2019年度入学式告辞
As we hold our 2019 entrance ceremony here today, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all 2,810 new students. I can only imagine the joy of their parents and families. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to all the distinguished guests who are present today.
Each of you entering Tohoku Gakuin University has completed your high school studies, earned the right to be admitted, and is now here as a student of Tohoku Gakuin University. It is an immense joy for the university to welcome you. We respect and accept each and every one of you as an irreplaceable individual. We promise to support you with all our might for the next four years until your graduation.
Tohoku Gakuin University is the largest private university north of Tohoku, with six faculties and six graduate Graduate Schools. It was founded in Sendai in 1886 (Meiji 19) as Sendai Theological Seminary by Masayoshi Oshikawa, who became a member of Japan's first Protestant church, and William Hoy, an American missionary who supported Oshikawa and played a key role in its establishment. This year marks its 133rd anniversary. After about five years, Sendai Theological Seminary changed its name to Tohoku Gakuin, and under the leadership of Hoy's successor, D.B. Schneider, it developed into a university in 1949, which it remains today. This year also marks the university's 70th anniversary. Since its founding, Tohoku Gakuin has produced over 180,000 graduates. These graduates are doing good work in Sendai, throughout Tohoku, and not only in the world, in all kinds of workplaces and homes.
First, the foundation of the school's educational philosophy, which we call the founding spirit, is defined as "cultivating a reverence for God as shown in the Bible and a spirit of love for one's neighbor, following the example of Jesus Christ, and aiming to nurture individuals who will contribute to the development of culture and welfare." We try to understand this founding spirit by breaking it down and using the biblical phrase "Salt of the Earth, Light of the World," which is our school motto. Salt is a basic seasoning indispensable for flavoring, and in this world, it plays a role in bringing out the best in each ingredient. Light plays a role in illuminating the darkness and revealing what is invisible. In this way, nurturing irreplaceable individuals who can play an indispensable role in society—this is the founding spirit of Tohoku Gakuin.
Inspired by this spirit, a short worship service is held every morning around 10 a.m. at all three university campuses. We hope that you will find peace of mind, gaze upon the light streaming through the stained glass windows in the tranquil environment of the chapel, read the Bible, listen to the message based on it, and come to understand the fundamental spirit of the institution.
Are you familiar with the company Microsoft? Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, made a significant contribution to the development of Windows, the software for personal computers—an essential tool for human work today—rather than the mainframe computers of the past. As a child, Gates attended a Protestant church school and sang in the choir, but he became engrossed in computer software development and transitioned into an entrepreneur. When later asked, "What aspects of your education helped you succeed?", he answered, "There are three things." First, his diligent study of mathematics fostered his logical thinking and decision-making skills. Second, reading many books from a young age cultivated his persuasiveness and imagination. Third, he said that thoroughly studying highly-regarded programs from the time he first became interested in computers led to the development of new software and the success of his business.
Gates dropped out of Harvard University due to his busy work schedule, but these three answers offer many insights into your studies at Tohoku Gakuin University. First, I urge you to cherish your specialized studies in your respective faculty. With six faculties and six Graduate Schools, our university has many outstanding faculty members in their respective fields, and whether in classes or seminars, they will help cultivate, to use Gates' words, "logical thinking and decision-making skills."
Next is liberal arts education. Gates did not just diligently study his specialty. He said that "reading many books fostered his persuasiveness and imagination." The significance of liberal arts education lies in knowing the academic foundations and background of one's specialty, while at the same time realizing the limitations of one's specialty by studying subjects outside of one's specialty. It is through this process that "persuasiveness and imagination" are born. Tohoku Gakuin University has a course called "TG Basic," which includes subjects such as Christian studies, Japanese language, and communication skills, with consideration for cultivating students' character and developing their social abilities.
This specialized and liberal arts education led to Gates' success in developing personal computer software, which has profoundly changed the times and the world, as it does today. Under the motto of TGGV150 (Tohoku Gakuin Grand Vision), "Learning Richly, and Contributing to the Community and the World," which was created in preparation for its 150th anniversary in 2036, Tohoku Gakuin University is currently undertaking three major transformations.
The first change is the innovation in teaching methods. We have started incorporating an active learning approach into our classes. In these classes, instead of rote memorization of what the professor teaches, students are encouraged to actively participate in the class, inspired by the professor's lectures, to investigate, think, present their findings, discuss, and evaluate each other's work. To this end, Tohoku Gakuin University has prepared a learning commons equipped with the latest IT media in the Hoy Memorial Hall.
Secondly, in this information age, we tend to become isolated in the world of virtual reality, losing sight of our connections to real society and our local communities. Tohoku Gakuin University encourages extracurricular activities such as athletic clubs, cultural groups, and student circles, which are important for character development, while also promoting volunteer activities. Since the Great East Japan Earthquake eight years ago, our university's volunteer station has been playing a key role as a center for university volunteer activities nationwide. We encourage you to participate in volunteer work, broaden your horizons, and develop the ability to judge how you can be of service to your community and society.
Thirdly, we aim to create an urban campus that is open to the community, bridging the gap between the current Tsuchitoi Campus and the future Itsutsubashi Campus. This campus will closely integrate liberal arts education with the specialized education of our six faculties, and will also be convenient for students' extracurricular and volunteer activities. This year, we will immediately begin development work on the former site of the municipal hospital.
To the new students of Tohoku Gakuin University: Your three years of high school studies, in which you all studied the same subjects, have already come to an end. From today, a new four-year period of study tailored to your chosen field of specialization begins. You are now standing on the same starting line as first-year university students in Japan, and indeed, around the world. Four years at university is longer than three years at high school. What you learn during these four years, how you connect it to your own future, the future of your community, and the future of the world, and how you forge your own path forward—of course, the university will spare no effort in supporting you in this regard. It is no exaggeration to say that it all depends on your motivation to learn. Finally, I would like to share with you a quote from the Bible: "Ask, and it will be given to you... Knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).
April 3, 2019 Haruki Onishi, President, Tohoku Gakuin University