Every Day is “Global” at ICU.

Global ICU

Global Human Resources of ICU

Aiming for Global Human Resources

Since its founding, ICU has aimed to cultivate individuals who are able to take on the world as global citizens. These individual have the following qualities.

  1. have a high regard for individuality and hold fast to diversity;
  2. have a comprehensive understanding of individual and group activities in the overall global environment; grapple with multifaceted topics (development, human rights, peace, life, etc.) with consideration of global interests;
  3. quickly understand the background and essence of any situation or problem and make judgments with a clear view of the future;
  4. bring together cooperating partners and build close relationships by sharing information and awareness of objectives;
  5. communicate and use effective tools to touch others' hearts;
  6. condense opinions of different kinds of people, display leadership, and bring people together.
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The purpose of education is global human resource development

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ICU was founded in 1953 in the period of deep reflection that came in the aftermath of the Second World War. The university was established with the aim of nurturing talented individuals who would help build a free, democratic Japan and contribute to the peaceful development of human society.

With regard to its purpose and mission, the university declared the following principles: to uphold academic freedom and promote comprehensive research; devotion to education and the betterment of education through ceaseless criticism and evaluation; faculty shall come not just from Japan but also from countries around the world; students shall be selected from among those who seek to enter the university based on their character, aspiration, health, thought, family background, academic ability and leadership without regard to their race, nationality and religion; an international campus lifestyle shall be achieved by making Japanese and English the campus languages; a community church will be established on campus and provide the foundation for religious life. This will affirm a Christian view of life and world ethos.

When the university was founded, it was done so on the basis of international cooperation. It had the view of achieving on the campus a testing ground for global cultural exchange and understanding--in effect creating an international community within the university that would demonstrate the potential of global collaborative efforts. ICU was thus conceived as a university that extended beyond the national framework. And in the 60 years since its founding, ICU has consistently nurtured globally talented individuals--global human resources--and it has functioned as a kind of bridge linking Japan with the rest of the world.

Education at ICU is directed at nurturing in the liberal arts

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ICU was the first Japanese university to adopt the word "international" in its name, and it has aimed at mutual understanding at the international level through rigorous academic principles. The ICU campus is a place where students and faculty from different cultural backgrounds, born and raised in different regions, interact and constitute an international community. Through their various personal encounters in the campus environment, students have the opportunity to go beyond their various mutual differences and, in the process, form their own character and develop an open manner toward others. In 2008, plans were implemented to make the education at Japan's pioneer liberal arts university even deeper and more comprehensive. All students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts, where they take general education courses as well as study specialized courses. In this way, they gain access to the world of new knowledge, developing both a broad perspective and a flexible manner of thinking. Through the integration of multiple disciplines and creative exchanges, ICU students are able to develop both broad and deep expert knowledge; they gain the ability to see the whole picture.

Since its inception, ICU has stressed the development of independent thinking in conjunction with a speculative and scientific approach to problem solving. In all curricula, from language study to graduate programs, students learn to apply logical analysis and to adopt a multidimensional perspective. Implicit in this is a rejection of unsubstantiated information and uncritical acceptance of authoritative teachings or the opinions of others.

ICU provides various systems that offer support for students. One of these is the adviser system, in which a full-time member of faculty (associate professor or higher) is assigned to each student. The adviser offers guidance and help with various problems and issues related to study plans and student life. The adviser system which has been in place since the university's beginnings, was expanded in 2008 with the opening of the Academic Planning Center. As the name implies, the purpose of the Academic Planning Center goes beyond academic advice and seeks to assist students to become independent and self-reliant learners. With the establishment of this Center, the advisor system has been extended throughout the entire university. In 2011, the Writing Support Desk was set up. Students are free to use this service to obtain individual assistance in the art of writing papers in Japanese and English--both curricular and extracurricular. In 2015, the student support functions were integrated into a new Center for Teaching and Learning . This is more convenient for students and, because all of an individual student's needs and problems can be addressed at a single Center, the university is now able to provide generous, student-oriented support in a timely manner.