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

Okinawa University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Okinawa, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2013
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period:April.01.2014 – March.31.2021）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Okinawa University
Notable Strengths
Mission and purposeIt is commendable that Okayama University (hereafter, the University) has re-examined
its mission and purposes and succeeded them with new developments. In 1978, theUniversity adopted the mission of being an “open university rooted in, learning from,and living with the local communities.” In 2008, at the fifty year anniversary of its
founding, the University published the “New Okinawa University Manifesto,” adocument to succeed and renew the previous mission and purposes, and pronounced a
new mission, “Toward a University that Co-creates the Future and Local Communities.”
In 2012, based on earlier missions, it set up an action code called the “Charter ofOkinawa University.”Social cooperation and contribution
It is commendable that the University has made various efforts for social cooperation andcontribution. For example, the long-lasting Saturday Culture Lectures take up topics
broadly related to Okinawa region, such as the Battle of Okinawa, the problems caused
by U.S. military bases, and cultures of Ryukyu. “The Mobile Citizens’ College” hastargeted isolated islands that lack institutions of higher learning and attracted many local
citizens, helping to disseminate the value of the creation of peaceful society, ofself-governance, and of human rights. Cosponsored by the board of education or thetown office of each island, the University holds lectures on such topics as environmental
protection, local education, and revitalization of the local communities. It is alsocommendable that the Junior Scholar Research Support program offered by the“Regional Research Institute” helps the research efforts of elementary, junior high, andhigh school students of the Nansei Islands including Okinawa, by awarding grants andoffering advice through teachers who work with students on site.

It is commendable that the mission of “Co-creation of the Future and Local Communities”
has come to be widely known throughout the region. Since 2008, in order to foster keypersons who would tackle problem solving in the region, the University has launched the“Research and Practice Project for Isolated Islands.” The themes students explore
include: facilitating self-support groups for junior high and high school students who live
on isolated islands without higher education institutions, environmental education, andopinion polls on the protection of wildlife. The students involved have built rapport withlocal residents, and more students have chosen to work on isolated islands after
graduation.

Administration and financeIt is commendable that the University has constructed an environment for all faculty andstaff members to voice their opinions, and has taken the stance that faculty and staff
members are jointly involved in university management. The faculty and staff members
share information and awareness about the unified operation of the University throughthe “Joint Workshop of Faculty and Staff,” which is intended for the entire University.
More than eighty percent of faculty and staff participate in the workshop, andoccasionally students participate and make suggestions. The results are published as the“Report of the Joint Workshop of Faculty and Staff” or as the result of opinion polls
taken at the workshop occasions. The suggestions are put together by the president’sexecutive committee, then examined by each department, and finally taken up as part of
the “Med- and Long-Term Management Plan.”3Internal quality assuranceIt is commendable that faculty and staff members, led by the president, share existing
problems to carry out self-study and evaluation processes in order to improve theUniversity. At the summary meeting, held prior to the election of a new president, facultyand staff members examine the current situation of the university management and itsproblems, following its future mission, “Co-creation of the Future,” based on thesummary report presented by the president. The results of this process are reflected in the“Mid- and Long-Term Management Plan,” drawn up by the administrative unit in charge
and completed by the “Mid- and Long-Term Management Plan and Self-study
Administration Committee” within the first year of each new president’s term.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational content, methods, and outcome

At the University, the contents of the syllabi vary in their specificities. Specifically, there
are several imperfections in the syllabi of the Graduate School of Contemporary
Okinawan Studies. For example, some lack lesson plans. This should be improved.

In the Department of Law and Economics, the department-specific faculty development
opportunities to improve the content and methods of education have not been
implemented. This should be improved.

Student attrition is high in undergraduate programs, and the ratio of students awarded
degrees to fourth year students who are expected to graduate is low. This should be
improved by considering and formulating a plan for systematic learning and study
support.

Enrollment
The ratio of transfer students to the transfer student admission cap is low at 0.30 in theDepartment of Law and Economics in the Faculty of Law and Economics, and at 0.43 in
the Department of International Communication and at 0.25 in the Department of Child
Studies in the Faculty of Humanities. These numbers should be improved.

Education and research environmentA full-time librarian with professional knowledge of library science has not been hired
for the library. This should be improved.

Administration and financeAccounting documents of 2012 listed a title two endowment that was based on anaborted plan. It is said that, within the school year of 2013, the executive board and theboard of trustees would plan to break into the title two endowment’s fund, and would
begin to set aside money for a new title two endowment in order to purchase an alternate
site. However, a title two endowment is supposed to be systematically incorporated into
the account when a future plan approved by the executive board and board of trustees
exits to acquire a fixed property. This should be improved immediately.

Areas of Serious Concern
Faculty and faculty organization
The University as a whole is short of three professors in order to satisfy the Standard for
the Establishment of Universities. This must be corrected.

4Enrollment
The average of the ratios of last five years of enrolled freshmen to the freshmen
admission cap is low at 0.82 and the ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment
cap is low at 0.70 in the Department of International Communication in the Faculty ofHumanities. This situation must be corrected.