NEWS

2016 Summer Commencement Ceremony

Update: July 4, 2016

79 undergraduate students and 30 graduate students graduated from ICU at its summer commencement ceremony held at the University Chapel on Thursday, 30 June.

At the ceremony, each student's name was read out in keeping with tradition that has continued since the first commencement ceremony. Students whose names were called received their diplomas - the fruit of four years of learning - on stage and shook hands with President Junko Hibiya.

Also present to receive honors were Prof. Grant R. Pogosyan, Prof. Robert W. Ridge, and Prof. M. William Steele who were named on 1 April 2016, to receive the title of professor emeritus.

Prof. Grant R. Pogosyan arrived at ICU as Associate Professor in September 1991. Since arriving at ICU until his retirement in March 2016, he has, over the twenty-four years and seven months here, been engaged in education and research as Associate Professor and Professor.

He took various administrative responsibilities, such as Chair of Division of Natural Sciences (GS) (April 2001-March 2005) and Chair of Division of Natural Sciences (April 2007-March 2008). After the academic reform in the College of Liberal Arts in 2008, he was engaged in academic reform in the Graduate School. He became the first dean of the new Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (April 2010- March 2012) which combined the former 4 divisions and founded its establishment. Some of the achievements are establishment of 5-year Program for students to acquire a bachelor in 4 years and a master in 1 year. In addition, he was a founding director of Global Leadership Studies (GLS, April 2011- March 2013) which is an intensive, all-English, residential program for tomorrow's global leaders.

Prof. Robert W. Ridge arrived at ICU as Associate Professor in September 1993. Since arriving at ICU until his retirement in March 2016, He has, over the twenty-two years and seven months here, been engaged in education and research as Associate Professor and Professor.

His achievements have been evidenced by a number of publications in academic journals and books including "Root Hairs: Cell and Molecular Biology (Springer 2000)" which is a well-known textbook in the field of Plant Cell Biology.

His contribution to the university is not limited to his research and education. He took various administrative responsibilities, such as Chair of Division of Natural Sciences (GS) (April 2005-March 2009), Chair of Safety Management of Genetic Recombination of Life Committee (April 2007-March 2010), and Chair of Department of Life Science (April 2011- March 2013). He served in many other committees as well.

Prof. Steele came to ICU in 1976 as a part-time lecturer from Harvard University, and he was appointed as an assistant professor at ICU in 1981. He has engaged in education and research activity for 36 years as an assistant professor, associate professor, professor and 60th Anniversary professor.

He has served on many committees and in many administrative positions such as the director of the Japan Studies Program, the Institute of Asian Cultural Studies, the Graduate School of Comparative Culture, the Chair of Division of Social Sciences and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. In particular he made a great effort to reform the curriculum and enrich Liberal Arts education as dean from 2003 to 2009.

Since being appointed as the 60th Anniversary professor in 2013, he has been engaged in the work of the archives that record the history of ICU and preserve the historical documents about the university.

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