I am pleased to announce that APU was selected for Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s “Top Global University Project.” This project aimed to select 30 universities out of Japan’s approximately 750 universities (Type A: 10 universities, Type B: 20 universities) befitting of the “Top Global University” title, as a means to enhance the international competitiveness of Japan’s higher education. The universities selected for the Type A category are those aspiring for a spot in the World University Ranking’s Top 100. Universities selected for Type B are those with the power to propel globalization efforts within this country. Final selection results show 13 universities selected for Type A and 24 universities selected for Type B. (Refer to the list of selected universities for details.) APU applied for the Type B category and was successfully chosen.
The title of APU’s “Top Global University Project” concept is “Global Learning: Toward New Horizons in University Education”. The APU campus is one of the few multicultural and multilingual environments in the world as half of the APU student body is composed of full-time degree-seeking international students from 80 countries and regions in addition to half of our faculty hailing from overseas. It doesn’t matter what country or region you come from, your contact with other cultures commence from the day you arrive on this campus. Exchange with others in your daily lives leads to a reexamination of your own self, which in turn spurs the development of a consciousness that allows for the relativization of “self” and “other.” APU’s multicultural environment is the reason behind why consciousness can make this leap to a new dimension. The concepts behind this project will enable us to make thorough use of our unique environment and become a university where our students grow and succeed. APU has continued to explore academic concepts and systems that would produce new values from its founding as well as up to the present. Utilizing this project, we will go further in these pursuits and aim to discover a new horizon and new values that will lead us to peaceful coexistence in these times that are rife with chaos and uncertainty.
”Globalization” implies an enormous cultural transformation of modern society – a society where information is transmitted instantly on a global scale and economic profit is prioritized over nationalism (however, in the end, profit motives are unable to conquer nationalism). At the same time, within this push for globalization, people seek out their own identities on a deeper level. In this respect, there is a tendency for a certain “ambivalence” to arise when these two values exist concurrently.
The APU campus is exceedingly well adapted to fostering the growth of people living in today’s globalized modern society which is why human resources produced on our campus will be in high demand. I implore all of our students to be actively involved in this project, and I plan to enlist cooperation from APU alumni as well, as we endeavor to construct and perfect the APU model for student growth and success.
Related Links:
APU Gallery : APU Selected as One of Japan’s Top 30 “Global Hub Universities”
2014 “Top Global University Project” Selection Results (Japanese Only)
