GCC Common Room Opens – A Hub at the Intersection of Community & Society

On September 30, 2025, Waseda University  opened the new “GCC Common Room” in Building 27 on the Waseda Campus. This space will serve as a hub for the University’s “Contribution” initiative.

From left, GCC Director Tatsunori Matsui, President Aiji Tanaka, and Vice President Koichi Suga

In a world growing ever more complex—with climate change, widening inequality, challenges to regional sustainability and more—Waseda University aims to harness its broad disciplinary expertise and educational resources to work together with society and make real contributions. The Global Citizenship Center (GCC) plays a central role in this mission. In addition to the “Global Research Center (GRC)” and the “Global Education Center (GEC),” the GCC forms a key axis of the University’s framework for evolving into “a university that contributes to humankind throughout the world.” While collaborating organically with the GRC and GEC, the GCC will build on the University’s efforts in translating research and educational outcomes into societal impact (such as implementation, outreach, volunteering at home and abroad, community/industry collaboration, leadership education, entrepreneurship, and experiential learning) and aim to further advance the development of people of high aptitude who can contribute globally.

In line with realizing this vision, the “GCC Common Room” has been opened. To mark the occasion, an opening ceremony was held. Attendees included University President Aiji Tanaka, Executive Vice President Koichi Suga, GCC Director Tatsunori Matsui, students, and nearby community members (including members of the Waseda Shopping Street). Together they celebrated the new space.

About the Global Citizenship Center (GCC)

In accordance with the founding spirit promoted by founder Shigenobu Okuma, — “Do not think only of your own interest, your family’s interest, or the interests of your country alone, but be ambitious to contribute to humankind throughout the world” —the Waseda University of today strives to cultivate people of high aptitude who actively contribute to the world, viewing all “citizens” as “global citizens” regardless of nationality.

On April 1, 2024, Waseda University established the Global Citizenship Center (GCC) to  further advance our vision of contribution. The GCC serves as a driving force for Waseda’s contribution-oriented mission through initiatives such as:

• Creating a platform for sharing visions of contribution to humanity (promoting research and educational projects with a clear focus on contribution)
• Designing education that fosters the “self-competency” required to make meaningful contributions to the world
• Establishing opportunities for all people—students and alumni alike—to benefit from Waseda’s research and educational achievements, thereby building a sustainable, cyclical system of people of high aptitude

Furthermore, within Waseda’s 150th Anniversary Project, the GCC is positioned as a key initiative embodying the University’s commitment to contribution within the framework of the three Global Center concepts.