NEWS

2023 Spring Matriculation Ceremony was held

Update: April 1, 2023

On Saturday, April 1st 2023, with cherry blossoms in full bloom, ICU welcomed a total of 656 new undergraduate, graduate students from within and outside Japan and exchange students from universities which have exchange student agreements with ICU at the Matriculation ceremony held in the University Chapel.

As per the tradition that has been followed for over 70 years since the founding of the University in 1953, the students' names were announced individually and all new students signed the written pledge to uphold the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in their student lives.

President Shoichiro Iwakiri gave words of encouragement to the newly gathered new students.

 

2023 Spring Matriculation Address by Shoichiro Iwakiri, President

Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:3-8

A warm welcome to all of you who are entering our College of Liberal Arts and our MA and PhD programs. At the same time, I extend my warmest regards to all your family members and friends.

We know that there have been, and maybe still are, unreasonable disasters, accidents and wars in the lives of those of you who are now new students, and that these events are beyond your control. People should wish for a happy daily life, communicate their thoughts and feelings to each other and try to change the world for the better; but why doesn't this happen? I am sure you are looking to the future with these questions in your heart.

Climate change, energy problems, the destruction of nature, inequality, discrimination, violence... there are many problems that cast a shadow over the future. At the same time, the world of algorithms, that includes molecular biology, biochemistry, semiconductors and quantum computers, is developing in a manner that will elucidate, use and manufacture mechanisms and systems invisible to the human eye. The era in which you live is one of intellectual adventure, one in which you will transform the unknown into a new reality, challenging the very nature of human activity in the geological era, the so-called Anthropocene.

Looking at the world today, the global environment and human society seem to be deteriorating more and more. However, if we become pessimistic and just paint everything black because of this, it is as if we were a spectator. We must look at the situation as it is, not run away from it, not be indifferent to it, and we must have a vision of a better world. An era has its own character, characterized above all by the youth of that era. There is something beautiful that lives in an era. This individuality, this beauty, generate a vision. It may not yet be in a form that can be shared with others. I hope that your studies at ICU will enable you to acquire and deepen your ability to give shape to this vision.

These abilities may seem of little value if viewed in a short-term perspective. But what is valued in the liberal arts cannot be counted in the short term, because the liberal arts focus on the ability to continue to demonstrate real value - and to be of real use - over a long period of time. How do we understand human beings, society and nature? What do we consider as important values? What problems do we solve and for what purpose? We are talking here of the ability to ask these questions, to answer them and to solve the problems they encapsulate.

This April, we begin using the new Troyer Memorial Arts and Sciences Hall. This building is a symbolic space for liberal arts learning, where you will create new ways of seeing things, systems and sensibilities in yourself and in society through dialogue. Through dialogue and diversity in your daily campus life, and through critical thinking whereby you will come to better understand yourself and others, we hope that each of you will establish your own personality and contribute to peace building.

Globalization allows us to share universal values, but we are also bound to our own cultures that do not necessarily coincide with them. The world is full of diversity. I would like you to experience the richness of this world as a student. ICU offers study abroad and service learning opportunities that allow you to meet diverse people in the real world. We encourage you to make the most of these opportunities.

What people find through dialogue, diversity and encounter is trust and hope. At the other end are doubt and despair, and ICU's Christian-based teaching and research means that we create a place of trust and hope. On our campus, I hope you will spend your days full of intellectual and spiritual energy.

Today, a book is placed in your hands. It is a book entitled "Illustrated Trilingual Edition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: in Japanese, English and French". It is a book that ICU students created for you two years ago during the constraining situation of the coronavirus.

The book was originally written in French and translated into Japanese. Since ICU is a bilingual university, we took it upon ourselves to translate it into English, which was lacking, so that the book could be read by all students matriculating in April and September to help them better understand human rights. It is a gift from the current students to all of you. Please treat it with care and use it as a reference when thinking about peace and human rights.
Your studies, research and human relationships will transform you, and I hope that your experiences at ICU will endow you with enhanced inner plenitude and transform you into a person even more deeply connected to the world.