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Waseda University’s Senior Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost, Shuji Hashimoto was given the opportunity to speak about the “Waseda Goes Global” Plan at the European Union (EU) Member State Officials meeting on April 27, 2016. He gave a 40-minute presentation in English in front of approximately 30 counselors about Waseda’s history, the plan’s outline, and the university’s motivation to build stronger relations with European countries.

Vice President Hashimoto started his presentation by giving a brief overview of the university. Ever since its founding, Waseda has fostered talented alumni worldwide who are prime ministers, global business leaders, award-winning authors, and champion athletes: UNIQLO founder Tadashi Yanai, novelist Haruki Murakami, and figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu to name a few. In addition, according to the QS world university rankings in 2015, 21 of its subjects ranked in the top 200, and the university was ranked #212 in 2015. The Times Higher Education Global Executives Ranking ranked Waseda as #20 in 2013, and Waseda ranked #1 for graduate employability in Japan according to the 2016 QS rankings.

There is no doubt Waseda is one of the most famous and popular universities in Japan. As it also prides itself in being the most international university nationwide, it offers English-based degree programs in 6 undergraduate and 12 graduate schools and dual degree programs with eight renowned universities in the world. The University continues to make even greater attempts to become more global. The Vice President explained the Waseda Vision 150, a strategic plan the University aims to achieve by the year 2032, which is its 150th anniversary. The Waseda Vision 150 includes the following goals:

1. To attract students of the highest caliber and character who show promise in being able to contribute to the world
2. To conduct research that will ultimately contribute to world peace and happiness of people
3. To foster graduates who will contribute to the public good as global leaders
4. To be Asia’s (if not the world’s) premier university, and adaptable to the changing world

In order to accelerate these goals, Waseda submitted a plan known as the Waseda Goes Global to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)’s Top Global University (TGU) Project for building an open, dynamic and diverse worldwide academic network. In 2013, it was selected for TGU’s top category (Type A), along with only 12 other universities nationally.

The Ministry’s TGU project will provide major funding of 400 million yen over ten years to support Waseda Goes Global. This ten-year plan, also known as the Ocean concept, connects the University with the world and revolutionize its research and education programs for training 100,000 graduates for global leadership and securing a global top 100 ranking in at least 18 of its 25 research areas. Six areas have earned priority investment for further development, including: ICT & robotics, energy and nano materials, health & sports, physics & mathematics, political economy, and global Japanese studies. Additionally, the plan lays out a fundamental reform of faculty and administrative staff recruitment systems and university governance. For detailed information of the plan, refer to the Waseda Goes Global Plan website.

Some of the six priority research areas mentioned above have European partner institutions, underlining Waseda’s close relationship with Europe. Aside from having recently opened its Brussels Office, the top ten sources for international students at Waseda include France, Germany, and the U.K. Conversely, Waseda students’ top ten study abroad destinations include the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Spain. The vice president expressed the university’s eagerness to create even tighter connections with its European partners, through EU initiatives such as Erasmus Mundus and Horizon 2020, despite the challenges Waseda faces, ranging from language barriers to differences in academic evaluation and university structures.

Lastly, Vice President Hashimoto wrapped up his presentation with an inspirational vision. He argued that the role of universities is not only to meet the demands of today but to show the future of the world and our society. There is a gap between our dreams and reality, but this gap has been closing due to technological advancements and the evermore sophisticated societal systems. However, reality exceeding dreams may create new issues. In order to keep dreams flying ahead of reality, he urged that “the role of universities is to make dreams come true and create a new culture to continue dreaming. Dreams are the source of vitality of the human race. We need a reasonable gap between dreams and reality. Pursuing reality triggers new businesses and leadership. By pursuing dreams, we cultivate a new culture of youth. At Waseda, we teach how to dream.” The vice president emphasized the university’s desire to strengthen ties with European institutions for this reason. “The cooperation with European countries is very important for us, to make new dreams and make the world happy, sustainable, and safe to live in.”