A Welcome Party 2009 (a celebration to commemorate the establishment of the department) was held at the Izumi Campus Community Center. New students, parents who attended the PTA general meeting, and faculty members from Department of Co-existing Society Studies participated, making it a fun and celebratory event.

First, President Nozomi Hoshimiya and Dean Yoshinori Harada of Faculty of Economics gave congratulatory speeches. Following that, Mr. Yoshiaki Sakurai, Vice Chairman of the Miyagi Prefectural Medical Association, gave a commemorative lecture for the opening of the department titled "My Time as a University Student (Medical Student) and What Followed." He spoke about what he learned from Professor Jiro Suzuki, a world-renowned neurosurgeon, what he learned through club activities, and his experiences with "coexistence" in the medical field, among other things. The new students were able to find hints on how to have a meaningful student life. Ms. Sakiko Nosaka, representing the new students, presented Mr. Sakurai with a bouquet of flowers as a token of their gratitude.

The tea party began with a toast by former Dean of Faculty of Economics, Kazuo Endo. It was a gathering for conversation over soft drinks and snacks. Kenji Kawagishi, the representative of the new students, gave a powerful speech saying, "We will build Department of Co-existing Society Studies." The Tohoku Gakuin University cheering squad, who rushed to attend after hearing about the event, also offered words of encouragement to Department of Co-existing Society Studies and to the new students.

If this party has further strengthened the feeling among the new students that "I'm glad I joined Department of Co-existing Society Studies!", then we faculty members would be extremely pleased.