As a goal for 20 years from now that is aimed at building new communities that can strengthen our ties with society in a diverse and broad manner and allow us to give back to society extensively as a leader through the outcomes of our educational and research activities, we need to maintain an environment that enables us to adapt to both the tangible and intangible aspects of the changing times.
In terms of the tangible aspects, our campus facilities must be equipped with advanced technologies, including ICT, to maintain a comfortable environment for education and research and to enrich the university’s facilities for our students and faculty so that we can enhance their quality of life at our university. In terms of the more intangible aspects, we must position ourselves as a university that is open to all by supporting the creation of a community that includes a diverse range of people—including alumni, local residents, and international partners—rather than just those on campus. This new framework will enable the diverse group of people affiliated with our university to hold global exchanges and engage in global activities.
In addition to further expanding our existing communities (e.g., our undergraduate schools, departments, graduate schools, majors, classes, seminars, clubs, academic conferences, fields of specialty, language groups, local communities, and alumni association), we will also support the formation of new, innovative communities that differ from the existing established communities, thereby concentrating the diverse energy of the university’s stakeholders and forming a new kind of Waseda family.
While we revitalize existing communities, including the local community and the nationwide alumni community, we will create programs that are intended to transcend the university’s boundaries and serve as a catalyst for the formation of new communities. We will also strengthen organizations, formulate measures to secure the resources required to implement projects, and develop facilities that will serve as the foundation for our community activities. In doing this, we will create a broad and constant layer of support for Waseda University.
Under “Vision 150,” we aim to form various new communities of people affiliated with Waseda University. Through these communities centered on our university, we will share all of the wisdom, passion, and spirit that we have nurtured at our university with as many people as possible and participate in the creation of new knowledge and culture and the enhancement of society. This means that we must prepare for new developments in civilization during this era by reforming our university and the nature of our academic endeavors.