NEWS

ICU 2018 Spring Matriculation Ceremony

Update: April 5, 2018

On April 3, International Christian University welcomed over 700 new undergraduate and graduate students, including exchange students from partnership schools, at the Matriculation ceremony held in the University Chapel. According to the tradition which has been kept since the founding of ICU, the students were announced individually and they swore the "Student Pledge" to uphold the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

2018 Spring Matriculation Address by Junko Hibiya, President

First year undergraduate and graduate students, welcome to ICU. Congratulations to family members, relatives, and friends who are viewing this ceremony on the screen at Diffendorfer Memorial Hall.

International Christian University, which you entered today, was established on June 15, 1949, building upon the hard work on its planning that started in the fall of 1945, just weeks after the end of World War II. Japanese and North American Christian leaders convened at the Gotemba YMCA Camp, in Shizuoka. With the inauguration of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Councillors, the founding principles and a fundamental educational plan were laid down. Every year, we commemorate the founding of ICU on that day.

The fund to establish a new university, in particular, to purchase this campus land, was raised on both sides of the Pacific. On the American side, various Christian churches, those connected to foreign mission boards, and many individuals, made steady efforts. On the Japanese side, Governor Hisato Ichimata of the Bank of Japan took charge as president of the supporters' association. A campaign of large scale began, involving political, economic and academic sectors of the country. Those who responded positively to this call were not simply leaders in these sectors but countless ordinary people despite the poor condition of everyday life in the immediate post-war years. As a result, the amount raised reached its target of 150,000,000 yen on July 20, 1950. In the next summer, it was announced that the amount totaled 160,000,000 yen. With most of this, ICU purchased our campus grounds in Mitaka. In April 1953, the first class matriculated and these new students were each introduced to the congregation. We have continued this tradition to this day.

The wooden boxes that contain the cards recording information about each donor are housed in the University Archives on the first floor of the library. You will certainly use the library many times in your academic life at ICU. Do visit the Archives when you take a break from your study. Upon request, you will be able to take a look at individual cards in these boxes. The Archives include over 10,000 items such as photographs and documents. They have been collected since the foundation of ICU. The current Archives exhibition "Elizabeth J. G. Vining and Tane Takahashi -Educators in Search for Peace-" will be held until June 15, the foundation day. I strongly encourage you to go to the Archives at least once in the spring term and familiarize yourself with the university you enter today.

At the beginning of today's service, we heard the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." What those who contributed to establish ICU did, supporting the purpose of this new university to cultivate capable individuals, who would serve both God and people, and who would contribute zealously to lasting peace, coincided perfectly with the Jesus's words. Could they have done what they did if they had not believed in these words?

You will take the "Student Pledge," shortly. This has also been a noble tradition since the university's first matriculation ceremony. You will sign a pledge to uphold the principles of the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights' adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, in 1948 and lead your student life based on these principles. I trust that you have studied the history and significance of the Student Pledge before coming today. With this pledge, each of you will become, in name and reality, a constituent member of ICU who will work together with the faculty and staff to create our university's future. The first article of the declaration states, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Human beings are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." However, the reality is that the world around us is full of divides. The actions of human beings whom, we believe to be endowed with reason and conscience, indeed seem far from the spirit of brotherhood.

Today's scripture reading enjoins each of us to perform our duties faithfully, to expect no reward, and to give generously. The next few years will be period in which, remembering that "It is more blessed to give than to receive", each of you, as an ICU student, give serious thought to what you can give to realize a better world, and discover your unique mission through your studies, through extracurricular activities and in fellowship with friends, faculty and staff.

Today, I have shared with you the history of ICU. This institution was created through the good will of countless people. Entering such a school, you are urged to meet the expectations and prayers of those who contributed to its founding. May the years ahead of you be fruitful.