Vision, Policies & Pledge
AY2021-2025 Medium-term Plan ―Towards the Social Implementation of Liberal Arts―
Policies & Pledge
Policies related to our Mission
Student Pledge
Our first students matriculating on April 29, 1953 each signed a pledge to support the university philosophy and spend their ICU days abiding by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. This has been the custom at every matriculation ceremony.
Basic Policies for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations
As a university that values the International Declaration on Human Rights, ICU takes, as its responsibility, the securing of a safe campus for its community members to live and work, by providing an educational, research and working environment free from human rights violations. For this reason, discrimination on the basis of gender, race, nationality, origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, etc. and any harassment that takes advantage of one's position/standing, regardless of the form it takes, are unacceptable. All members of the campus community are expected to fully understand the internationality and the Christian spirit that ICU stands for and work together to create a pleasant campus.
Environmental Policy for ICU
International Christian University (hereafter ICU), a Christian liberal arts institution, declares its commitment to environmental mindfulness and stewardship in all its activities. The care for creation is fundamental to the mission of Christians everywhere. Moreover, as an educational institution, ICU is committed to the cultivation of responsible global citizens and believes that education is the best means to bring about a better and healthier world. The university seeks to integrate environmental awareness and responsibility into the daily life of the institution. Respect and care for the environment, protection of campus biodiversity, and responsible global citizenship are among the fundamental values that guide university-wide planning and decision-making.
All faculty, staff, and students who make up the ICU community should be aware of the way their actions affect the local and global environment in which we live.
ICU is endowed with a campus of extraordinarily natural beauty and cultural heritage. This gift can and should be treasured as one of the unique and appealing assets of the institution.
4. Internal Quality Assurance Policy
In order to fulfill ICU's mission, we have established policies and procedures for internal quality assurance, which has been a daily commitment since the University's inception, and we approach the various activities of the University with a critical mindset and strive to make creative improvements.
Policy and Procedures for the Internal Quality Assurance of ICU
5. Educational Curriculum and Learning Outcomes
ICU Policy on Academic Integrity
As members of a liberal arts institution devoted to academic excellence and the pursuit of truth, ICU students are expected to maintain the highest levels of honesty and integrity in all their endeavors. Scholarship is naturally built upon past achievements. Accordingly, it is a serious violation of academic integrity to pass off the thoughts, ideas, words, phrases or research of another person as if those achievements were one's own. All work submitted by students for evaluation by their teachers must be original work. Students are expected to properly acknowledge all sources of information that is not the product of their own research or thinking. ICU established this policy on February 19, 2004.
ICU Policy on Academic Integrity
ICU's Perspective on the Use of Generative AI by Students
ICU emphasizes the process of critical thinking among students. Therefore, when students engage in assignments, we expect them to think, research, reflect, and compose their responses in their own words. Texts created by generative AI, even with some alterations, will not be considered as their own work and will be deemed in violation of the Academic Integrity Policy. Tasks that are required to be completed by themselves should not be performed by generative AI. Violations of these policies will be treated as breaches of the Academic Integrity Policy.
ICU's Perspective on the Use of Generative AI by Students
Qualities Required in Faculty Members, and the Faculty Organization Policy
Qualities Required in Faculty Members stipulates faculty positions, as well as the principles and duties required. Faculty Organization Policy outlines basic principles such as the number of appointments, academic areas to hire from, consideration for impartiality, measures for faculty development, and procedures for fair appointments.
ICU Qualities Required in Faculty Members, and the Faculty Organization Policy
Introducing Faculty Development (FD) at ICU
At International Christian University, the spirit of Faculty Development has been alive from the very inception of the University. ICU educators have long been dedicated to quality teaching and responsible advising. As a liberal arts university, ICU has sought to endow its students with an education that emphasizes critical thinking and independent thought. To provide a suitable environment and stimulating course contents, ICU has pioneered in areas such as fixed advising days and office hours, and a university wide survey to assure effective teaching and learning.
ICU has also been sensitive to the accelerated emphasis on quality assurance that has swept through Japanese higher education from the 1990s. Since the creation of the post of Director of Faculty Development in 1995 and with the establishment of the Faculty Development Committee in 2001, ICU has been active in providing orientations for new faculty as well as open seminars in areas ranging from e-learning to support of special needs students. In 2015 the Office of Faculty Development became an integral part of the new Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).
Thanks to the efforts of many faculty, FD began to offer a semester-long orientation for New Faculty members (New Faculty Development Program). The sessions are held once a week and cover a wide variety of topics from office procedures to the values we promote as part of ICU's identity.
Another aspect of our work is the support we provide to Teaching Assistants (TAs). We are working to ensure that their experience is meaningful both to the TA's themselves and to the students they help to educate. Almost all of these activities are administered bilingually and thus add an international dimension to our program.
ICU is recognized in Japan as having a high quality FD program, and in the coming years we hope to further provide ICU faculty members with quality assistance and support so they can continue to develop as teachers and scholars and provide an excellent education to ICU students. An important part of this assistance is in the area of bilingual education. We sponsor courses in English Medium Instruction (EMI) and help faculty to take advantage of technology to support second-language learners. Furthermore, it is necessary to promote the establishment of peer-to-peer as well as mentoring relationships among ICU faculty and to encourage faculty members to learn with one another and further develop their abilities as teachers and scholars. To this end, we have provided examples of how ICT is being utilized in classes on our website, and we have set up a space for faculty and staff to network and interact with one another called "Brown Bag Lunch & Learn".
At ICU, we also publish the FD Newsletter in both English and Japanese and make it available for viewing on our website.
Director, Faculty Development
Faculty Development (FD)Policies related to Student Support
Policies related to Student Support stipulate policies regarding learning support, support for student life, and support for career path.
Basic Policy for Student with Special Needs
Standing by the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ICU shall prepare and maintain an environment in which all students can learn on the basis of equal opportunity, without any discrimination, and with dignity. ICU shall secure opportunities for those with disabilities to participate in learning, teaching, research, and other related activities equally alongside those without disabilities.
Education and Research Environment
Polices of Research Activites
Appropriate Operation and Management of Public Research Funds
In light of the directive from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology titled "Guidelines on Research Institutions' Management and Auditing of Public Grant Monies" (15 February 2007), ICU has established the Committee for the Prevention of Fraudulent Activities and carries out appropriate operation and management of public research funds.
Office for Information on Misconduct in Research Activities
Experiments on Animals
At ICU maintains a Committee on the Use of Animals in Experimentation based on the "ICU Regulations on Animal Experimentation." At ICU, experiments using animals are conducted properly under the management of the university president.
Research Ethics Investigations
ICU has a Research Ethics Committee that checks whether research projects make sufficient considerations for the protection of personal information and protection of human rights. The committee's investigations take place before research projects begin and are aimed at researchers at ICU, including graduate students.
ICU Regulations on the Research Ethics Committee
Policy on Social Collaboration and Social Contribution
One of ICU's mission is to cultivate international-minded citizens. In order to establish and maintain beneficial relations with individuals and organizations throughout society, thereby contributing to the betterment of society, we have established policies surrounding the sharing of University's knowledge and expertise and the creation of a collaborative framework between the University and various individuals and organizations.
Management and Administration Policies
In order to realize ICU's mission, we have established the following policies: continuously review the transparent and fair management and administration of the University and our decision-making process; promote the training for faculty and staff; appropriately form organizations; and establish our audit system and financial base.