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

Kyoto Notre Dame University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Kyoto, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2015
Accreditation Status: Accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2016 – March.31.2023）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kyoto Notre Dame University
Overview
Kyoto Notre Dame University (hereafter, the University), based on the School Sisters ofNotre Dame, was established in 1961 as Notre Dame Women’s College with theDepartment of English Language and Literature. In 1999, it was renamed as Notre
Dame Women’s College of Kyoto. After a series of reorganizations of its faculties anddepartments, the University established a graduate school in 2002, at which time it
developed into a university with three faculties (the Faculty of Humanities and SocialSciences, the Faculty of Home Sciences and Welfare, and the Faculty of Psychology)
and two graduate schools (the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences[master’s program only] and the Graduate School of Psychology). The University has its
campus in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and has represented and based its educationand research activities on its founding spirit of “Virtue and Knowledge.”
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2008, the University has worked for systematic self-study. In order toenforce the university-wide PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle, every faculty (ordepartment), graduate school, center, committee, and secretariat prepares a project planor midterm plan annually, and reviews it at the end of each academic year while
compiling its Report on Self-Review. Furthermore, in order to examine whether thecontent of the plans has been appropriately implemented, since April 2009 theUniversity has worked with the University Council (an initiative of the president) for
improvements and reforms of the issues.
It is commendable that through the activities at the Psychological Services
Center and through cooperative projects with Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine,the University has not only made contributions to local society by making use of its
founding spirit and features in education research, but has also offered opportunities forstudents to work as staff or volunteers in ways that help them to mature and develop
their careers.
The University still has several issues to address. It is an urgent issue toimprove the decline of fulfillment rates on university, departmental, and graduate schoollevels. Additionally, the system for internal quality assurance and the structure to makethe system function appropriately are insufficient. JUAA expects the University will
improve these issues.
Notable Strengths
Social Cooperation and Contribution
The University has vigorously promoted social contribution and has worked on a wide
range of projects, according to its purpose of making university-wide efforts incooperation with the local society. For example, the University has conductedpsychological consultations in the Psychological Services Center and has establishedthe “Kogamo Club,” which supports parental care and child development, and “Shizento Asobo!,” where local children interact with each other through nature observation andplaying with natural materials. Also, in cooperation with Kyoto Prefectural Universityof Medicine, the University has worked to cultivate persons of talent who are skilled in
medical English, and volunteers who support child patients at the Pediatric MedicalCenter. It is commendable that the University has not only has made use of its education
research to contribute to the local society, but also offers students opportunities formaturing and for developing their careers.

3Suggestions for Improvement
Enrollment
The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is low at 0.36 in themaster’s program in the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, andnone admitted and enrolled in the doctoral program in the Graduate School ofPsychology. These numbers should be improved.

The ratio of transfer students to the transfer student admission cap is low at 0.60 in
the Department of English Language and Literature in the Faculty of Humanities andSocial Sciences, and at 0.06 in the Department of Psychology in the Faculty ofPsychology. These numbers should be improved.

Administration and FinanceWhile the financial plan for the University has been formulated, the financial plan for
the entire corporate body has not. However, since the sum total of the financial scaleof the affiliated elementary school, junior high school and high school is almost
equivalent amount of the University, the entire corporate body should formulate thefinancial plan in order to restore the finances to good health.

Internal Quality AssuranceSelf-study concerning education and research at each department and graduate
school level have been conducted, but the resulting issues are not shared across theentire university. Also, a review process that clearly defines the body that is
responsible for examining education and research as well as management has notbeen created. With the initiative of the Self-Study Committee, the University should
establish a review system, and link the regular reviews conducted by eachdepartment and graduate school to the improvements of the entire university.

Area of Serious ConcernEnrollment
 The average of the ratios of the last five years of enrolled freshmen to the freshman
admission cap and the ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap are lowat 0.77 and 0.76 respectively. In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences as awhole, both ratios are low at 0.75 and 0.73 respectively; specifically in theDepartment of English Language and Literature, both ratios are low at 0.67, and in theDepartment of Cross-Cultural Studies both ratios are low at 0.76 and 0.74
respectively. In the Faculty of Home Sciences and Welfare in the Department ofHome Sciences and Welfare, the ratios are low at 0.79 and 0.81 respectively, and in
the Faculty of Psychology, in the Department of Psychology, both ratios are low at
0.78 and 0.76 respectively. These numbers must be improved.