Graduate Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies（事業創造大学院大学）
Evaluation summary
Standard 1. Mission and Objectives, etc.
The Graduate Institute’s mission, goals, and educational objectives are clearly prescribed, withspecific human resources training goals stipulated simply in writing as being to nurture high-levelprofessionals capable of playing leading roles in entrepreneurship/internal business creation, regional
vitalization, and globalization. These have been made available and known to the public througheasy-to-understand figures and uniform texts/expressions, with individuality and distinctive qualities
also clearly shown. In order to anticipate and respond to future change, the Graduate Institutecontinually conducts discussions and makes improvements regarding the ideal form the Graduate
Institute should take, centered on the Future Planning Promotion Committee. The Graduate Institute’s
mission and goals are made known to executives, faculty and staff on an everyday basis, andmeasures are taken to ensure that faculty and staff understand and support the mission and goals,
such as clarifying them with new faculty and staff at the time of recruitment. The mission and goals
are reflected in the Future Plan and Med-term Plan for the Next Period that the Graduate Instituteprepares and which stipulates long-term basic policies in six fields. Educational targets are reflectedin the Graduate Institute’s three policies (diploma, curriculum, and admission policies), with theseven skills that should be nurtured in order for students to achieve these objectives being prescribed,and education realizing the fruits of students’ efforts in Professional Achievement Reports is beingpursued.
Good points
 The Graduate Institute can be highly evaluated for its efforts to clarify its mission and goals aswell as the image of human resources and skills it aims to nurture using easy-to-understand figuresand various media in terms of promoting knowledge and understanding of the mission, goals andthe image of human resources and skills it aims to nurture both within and outside the Graduate
Institute.
 The Graduate Institute’s efforts to realize its mission and goals by establishing a Future Plan and
Med-term Plan for the Next Period and priority measures based on long-term basic policies for
six fields, as well as reflecting these measures in the Graduate Institute’s business plans, can behighly evaluated.
Standard 2. Students
Based on the Graduate Institute’s mission and goals, an admission policy has been formulated, andthe Graduate Institute has been able to attract applicants from not only within the prefecture but also
throughout Japan and overseas as a result of its student recruitment efforts, fulfilling its enrollment
quotas. Supervisors oversee and guide students’ course registration and are aware of each student’s
learning status, including attendance. All lectures are filmed, and the videos utilized as part of efforts

to enhance learning and class instruction support. With regard to students dropping out, taking a leaveof absence, or repeating a year of their courses, student interviews are conducted and preventative
measures taken. Students receive attentive employment support through counselling and advice
provided mainly by the Career Support Committee and Career Support Office. In addition to classquestionnaires carried out for all courses offered, the Graduate Institute also conducts a New Student
Entrance Questionnaire and Completing Student Exit Questionnaire upon completion, while theStudent Council conducts an annual Student Questionnaire, and new students also undergo individual
counselling. Through these questionnaires and interviews, the Graduate Institute is able to gain
understanding of students’ opinions and requests, and used the information thus obtained to make
improvements. In terms of location, the Graduate Institute can be conveniently accessed, and asuitable learning environment has been created.
Good points
 The Graduate Institute’s efforts to enhance learning and class instruction support—such as
creating a three-person counselling system comprising the student’s supervisor, assistantsupervisor, and assistant academic advisor and following up with students who are absent for acertain number of classes or longer, as well as filming all lectures and using the videos for students
to review and students who were absent to view—can be highly evaluated.
 Entrepreneurship Intensity Track (EIT) and the Entre Design Tutorial are extra-curricular
programs that enable students who are highly motivated to launch an enterprise or create businessto further expand the knowledge they have acquired through the regular curriculum. These
programs represent the Graduate Institute’s originality, which are also in line with its educational
principles, can be highly evaluated.
 The Graduate Institute’s efforts to understand students’ requests and take measures to incorporate
these in order to make improvements—such as its system whereby the FD Committee reviews
class questionnaires and provides feedback comments to students, and regular conducting ofquestionnaires, interviews, and individual counselling from students’ enrollment to completion ofstudies can be highly evaluated.
Standard 3. Educational Curriculum
The Graduate Institute’s diploma policy is formulated in accordance with the Graduate Institute’s
basic principles and make known, and standards for certifying completion etc. are prescribed inaccordance with the diploma policy. In order to ensure that these policy and standards are strictly
evaluated and implemented, performance evaluation specifications are drawn up every semester andnotified to supervisors to ensure the uniformity of evaluation standards and implementation. Syllabus
content is standardized; syllabus preparation is carried out based on the results of classquestionnaires; and a system whereby inspections are conducted by the Academic Administration
Committee has been constructed, creating a systematic educational curriculum in line with thecurriculum policy. With regard to educational content, too, a practical curriculum has been preparedand is being implemented, with, for example, presentation meetings being held on campus at the end

of each semester where all students present their research results. With regard to inspection andevaluation of learning outcomes, the Graduate Institute established an assessment policy in theacademic year 2018 and is implementing graduate institute-wide measures for improving internal
educational quality assurance functions.
Good points
 The Graduate Institute’s efforts to conduct Syllabus-writing Guidance Workshops and standardize
syllabus content, carry out syllabus preparation based on the results of class questionnaires,construct a system whereby the Academic Administration Committee conducted inspections andrequests revisions if insufficiencies are identified can be highly evaluated.
 The Graduate Institute’s establishment of an Advisory Committee comprising mainly external
members to function as an advisory organ to the President regarding measures for improving
educational quality can be highly evaluated as a distinctive initiative.
Standard 4. Faculty and Staff
With the aim of strengthening the President’s leadership, a General Affairs Committee whose
membership also includes managers of the Graduate Institute’s incorporated entity has been
established and undertakes graduate institute-wide control, management, and inspection activities
related to important matters of Graduate Institute operation, assisting the President. Virtually all staff
participate in committees as members, and the system of collaboration between faculty and staff isfunctioning sufficiently. Recruitment and promotion of faculty is carried out in line with educational
objectives and curricula, with balance maintained between professional faculty and research faculty.
Furthermore, clear standards have been prescribed for the recruitment and promotion of faculty.
Faculty performance evaluations are carried out based on standards such as work performance,expertise, and acquisition of external funding; these evaluations are confirmed through interview
evaluations conducted personally by the President, and this system is proving effective in further
developing faculty’s capabilities. SD/FD Committee functions appropriately, and training isimplemented systematically. The Graduate Institute has also established a system for evaluating staff,and efforts are being made to improve staff quality and abilities. A suitable research environment has
been created, and appropriate operational and management systems have been established.
Good points
 The Graduate Institute can be highly evaluated for its efforts to employ a large number ofprofessional faculty and invite numerous visiting professors with practical experience, which havebeen helpful in supporting practical educational activities aimed at “Nurturing entrepreneurs tolead the next generation”, which is the Graduate Institute’s goal.
 The Graduate Institute can be highly evaluated for the excellent personnel training systemestablished among the three universities operated by the Graduate Institute’s incorporated entity(including SD training for administrative staff) and its efforts to promote the enhancement of staff
skills through such measures as training for new appointees, personnel evaluation training, secondcareer training, training for the newly promoted staff, and tier-based training.
Standard 5. Management, Administration and Finance
Board of Directors meetings are held regularly to deliberate over important matters as well as
formulate, advance, and manage the Graduate Institute’s incorporated entity’s mid- and long-termplans for the future and single-academic-year business plans, making continuous efforts to realize
the Graduate Institute’s mission and goals. Campus Liaison Council meetings attended by the Chairof the Board of Directors are held regularly and close cooperation is maintained between theGraduate Institute and its incorporated entity, enabling smooth decision-making. Appropriate
mechanisms have been put in place for soliciting and adopting suggestions from faculty and staff.
The incorporated entity’s business plan incorporates a mid-term profit-and-loss plan interlinked
with its med-term management plan, and financial operations are carried out appropriately. With
regard to the Graduate Institute’s independent financial situation, although overspending continues,
improvements in fulfilling enrollment quotas has led to an increase in income, and fiscal balance isimproving. Regarding the incorporated entity’s overall financial base, although the debt ratio is high,a stable situation is being established.
Standard 6. Internal Quality Assurance
The Self-Inspection and Evaluation Committee plays a central role in promoting internal quality
assurance and maintains its effectiveness as an organ under the direct jurisdiction of the President,
thereby establishing a responsibility system. As part of the Graduate Institute’s internal quality
assurance activities, measures are being undertaken to improve classes utilizing the results of classobservations and lecture questionnaires conducted by the SD/FD Committee, and results are beingachieved in improving class quality. The IR Office has been established as an organ specializing in
IR (Institutional Research) and carries out data collection and analysis in order to gain understandingof the current situation. The assessment policy is specific, and this evaluation and analysis is bringing
about improvements. Evaluation results are published in the form of Self-Inspection and Evaluation
Reports, and are also posted on the Graduate Institute website. A system has been created for
promoting graduate institute reforms and improvements and the enhancement of educational quality
through the collaboration of the following three initiatives: (1) the graduate institute-wide PDCA
activity for internal quality assurance; (2) self-inspection and evaluation conducted by eachcommittee involved in the graduate institute operations; and (3) PDCA activities of three committees
including the Academic Administration Committee.
Good points
 The Graduate Institute can be highly evaluated for implementing a graduate institute-wide PDCA
cycle through a Self-Inspection and Evaluation Committee comprising the chairs of all of theGraduate Institute’s committees, as a system for promoting internal quality assurance under thedirect jurisdiction of the President.
 The Graduate Institute’s efforts to achieve self-evaluation and self-improvement through theformulation of evaluation guidelines by the Self-Inspection and Evaluation Committee andindependent formulation of Self-inspection and Evaluation Mechanisms by all of the Graduate
Institute’s committees based on these guidelines have been effective in improving quality acrossthe-board and can be highly evaluated.
 Unified activities by the Self-Inspection and Evaluation Committee and Future Planning
Promotion Committee providing mechanisms for evaluation results to be reflected inimprovement policies, and internal quality assurance mechanisms and measures provided throughthe unified activities of the Academic Administration Committee, Practical Exercises Committee,and SD/FD Committee, are advanced, and can be highly evaluated.
In summary, the Graduate Institute has formulated a clear Future Plan and Med-term Plan for theNext Period for achieving its mission and goals, and concrete plans for implementing these are also
clearly prescribed. The Graduate Institute’s educational targets are reflected in its three policies(diploma, curriculum, and admission policies); seven skills that students should acquire in order tobecome the entrepreneurs the Graduate Institute aims to nurture have been prescribed, andeducational activities aimed at achieving these targets are being carried out. The Graduate Institutehas created an internal quality assurance system for enhancing education through such measures asevaluating results based on the assessment policy, and efforts are being made to improve quality.
Note that with regard to the Graduate Institute’s unique standards, the general comments on“Standard A. Local community contribution” should be referred to. It should be noted that theGraduate Institute has cited the following remarks.
1. Establishment of unique entre design education methodology
2. Support for entrepreneurship/business creation through the Niigata Region Activation Institute
3. Establishment of doctoral courses