NEWS

Staff Overseas Business Trip Report Meeting Held

Update: December 8, 2025

On November 25, 2025, as part of our staff development program, a report meeting was held to share insights from overseas business trips conducted in AY2024. Fifty staff members attended the session. Since 2015, ICU has dispatched 22 staff members for overseas training and organized eight report meetings.
ICU promotes overseas visits to partner universities to enhance staff expertise and intercultural communication skills, aiming to foster professionals who can contribute to university operations from a global perspective. These programs provide opportunities for staff to exchange ideas with international colleagues.
This time, two staff members reported on their U.S. visit under the GLAA (Global Liberal Arts Alliance) Alliance Professional Development Program. GLAA is an alliance of liberal arts institutions worldwide, and ICU has been its sole member in Japan since 2014.

 

Visit Details:
Institutions: Kenyon College, The College of Wooster, Oberlin College (GLAA member institutions)
Dates: March 24-28, 2025
Participants: Two staff members (General Affairs Division, Academic Affairs Division)

 

The meeting began with an overview of the trip and an introduction to GLAA, followed by presentations highlighting the distinctive features of each institution.
Reports included findings from interviews conducted during the visit.

General Affairs Division: Topics included faculty recruitment processes, teaching load management, and notable initiatives at Kenyon College.
Faculty recruitment processes were found to be broadly similar to those at ICU, with potential practices identified for future consideration. Regarding teaching load, the staff member noted that GLAA institutions emphasize balancing teaching and service, with regular checks and reviews in place, and also highlighted the need for ongoing structural improvements at ICU. Finally, an advanced initiative at Kenyon College, known as the "Campus Senate," was introduced. This body fosters collaboration among faculty, staff, and students and also serves as an advisory organization to the administration. It was noted that implementing a similar system at ICU could provide an effective way to incorporate the perspectives of various campus communities into university governance.

Academic Affairs Division: Focused on academic advising and research support systems. Academic advising practices were largely consistent with those at ICU, with faculty playing a central role, though unique approaches at each institution were also highlighted. Research support systems were found to be comprehensive, including substantial funding opportunities and assistance for external grant applications. It was also shared that enhancing research support systems contributes to attracting outstanding faculty, and that donations play a crucial role in sustaining research support.

In their concluding remarks, the presenters emphasized:

• Joint participation by staff from various divisions offered a valuable opportunity to learn about each other's work through interviews. During these sessions, senior executives--including the Provost and Dean--generously provided clear, comprehensive explanations from a broad perspective, enabling us to gain a deeper understanding of overall operations.
• GLAA member institutions maintain strong interconnections, offering a model for collaborative information-sharing that could be adapted in Japan.
• Visiting U.S. liberal arts colleges--which serve as models for ICU--and having the opportunity to conduct interviews was an extremely valuable experience. It is essential to continue gathering data from various institutions.
• While continuing to learn from overseas institutions, ICU must also remain attentive to developments within Japanese society.
• GLAA member institutions are invaluable partners in addressing challenges unique to liberal arts colleges, and we hope to maintain and strengthen our exchanges going forward.

We will continue to explore opportunities for overseas training to further develop globally minded staff.