March 27th, 2024

The Institute for the Women's Career Advancement and Gender Equality Development  Leadership held "Leadership Development Training for Women Researchers" from March 4th to the 15th, with a total of 251 participants from all faculty, staff, and graduate students (master's and doctoral degree programs, coeducational) of the university taking the online and face-to-face courses.

The program was part of the FY2023 "MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Human Resource Development in Science and Technology: Initiative for Realization of a Diverse Research Environment (Female Leader Development Type)" program. The Initiative for Realization of a Diverse Research Environment (Female Leader Development Type) supports the development of a research environment that gives consideration to the work-life balance of female researchers, supports resuming work after maternity leave, and encourages proactive promotion, in order to increase diversity in the research environment and produce outstanding research results.

The theme of the first session, held on March 4, was "Assertive Communication.” Participants learned the basic concepts of assertive communication, how to listen, and how to communicate, with the aim of creating a comfortable working environment and facilitating work through their own communication. The second session (March 8) focused on "anti-harassment measures" and discussed communication that does not lead to harassment. In the third session (March 11), based on the contents of the first and second sessions, participants considered leadership from various perspectives, not only understanding the role and abilities of a leader, but also becoming aware of how to manage them by utilizing their own strengths and understanding the motivation behind leadership positions. The final session (March 15) was "Intercultural Understanding”. Participants considered how to perceive different cultures without being bound by stereotypes, understand their characteristics, and have a mindset of accepting diversity.

Each theme consisted of a lecture and group work. Participants incorporated what they understood in the lectures into their own experiences in each of the sessions, and learned from each other's experiences and ideas in the group work sessions. Participants commented, "It gave me a reason to change my way of thinking," "I want to start using it immediately starting tomorrow," and "Everyone's response to the same case was slightly different, and I thought this is what diversity is all about."

March 25th, 2024

A handmade cartoon has been completed to show the distinctive features of the Department of Human Environmental Sciences.

The Department of Human Environmental Sciences, which plans to increase its capacity from 2025, has reorganized its existing six courses into three areas. Learning that organically links diverse areas will be enhanced. An original manga booklet has been created to convey the appeal of each area in an easy-to-understand manner.

The title is "Department of Human Environmental Sciences where 'likes' connect". The manga features the bright Riko, who loves fashion, the firm Yui, who is good at drawing illustrations, and the honours student Aoi, who is portrayed as being ditzy. This is the story of a group of close high school seniors who encounter an area of study that connects with their personal 'likes' at the open campus of Mukogawa Women's University.

At the spring open campus on March 23rd, students handed the manga and a plastic folder with the cover design to high school students who visited. They flicked through the pages of the manga and looked at it with curiosity.

 Students who read the manga commented: 'It's easy to understand because it depicts what we actually learn in class' and 'The Department of Human Environmental Sciences has a wide range of fields, from household goods to architecture, but it's all in the manga. I think a lot of high school students will find it fascinating".

March 23rd, 2024

Mukogawa Women's University's first university-wide "Spring Open Campus" was held on March 23rd at the Main Campus, Hama-Koshien and Kami-Koshien Campuses, with approximately 1,440 high school students and parents in attendance.

In previous years, Mukogawa Women's University has held open campuses from June to September, but for the first time it was decided to hold them in March in order to provide new high school seniors with the latest information about the University as quickly as possible in order to provide assistance in choosing a career path. Department of History and Culture, which will open in April this year, and the School of Environment and Sustainability (currently being conceived), which is scheduled to open in April 2025, were also included, and the breadth of learning that only a university can offer was displayed at various locations around the campus.
 
Before giving an overview of the entrance examinations at the main venue, Professor Tetsutaro Koromi, who will take up a position in the Department of Environment and Sustainability in the School of Environment and Sustainability, gave an explanation of the new school, introducing the four-year learning process, starting with fieldwork in the first year, followed by group work and practical experience through collaborative projects with companies, and the step-by-step development of experimental and analytical skills. He also introduced the four-year learning process, which will gradually improve students' experimental and analytical skills.

 Each department held departmental programs and mock classes, and high school students listened intently to explanations at the consultation booths. Despite the rain, many people also took part in the campus tour, which took them around the main facilities on campus, and the queue of umbrellas around the campus continued.

 The next Open Campus is scheduled for Sunday June 23rd.

March 22nd, 2024

Second-year students from the School of Human Environmental Sciences held a town planning proposal meeting in the Hanshin Bay Area.

Eighty second-year students taking 'Hanshin Intercultural Studies' (Professor Masahiro Miyake) in the School of Human Environmental Sciences presented their ideas for promoting the attractions of the Hanshin Intercultural Bay Area (Hanshin Bay) at the Hanshin Intercultural Bay Area Town Development Proposal Meeting held at the Hyogo Prefectural Marine Gymnasium this academic year.

 In the 'Hanshin Intercultural Studies' course, students learn that the Hanshin Intercultural area, where the university is located, was a pioneer in building a new lifestyle known as 'Hanshin Intercultural Modernism' from the end of the Meiji period to the beginning of the Showa period. Through lectures, students learn about the attractions of the Hanshin area and work with businesses and other organizations to disseminate information.

The students used what they experienced and learnt during the fieldwork to present their ideas at the Hanshin Bay town planning proposal meeting. They proposed sunset cruises and beach cruises to enjoy Koshien-hama and Nishinomiya-hama with the setting sun, and design ideas for cafés and restaurants.

The director of the Ocean Gymnasium, Takashi Kubo, who attended the town development proposal meeting, said he would like to refer to this area's renovation concept and other ideas.

 The activities of this lecture were published in the Kobe newspaper on January 19th.

March 20th, 2024

The graduation ceremony of Mukogawa Women's University was held on the morning of March 20th at the Koe Memorial Auditorium, with students from the School of Health and Sports Sciences, the School of Food and Nutrition Sciences and the School of Business Administration taking part in the ceremony. The University's graduation ceremony was held over two days, with 708 graduates from the three schools receiving diplomas and degrees on the second day in the presence of parents, faculty members and others.

In the afternoon, the postgraduate graduation ceremony was held in the Media Hall of the Kusaka Memorial Multimedia, where diplomas and degrees were awarded to five doctoral students, 86 master's students and two majors.

 In his address, President Kazuyoshi Seguchi stated that the University is "proud of all of you who have achieved advanced and professional results and are making them available to the world" and that "in the era of information, where published papers can be instantly referenced, authors must take responsibility for their own papers. The originality and creative results of a paper are forever attributed to the author, but the researcher must always remain humble in the face of academia. Today is the day to start on the path of research and artistic activity. Let us continue on this road together," he encouraged.

In her valedictory address, Ayaha Morokawa (MA in Clinical Psychology, Graduate School of Arts and Letters) said: 'My postgraduate studies were never smooth. Nevertheless, I believe that insights can be gained as we continue to struggle and that the knowledge gained from overcoming difficulties will be a great source of strength. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the professors who illuminated our path and carefully guided us. I will endeavour to contribute to society by supporting the knowledge and experience I gained at the graduate school and the time I spent learning with my teachers and friends".

Many of the postgraduates attended the graduation ceremony dressed in hakama or kimono, and the campus was filled with a glamorous scene with attendees taking commemorative photographs.

March 19th, 2024

The 2023 graduation ceremony of Mukogawa Women's University was held on March 19th in two segments, morning and afternoon, and will be held on 20th as well, with 2,221 students graduating in total.

On the morning of March 19th, the graduation ceremony was held in the schools of Literature, Architecture, Music and Nursing, and in the afternoon Schools of Education, Human and Environmental Sciences and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences celebrated their graduation ceremonies. This year's graduates are from the generation whose entrance ceremony was cancelled due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, so there were many cases where several family members attended the ceremony and the hall was filled up to the third floor with attendees.

The curtain was raised by the bells to the melody of the school anthem, and the ceremony began solemnly, with students who are currently enrolled in the school acting as MC. Representatives from each department proceeded to the stage to receive their diplomas from President Kazuyoshi Seguchi.

In his address, President Seguchi referred to the cancellation of the entrance ceremony four years ago and said: 'You must have been full of anxiety. If you now feel a little younger and more affectionate than you did then, that is a sign of growth". He also gave an overview of the social situation, including the constant conflicts in the world, frequent disasters in Japan, an unstoppable decline in birthrates and an ageing population, and generative AI such as ChatGPT shaking up the field of education. 'The world is full of unknowns. Change is an opportunity, and after four years of learning and engaging in a variety of activities, you have acquired the ability to withstand difficulties and defy crises. You have nothing to fear. Whether you are excited, afraid or indifferent to the unknown depends on the direction of your mind. Please keep your sense of alertness sharp, keep learning and be excited about the unknown, and lead a fulfilling life'.

 T The valedictorian of the year was Ms. Hana Otsuka, a third-year student in the Department of Psychology and Social Welfare, who said: 'I learnt the importance of not giving up and facing up to the situation by watching the seniors who organized the Sports Festival and Cultural Festival using online and other means, even though there were restrictions on activities due to the pandemic'. Saki Nakamura of the Department of Performance at the Faculty of Music, who was the valedictorian of the graduating class, said: 'Our university life started with the news that the entrance ceremony was cancelled, but gradually we were able to regain a sense of normality on campus. We learnt that even if one thing is missing, we can find a way by approaching it from other perspectives", she reflected, expressing gratitude to her friends, faculty and family.

The graduation ceremony of the University for graduate and postgraduate courses will be held on January 20th, while the graduation ceremony of the junior college will be held on January 21st.