning and recognize where they are in the learning process
in relation to their educational goals. In terms of supporting student’s self-directed
learning, it is essential for us to have a grasp of learning behavior. The establishment of
an IR (Institutional Research) Room is a pressing issue in order for us to systematically
implement self-directed learning.

Ⅲ．Future Planning
1. Organizational Restructuring
5Nanzan University is in the midst of university-wide organizational restructuring in
response to the even greater decreases in the population of 18 year-olds that have been
predicted. At the center of this is the reorganization of faculties and the integration of
campuses as cited in the Priority Issues above, but there are also several other entities
that should be reviewed. Moving forward, we need to consider the nature of the
Graduate School of Business Administration, including its continued existence. The
Nanzan School of Law needs to promote further ties with other universities. The othergraduate schools must consider how to make our learning environment even more
attractive to appeal to a diverse range of postgraduate students, in particular working
people, to provide a postgraduate education that meets society’s needs by, for example,
teaching topics that are not bound by existing academic fields.
A new Information Center and new International Center will be established during
the integration of the two campuses. The former will work to improve our information
environment and the latter will press ahead with internationalization in the areas ofeducation and research. Therefore, both of these centers are crucial in terms of realizing
Nanzan University’s plans for the future, so in the new academic year please take steps
to prepare for their establishment.
Working with the Nanzan School Corporation (Gakuen), please consider setting up aCompliance Office in order to ensure fair and equitable operations, and through this, tomaintain society’s trust in the University.

2. Campus Facilities
This academic year, the Faculty of Science and Engineering will relocate to the
Nagoya Campus, so the actual implementation of campus integration has alreadybegun. In order to complete the campus integration process, again this year the Future
Planning Promotion Section will act as the hub for moving forward on mattersconcerning campus facilities. Once the Faculty of Science and Engineering has relocated,
I request that we are careful to ensure that the students in this faculty do not faceinconveniences, particularly with University facilities. The newly constructed S
Building has been designed with student welfare in mind, so we are very keen to see thestudents taking full advantage of what it has to offer. Some time has now passed since
we entered the Information Age, and the enhancement of our ICT environment is one of
the most important aspects for us in terms of enhancing our learning environment. It is6our intention to create an environment at Nanzan University in which students can use
their own ICT devices for their learning. From this academic year, WiFi will beavailable on part of the campus, including S Building. I request that we continue toenhance our ICT environment so students can eventually use WiFi throughout our
entire campus. In the 2017-2018 academic year, the Faculty of Policy Studies will
relocate to the Nagoya Campus and with this in mind, the second stage of construction
will commence before this summer. Taking into account traditional design, which will
include input from the Raymond Architectural Design Office, we will create a campus
befitting a new Nanzan University. Further construction and renovation on campus will
be prioritized based upon what has been formulated in our Campus Enhancement Planso that our design meets students’ needs. At the same time, it goes without saying that
the Seto Campus will function as the other Nanzan University campus until March
2017, so until the integration of our campuses is complete we will make every effort toconsider the needs of the Seto Campus and to ensure that its educational and research
environment is not adversely affected. In addition, please do what you can to ensurethat the second stage of construction does not impact negatively upon students’
extracurricular activities. Also, the relocation of the Faculty of Science and Engineering
will increase the number of students commuting to the Nagoya Campus, so I requestthat sufficient attention is paid to safety-related matters during the period of
construction.

Ⅳ．Education and Research
1. Promoting Study Abroad
Increasing the number of foreign students and further enhancing the system foraccepting them sits at the heart of our efforts to internationalize the University. It goes
without saying that diversifying our programs for sending our students overseas andaccepting foreign students is important not only for our Faculty of Foreign Studies but
also for the entire university. Therefore, please strive to increase the number of foreign
universities with which we have agreements of exchange and cooperation. Please also
further enhance our international courses and start to consider accepting moreexchange students into our faculties. Accepting students who have not studied Japaneseis also an issue for our faculties to consider. If we increase the number of foreign7

universities with which we have agreements of exchange and cooperation, we will needto further improve the support and services that we offer foreign students, such as our
housing infrastructure and dormitories. In addition, I request that all of our faculties
proactively work to develop short-term programs for overseas students that reflect thedistinctive features of each faculty. We also need to consider financial backing for
scholarships that offer monetary support for such programs. In order to broaden thefoundation for international exchange, I request that you also consider making changes
to our learning environment that look beyond “study abroad” which requires students toactually go overseas, to methods that take advantage of ICT for distance learning to
make it possible for students to engage in exchange while still being at Nanzan
University.

2. Collaboration with Other Universities
This academic year, it is again important for us to strengthen our links with otheruniversities, both in Japan and overseas. Within Japan, further strengthening our ties
with the Toyota Technical Institute and Sophia University will likely lead to significant
benefits. With the Toyota Technical Institute, we will continue and develop the various
types of education and research collaboration that we have established to date including
credit transfer and interlibrary access. We already have a deeply cooperative
relationship with Sophia University, as seen for example in the annual Sophia-Nanzan
Sports Festival, but we will move to further strengthen these ties. Strengthening
relations with Catholic universities in Japan and overseas will also lead to thepromotion of study abroad. At present, we have a teaching staff exchange program with
the University of San Carlos in the Philippines, and our Faculty of Law and the Nanzan
School of Law have student and academic exchange with Hannam University andSogang University in South Korea. In addition, every year our students and teaching
staff take part in the Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges andUniversities (ASEACCU). Moving forward, I request that at both the undergraduate
and postgraduate level we consider how to actively strengthen our relations with
Catholic universities within Japan and overseas.

3. Improving the Curriculum and Lesson-Format
Nanzan University is currently actively considering how best to approach the8introduction of the quarter system beginning in the 2017-2018 academic year. In thisrespect, I request that each of our faculties strive to further enhance their curriculum.
To make the most of the potential benefits of the quarter system, please think about
creating a lesson-format that matches this system. I request that each of our faculties
carefully select the courses we offer so that we can indicate a clear study path for ourstudents. With regard to the enhancement of our curriculum, taking into account theneeds of our current and potential students, please think of ways for them to visualize
the curriculum, such as revising the way courses are numbered or by creating
curriculum trees, plans of study, so they can get a clear picture of how they can progressin their studies during their four years with us.
In addition to enhancing the curriculum, please also consider improvements to thelesson-format. The adoption of active learning, for example, will serve as one effective
method of promoting students’ self-directed learning, which has been cited among ourPriority Issues. We also urge you to hold faculty development seminars to accomplish
this. In order to promote active learning within the university, the ICT environment isbeing improved with the reorganization of the Information Center and the introductionof WiFi. To take advantage of this environment, please strive to improve your lessons by
incorporating e-learning methods.

4. Actively Securing Grants for Scientific Research
All of our academic staff must produce research results in order for Nanzan University
to also be an excellent research institution. To achieve that, I request that this year you
continue to make every effort to secure external subsidies such as Grants-in-Aid for
Scientific Research. This academic year too, I request that everyone strives to securesome form of external funding. When doing so, please consider the broad range ofpossibilities that exist beyond Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research. Also, for GP (Good
Practice) research projects, we request that you proactively apply to any of the range ofsubsidy funds that are available. Please consider how the faculties and graduate schools
can apply for outside funds as well as reduce the burden for teaching staff who havesecured subsidy funding.

5.

Enhancing Support for Students

These days in universities it is becoming increasingly important to provide support for9students that goes beyond providing education, including also the broader area of theirstudent life. With our motto of “For Human Dignity,” in a university that extols“universal access for students” it is important for us to provide support for students
with disabilities. Included in this support is care for students who have psychologicaldisabilities and the facilitation of a system that is equipped to cope with a broader rangeof mental health issues. In order to be able to accept more of such students, we will
move ahead with establishing a new Health Center. In our faculties and departments
too, please cooperate with the Academic Affairs Office and the Division of Student
Affairs and continue to provide them with support on this matter.
For students facing difficulties with their studies for economic reasons, we need toprovide appropriate support so that these students can receive the same educational
opportunities. As an example of this, Nanzan University will continue its measure of
economic relief for those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. In
the 2015-2016 academic year, in certain cases Nanzan University will again waive
entrance and tuition fees up to the total amount due for university. This academic year
also, in order to further encourage students whose results have proven their
enthusiasm towards their studies, working within our allocated budget, we will offer
appropriate scholarships and other support information to allow them to continue topursue their dreams. In addition to this, please strive to further enhance the support
that we have offered to date, such as support for international students, students
aiming to become teachers, graduates and current students looking for jobs, andteaching assistants.

Ⅴ．Social Contribution and Links
1. Social Contribution
It is to be expected that the demand for education among people already in theworkforce will increase. We will further enhance the Nanzan University Extension
College to meet the needs of such people in our region. The Nanzan University Museumof Anthropology is a universal museum in which visitors may hold exhibited items intheir hands to get a better sense and understanding of the items located there. It will
run a diverse range of interesting exhibitions, and as an open museum it will continue
to maintain ties between Nanzan University and the community and seek new ties with10

institutions outside of the University. By offering free consultations on legal matters for
local citizens, the Center for Legal Practice, Education and Research will continue to
strive to pass on the University’s intellectual resources to the local community.

2. Cooperation among Industry, Academia, and Government
We again will work to strengthen connections between industry and academia. This
year we will press ahead with research and education programs established through ourties with corporations in the Tokai region. This is important in terms of carrying out ourrole as a university that fosters human resources in our region. For example, throughan agreement with the Bank of Nagoya we began an internship program, and we intend
to broaden our range of career support programs. In addition, to date we have carriedout joint research with, or contracted or sponsored research requested by, otheruniversities, national and local governments, and public interest incorporated
foundations. We will continue with these arrangements and at the same time search for
new opportunities to create more such programs.

3. Risk Management Contingency Plans for Disasters
We must continue to refine our risk management contingency plans to ensure thatstudents and staff are safe in the event a disaster strikes. In addition, we should also
note that the University, by playing its part in the case of a disaster, makes animportant contribution to society. The University gymnasium has already been
designated by the Nagoya City authorities as an emergency evacuation area for Showa
Ward, and similarly the Showa Ward Fire Brigade will have access to the water in the
University swimming pool in the case of an emergency. Furthermore, we have decided
that in the case of an emergency the nearby Red Cross Daini Nagoya Hospital may use
the Nagoya Campus grounds as a heliport and a subsidiary marshalling area for people
requiring medical assistance. This academic year, as preparation for a large-scale
natural disaster, we will move ahead with the systematic stockpiling of emergency
provisions for students and various emergency supplies. In our role as a university
firmly based in the local region, we will continue to strengthen our relationship with thelocal community by providing the necessary crisis management countermeasures.

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Ⅵ．Entrance Examinations – Finding Employment
1. Entrance Examinations
The total number of applicants to sit entrance examinations for the 2015-2016
academic year was 24,609. This is up by 1,407 on the previous year’s figure of 23,202.
Those applicants sat the general entrance examination, the Zengaku Toitsu Nyushi(Unified Entrance Examination) (Individual Academic Ability type & Center Combinedtype), and the Center examinations, (first application period: 3 subject & 5 subject type,and second application period). However, there were departments that posted adecreased number of applicants for the second year in a row. Student recruitment will
become increasingly difficult as the population of 18 year-olds also continues to decrease.
In this context, it is important that we continue to take measures appropriate to thesecircumstances. It is important for us to continue to review the situation in the various
categories of entrance examinations, but the most important thing in terms of securing,
maintaining and improving the number of applicants is still the need to offer attractive
programs in our faculties and departments. More than anything else, the establishmentof new faculties and the reorganization of our faculties and departments must be
carried out with this goal in mind. Even in the faculties and departments that have notbeen designated for reorganization in the near future do we need to review ourdepartments, courses and current curriculum to ensure that our programs are as
attractive as possible to prospective students. When doing so, please keep in mind theneed to design programs that promote self-directed learning.
For the entrance examinations beginning from the 2016-2017 academic year, we will
introduce outside examinations and commence online applications, so this academic
year please carefully prepare for this so you can properly cope and assist with thesechanges. In order to accept a diverse range of students, we will need to accept larger
numbers of working people at postgraduate level and more foreign students. To this end,
we need to create a system for universal entry for students.
From this academic year we will commence online applications for our entrance
examination system for overseas students. In addition, in order to create a more flexible
entrance examination system, I request that you consider further reforms, such as theintroduction of external examinations or carrying out examinations before students
come to Japan.
122. Finding Employment
In fiscal 2014, the jobs-to-applicants ratio for university graduates increased markedly
over the previous year, so we can expect a significant improvement in job opportunities.
Please make the most of these circumstances and, this year again, please continue to
strive to achieve a 100 percent job-placement rate for our graduates. To that end,
through the Career Support Committee and the Job-Search Committee we will work
closely with the Teaching Center, the Extension College Committee and the various
faculties and departments in order to create an even more robust job-search support
system. We will also offer support that takes into account the needs of postgraduate andinternational students. Also the timing of the start of job-search activities for thosestudents planning to graduate in March 2016 will change, so please consider whatneeds to be done to adapt to this. I request your assistance in helping the career support
service fit in with the integration of our campuses currently underway. In addition to
the facilitation of a well-rounded career support service, it is important that we create
an environment that fosters initiative among students. We also need to provide
students with an environment in the various faculties that fosters the independence,
communication ability and thinking ability required of university students andgraduates.

Ⅶ．Public Relations
Conveying information about the university to the outside world goes beyond branding.
It also serves an important function from a range of standpoints such as promoting oursocial contributions and our close, positive ties with stakeholders. In order to achievethese, I request that in addition to the approach to public relations that we have used todate, we also use new methods such as Facebook or YouTube or smartphone
applications, thereby continuing to press ahead with a strategic public relations
campaign that employs a range of media.
In order to realize our goal of “universal entry for students,” I request that you further
enhance the content of your foreign language webpages, starting with English. In
comparison to just a few years ago, the administration of webpages has become a far
simpler task. From the point of view of strategic public relations, please also consider
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making appropriate use of the webpages of each of our faculties and departments. We
will continue to strengthen our links with our alumni associations, including thoseoverseas, and with our Parents’ Association.
The ongoing efforts of every member of the Gakuen are essential to such public
relations activities. We need to be even more aware that public relations activities arealso an important factor in terms of our success in acquiring a stable supply of students,
securing external funding and receiving donations.
Public relations will also serve an important role with regard to the various
fund-raising activities being run, such as the Development Fund. Once again, I request
the cooperation of every member of the Gakuen on this front.

Michael CALMANO
President
Nanzan University

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