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

Kyushu Lutheran College

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Kumamoto, JapanAccreditation 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 Kyushu Lutheran CollegeOverview
Kyushu Lutheran College (hereafter, the College) originated in Kyushu Women’s
School, founded in 1926. In 1975, Kyushu Women’s Junior College was establishedand housed the Department of English and the Department of Childhood Education
until 1997, when it was reorganized to establish a four-year college with the Departmentof Humanities in the Faculty of Humanities. In 2004, it created the Department ofClinical Psychology, and, in 2006, it established the Graduate School of Humanities. In
2007, the Department of Humanities was reorganized into two majors, the Career
English and the Child Studies majors. Currently, the College has two majors in two
departments in the faculty of Humanities and one graduate school. Aiming at education
based on Christian values, the College states its founding spirit as “cultivating talentedpersons who can love and serve society and all human beings.”
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2008, various academic and administrative units have made efforts towards
improvement, under the directive of the Self-Study and Integrated Evaluation
Committee. Moreover, it has aimed at the implementation of autonomous self-study
activities. In particular, under the directive of the Future Envisioning Committee, theCollege formulated its mid-term future vision, “Kyushu Lutheran College Vision 2014,”
and actual activity plan, “The First Term Action Plans.” It also constructed a system ofself-study in which the respective committees that implement these visions and plans
conduct the first stage of self-study, and the Self-Study and Integrated Evaluation
Committee conducts the second stage of evaluation. Through these processes, faculty
members and administrative staff have become aware of self-study activities, resulting
in the reformation of their thought processes.
The College has several strengths that serve to enhance its educational
effectiveness. It is unique in that it takes advantage of small-college characteristics tooffer a finely tuned education to its students. In order to do so, it is not an overstatement to say that every faculty and administrative staff member puts into practice anunderstanding of each student in his or her study at the College. For example, theCollege offers experiential learning and volunteering opportunities in which students
can use what they learn in classes. This connects their education to the local community
in organic and systematic ways, and as such it is highly commendable as the College’ssocial contribution. In addition, students participate in events in which they interact withthe local community, in volunteer opportunities, and in support activities forhandicapped persons. Through these activities, each student enhances his or her
motivation to study and grow as a human being.
However, in regards to enrollment management, the College has one
department that has been over-enrolled. JUAA expects that the College will pay
attention to enrollment management issues in order to fully realize the potential of its
fine-tuned education.
Notable Strengths
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

It is commendable that the Faculty of Humanities offers unique educationalprograms. In particular, it has developed educational activities that are connected tothe local community in systematic and organic ways, including “Elementary School
English Fieldwork Ⅱ,” in which students gain experience assisting elementary
school teachers, and the subject “Child Care Expressive Arts,” where students plan

2a children’s festival. Through these volunteer activities and experiential learning
opportunities, students grow not only by earning credits according to theregulations, but also by participating in after-program volunteer activities and selfdirected learning.
Student Support

It is commendable that the College as a whole has systematically offered support
for handicapped students. Based on its policies to support handicapped students,
and under the directives of the Committee on Support of Handicapped Students andthe Support Office for Handicapped Students, the College has made efforts toprovide various kinds of support. In particular, it informs faculty members whoteach handicapped students about the students’ special needs as well as request
information from the faculty about the students. It also provides these students withtranslator-supporters to meet their special needs for communication. In addition, it
provides student volunteers who can take notes for handicapped students (it alsooffers some payments to the student volunteers for their time). Moreover, theCollege has cooperated with local education boards and schools for students withspecial needs.

Suggestion for Improvement
Enrollment
The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is high at 1.22 in theDepartment of Clinical Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities. This situationneeds to be corrected.