Tokyo Tech faculty members, administrative and technical staff, and students are ceaselessly working toward our goal as one, just as we did last year. And, what is our goal? The goal is for the value of Tokyo Tech's research, education, outreach, and international exchanges to gain wide recognition in society. Each member of the Tokyo Tech community will continue to strive together toward this goal.
Tokyo Tech embarked on education reform in 2013. In 2014 many concrete measures will manifest themselves. First, the structure of the Institute's new curriculum will be in place at the end of March. All reforms are expected to be fully implemented by April 2016. To this end, tangible and intangible aspects of the reforms will be carried out this year, such as the establishment of a new education system and the renovation of classrooms and facilities for active learning.
It is no exaggeration to say that Tokyo Tech is at the cutting edge of education reform in Japan. The Institute is the leader in Japanese university reform.
As Tokyo Tech's education reform is already in progress, I will focus on reinforcing research this year. In 2013 the Institute was selected as one of the organizations for support in the Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Tokyo Tech will establish a vibrant environment where young researchers play a central part in proactively tackling new research. University research administrators took up their posts in December 2013. Efforts to promote international joint research and communicate Tokyo Tech research globally will be in full swing in 2014.
Another major target of reform in 2014 is the improvement of the campuses. I will also formulate and outline new plans for the effective utilization of Tokyo Tech's three campuses: the Ookayama Campus, the Suzukakedai Campus and the Tamachi Campus.
I will remain committed to people-to-people exchanges with world leading universities to aggressively ensure that Tokyo Tech students study abroad and that excellent international students come to Tokyo Tech. In 2013 I visited leading universities, such as the University of Minnesota and Carnegie Mellon University, and traveled around the world to conclude agreements and promote exchanges. I can assure you that I will do the same in 2014.
Tokyo Tech executives will command university operations with a long-term perspective through discussions with the Office of Advisors to the President and the President Advisory Board. I will drive education reform, reinforce research, and communicate to the world that Tokyo Tech is a leading sci-tech university. The Institute aims to become one of the world's top ten research universities by 2030, and 2014 and 2015 will be landmark years along this path. Plans to revitalize and internationalize education and research will begin in earnest this year. Your support and suggestions are always appreciated.
I would like to offer you my best wishes for the New Year and look forward to working with you in 2014.
Good morning ladies and gentlemen. It is my great pleasure to hold the 2013 Fall Entrance Ceremony of Tokyo Institute of Technology in the presence of executive faculties and staff members. On behalf of the Institute, I am delighted to welcome all of you who have been accepted to the Graduate Schools. The total enrollment of the fall entrance is 324, of which 173 is for the Master's course, 9 for the professional Master's course, and 142 for the Doctoral course.
I believe that all of you are now filled with a strong desire to acquire a higher level of skill, broader knowledge and flexible capabilities in your own field of study at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo Tech. As the No.1 science and technology institute in Japan, having a history of over 130 years since its foundation, Tokyo Tech aims to cultivate science and engineering students to acquire a strong scholastic ability, the capacity to integrate diverse perspectives and approaches with real-world applications, and the creative competence to become future pioneers in various fields of science and technology. I am sure that all the faculty members are ready to provide you with high-quality education and various research opportunities. You will deserve them if you ask for them with your ambition and endeavors.
Today I am happy to welcome 239 foreign students from 31countries, from Asia, Europe, the Middle-East, Africa, North America, and Central and South America. As of May 1 last year we had about 1,250 foreign students from 76 countries world-wide, which is 13% of our entire student body. This figure is the highest for a science and technology institute in Japan. I do hope that all of you will enjoy such an international environment, and that you will broaden your vision through learning and understanding different cultures. With such experiences, you will gain the competence to work as a member of an international team in the future to solve problems confronting global society.
We also have a wide range of research and education activities by collaborating with universities around the world. Tokyo Tech has been a member of a consortium of five Asian top universities including Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Tsinghua University in China since 2008. The consortium has been collaborating with a league of four top European Universities including Delft University of Technology in Holland and ETH Zurich in Switzerland since 2009. We also have university-wide agreements for exchanging students and faculty with many universities in the United States including UC Berkeley, the University of Washington, Georgia Tech and the University of Minnesota. Through these many collaborative activities with top universities worldwide, we are accepting more foreign students and sending more Japanese students out into the world on various types of exchange programs. It is necessary then to further improve the quality and the systems of our education to be comparable with those of top world universities. Also increasing our research strength is necessary by enhancing international collaborations with top researchers, and realizing new systems for fusions of researchers from different fields to drive innovation. Tokyo Tech aims to become more and more international in every respect in order to accomplish the goal I have announced this year, of becoming one of the World's Top 10 Research Universities by 2030.
In closing I wish that all of you will spend a successful student life here at Tokyo Tech. Always watch your health and be positive to work hard toward your goal. Spirit, enthusiasm and confidence, these are what you will need at Tokyo Tech.
The Fall Entrance Ceremony for the Graduate Schools of Tokyo Institute of Technology was held on October 1, 2012 at the Tokyo Tech Front. The total enrollment for the fall term is 317, of which 165 are in a master's program, including 10 in the Professional Master's Program, and 142 in a doctoral program. The Fall Entrance Ceremony was conducted in English as many of the graduate students are in the English-based International Graduate Program and their families were in attendance.
President Yoshinao Mishima, who was inaugurated on the same day, gave his first address as president and offered encouragement to the new Tokyo Tech students.
First of all, let me introduce myself as the new President of Tokyo Institute of Technology as of today, October 1st, 2012. It is therefore my great pleasure, as my very first job as President, to address you at this 2012 Fall Entrance Ceremony at Tokyo Institute of Technology in the presence of executive faculty and staff members. On behalf of our Institute, I am delighted to welcome all of you who have been accepted to the Graduate Schools. I'd also like to express my sincere respect to the families who have supported you students up until now. The total enrollment this fall is 317, of which 165 of you are pursuing a master's degree, 10 the professional master's degree and 142 a doctoral degree.
I believe that all of you are filled with a strong desire to acquire higher-level skills, broader knowledge and flexibility in your individual fields of study at Tokyo Institute of Technology, hereafter Tokyo Tech. I am sure that all faculty members are ready to provide you with a high-quality education and various research opportunities. You have earned these opportunities through your ambition and endeavors that brought you here.
Tokyo Tech is the largest and the top national science and engineering university in Japan and has a 130-year history of education and research. The mission of Tokyo Tech is as follows:
As one of Japan's top universities, Tokyo Tech seeks to contribute to civilization, peace and prosperity in the world, and aims to develop global human resources par excellence through pioneering research and education in science and technology, including industrial and social management. To achieve this mission, we strive to educate highly moral students who acquire not only scientific expertise but also expertise in liberal arts, and have a balanced knowledge of the social sciences and humanities, as well as master research techniques spanning the basics through the use of sophisticated technology. Through these activities, we seek to contribute to the global sustainability of the natural world and the support of human life.
Along with this mission, the current role of Tokyo Tech can be more concretely described as one of making contributions to the international community by tackling various global problems such as the development of reusable energy resources, the protection of the environment, the responsible management of water and ensuring a safe and adequate food supply through our science and technology. Additionally, the individual research activities of our faculty members in the graduate schools greatly contribute to these international efforts through three interdepartmental organizations. They are the Inter-Departmental Organization for Informatics, the Inter-Departmental Organization for Environment and Energy, and the Organization for Life Design and Engineering. With six research laboratories and several research centers all pursuing active research, Tokyo Tech is always contributing to the global community through its advanced science and technology. I look forward to seeing you all take part in such research activities and make your contributions.
International activities at Tokyo Tech have recently become quite extensive. We currently have over 1,200 international students, who make up about 12% of our student body. We have had a consortium among five top Asian universities since 2008 which includes Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and China's Tsinghua University. The consortium has been collaborating since 2009 with a league of five top European universities, including Imperial College London and Delft University of Technology in Holland. We have also just started a new student exchange program with a grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. This program involves ten top universities in the United States including MIT, UC Berkeley and CalTech. Through these international collaborations with top universities around the world, we are accepting more international students and sending more Japanese students abroad than ever before. We also promote exchanges of researchers in order to stimulate and encourage both sides in their endeavors to solve global issues. At Tokyo Tech, you will enjoy a very international environment.
In closing, I wish all of you an enjoyable, meaningful and successful period of study here at Tokyo Tech. Take care of your health and work confidently and diligently toward your goal. Spirit, enthusiasm and confidence will take you far at Tokyo Tech.
