Congratulations to all our freshly minted MAs and PhDs who successfully defended their dissertations or passed thesis oral examinations in the fall semester. You all well deserve the honor and praise for your hard work and accomplishment.
This year has been hard for all of us due to COVID-19. A majority of our classes were taught online. I have not seen many of my own students for more than a year because the campus was closed during the spring or their entry to the country was restricted by new border security measures. As of this writing, the pandemic situation in the coming months does not look good at all. We must brace for rising number of COVID-19 cases in Japan and elsewhere.
While we obviously need to remain prudent and patient, it is also important to face the current adversities with creativity and fresh perspectives. Even when the pandemic is finally over, there will not be a simple return to “business as usual.” I hope that drawing on what you have learnt at GSICCS, you will take a leadership role in generating new and innovative ideas to make our world a better place to live.
Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Dean