2021年度入学式告辞
Today, as we hold the 2021 entrance ceremony, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all 2,807 new students. I can only imagine the joy of their parents and families. Unfortunately, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we had to ask guests and parents to refrain from attending. However, in light of the joint declaration of a state of emergency by Miyagi Prefecture and Sendai City on March 18th, we must apologize that the entrance ceremony will be held with only representatives of the new students in attendance.
Today, all of you entering the university have completed your high school studies, earned the right to be selected, and become students of Tohoku Gakuin University. It is an immense joy for us as a university to welcome you. We respect and accept each and every one of you as an irreplaceable individual, and we promise to support you with all our might for the next four years until your graduation.
Tohoku Gakuin University is the largest private comprehensive university north of Tohoku, with six faculties, six Graduate Schools, and a total student body of over 11,000. Founded in Sendai in 1886 (Meiji 19) as Sendai Theological Seminary, it began with two teachers and six students, thanks to 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 the establishment of the institution. This year marks its 135th anniversary. After about five years, Sendai Theological Seminary changed its name to Tohoku Gakuin, and under the leadership of missionary David Schneider, Hoy's successor, it developed into a university in 1949, which it remains today. Since its founding, Tohoku Gakuin has produced over 190,000 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 our university's educational philosophy, which we call the "founding spirit," is Christian-based character education. Article 1 of the university regulations states, "Tohoku Gakuin University aims to contribute to the creation of world culture and the welfare of humankind by imparting broad knowledge and deeply teaching and researching specialized academic disciplines, thereby developing intellectual, moral, and applied abilities, based on Christian-based character education." We have simplified this founding spirit and adopted LIFE LIGHT LOVE as our school motto. This is a phrase that has been familiar to Tohoku Gakuin graduates for a long time. LIFE means cherishing the lives of finite living beings and the dignity of individuals created by God in His own image; LIGHT means pioneering a new era through the achievements of learning and science; and LOVE means serving the community and the world with love for one's neighbor.
In accordance with this founding principle, a short worship service is usually held every morning around 10 a.m. at the university's three campuses. We hope that you will find peace of mind, be soothed by the tranquil environment of the chapel, listen to the sound of the pipe organ, gaze upon the light streaming through the stained glass, read the Bible, listen to a message based on the Bible, and come to understand the core spirit of the institution.
The era in which you will study and live at university is an "era of great change and crisis." The collapse of the Cold War system between East and West, which occurred more than 30 years ago, and the arrival of the computer-driven information revolution, spurred the free movement of people, goods, and capital, leading to what is called globalization, or "global integration." Artificial intelligence (AI) and data science have created a convenient society, but at the same time, they have changed the way people live and work. Now, along with learning foreign languages, it is becoming impossible to live a better life without learning about information and utilizing information technology.
In this era of change, a crisis is upon us. Since the Industrial Revolution, humanity has used fossil fuels to satisfy its desires and pursued profit above all else, resulting in today's poverty, environmental destruction due to global warming, and, although a combination of accidental factors, the spread of the novel coronavirus. The convenient and affluent consumer lifestyle brought about by globalization and the global spread of COVID-19 teach us that the "major changes" surrounding us and this "era of crisis" are inextricably linked.
You, the new students, have entered Tohoku Gakuin University in the midst of this "era of great change and crisis." The coming era is unpredictable, like setting sail without a compass. Precisely because of these challenging times, it is essential to acquire a solid foundation of general knowledge and specialized knowledge and skills, and to be able to utilize that knowledge and skills while simultaneously developing the ability to communicate with others and act responsibly.
Based on its medium- to long-term plan, TG Grand Vision 150, "Learning Richly, and Contributing to the Local Community and the World," created in preparation for its 150th anniversary in 2036, Tohoku Gakuin University is currently undertaking three major transformations.
The first is the utilization of information technology and adaptation to DX (Digital Transformation). Starting this academic year, our university will require all new students to BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), meaning they will be required to bring their own PC. While PCs will be used in classes, from next year we will introduce e-portfolio so that your "learning outcomes" can be visualized. This will make it immediately clear on your PC what you are aiming for at university and to what extent you have achieved those goals. In this way, your PC will become an essential item, serving as a "compass" for your studies throughout your university life.
Secondly, we are increasing opportunities for "active learning." Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, our university has been actively promoting courses that focus on learning about the local community. University classes are not just about reading textbooks and attending lectures in the classroom. There are also problem-solving courses that involve actually going to the community, seeing and hearing things, investigating, thinking, and rigorously evaluating each other's work. To this end, Tohoku Gakuin University has prepared a learning commons in the Hoy Memorial Hall, equipped with the latest IT media facilities. Although it is not part of the regular curriculum in terms of active learning, since the Great East Japan Earthquake 10 years ago, our university's disaster volunteer station has been a key station for university volunteer activities nationwide. We encourage you to participate in volunteer work, interact with local people, broaden your perspective, and develop the ability to judge what you can do to benefit society and others. Our university also encourages extracurricular activities such as athletic clubs, cultural groups, and student circles, which are important for character development as stated in our founding principles.
Thirdly, the new campus currently under construction in Itsutsubashi will open in exactly two years. Until then, you will be studying separately at the Izumi and Tagajo campuses, but in two years, students from Faculty of Liberal Arts in Izumi and students from the Faculty of Faculty of Engineering in Tagajo will all be united in the urban-style single campus of Tsuchitoi and Itsutsubashi. At that time, you will all be third-year students, and you will play a role in inheriting the traditions of this university and bridging those traditions to the future of the university that will begin on the new campus.
In response to the state of emergency declaration, orientation sessions starting tomorrow will be held both in person and remotely (online), and classes will be conducted remotely until May 1st. Today marks the start of your four years of university education. You are now standing shoulder to shoulder with first-year university students in Japan, and indeed, around the world, on the same starting line. Now that you are free from the pressures of entrance exams, you should consider that four years as a university student is longer than three years as a high school student. Four years of university education will undoubtedly prepare you for future growth. Of course, the university will provide ample support, but it is no exaggeration to say that your future will depend on your motivation to learn.
Finally, I'd like to share a famous quote from the Bible: "Ask, and it will be given to you... Knock, and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).
Congratulations on your enrollment!
April 1, 2021
Haruki Onishi, President of Tohoku Gakuin University